A while ago I decided I wanted to write a book. Of course during the beginning stages of this process, I had to decide what story I wanted to create, what genre to write for, etc. The answer was clear, contemporary romance. I often find myself fantasizing about what my future partner will be like, how we’ll meet, and how we’ll get together. Unfortunately real life tends to not be as exciting as what we see in books/movies/tv shows. I’m sure I’ll end up meeting my future wife on a dating app or something typical and boring like that.
Still though, whether it’s a mundane and ordinary kind of story like what usually happens in real life, or something more dramatized like what we see in movies, there’s something so poetic and satisfying about the concept of falling in love. Two separate people somehow finding each other in this chaotic, hectic, hellscape that we call reality is as beautiful as it is improbable, and I really enjoy seeing those kinds of stories play out.
With romcoms it can be very hit or miss. There are some that are too unbelievable, too derivative, or just too bland and uninteresting. A good romcom at its core requires personal connection. Obviously the characters themselves need that connection with each other, but the audience should also be able to connect and get behind the characters. Nothing kills a romance story quicker than unlikeable characters. If the audience is able to connect with the characters, then the story practically writes itself. I wanted to create something that people could resonate with on a visceral level and get lost in, the way I have with so many other forms of art that depict love. For me to do that I needed to have inspiration. Of course for my book I took some from my personal life and my personal feelings, but I also watched/read some stories depicting romance. I’ve seen a lot of rom coms in my life, but I’ve been watching even more over the past several months. Some of them were old favorites of mine, and some were new, just anything that I thought could help me make the best story possible. Here are some that I found to be compelling, endearing, and enjoyable.
10 things I hate about you/When Harry Met Sally – 10 Things I Hate About You and When Harry Met Sally are two of my favorite movies of all time of any genre and my two favorite romcom movies. I remember one of my college professors raving about how good When Harry Met Sally is and it fully lived up to the hype. So much so that I wrote a paper about it for one of my classes (I got an A on it of course). I’ve written in depth about both movies in the past so I won’t go into too much detail. I definitely recommend both though.
Here are the links to my essays about these movies: (https://ctreyjones.home.blog/2020/08/16/the-best-rom-com-ever/) (https://ctreyjones.home.blog/2020/08/10/psychology-of-interpersonal-relationships-when-harry-met-sally/)
Palm Springs (movie) – I first saw this movie a few months ago and I was blown away. The two lead characters get stuck in a time loop together at a wedding. They’re the only ones that are affected by it. During their time trapped in the time loop they of course fall in love, and discuss the meaninglessness of life. Right up my alley. Normally I don’t really care for time travel in movies but it works for this movie. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti have good chemistry together, the plot was engaging, and the underlying philosophical message really resonated with me.
Tweet Cute (Book) – This author has a writing style that’s so similar to mine it’s crazy. Since finishing my book (the rough draft at least), I’ve been comparing my book to other books I’m reading or have read, and I’ve gotta say, her style is like an improved version of my style. In this book the daughter of a fast food mogul and the son of a local bakery wage a social media war against each other. They of course go to the same high school as each other, and their war has helped bring them together as friends. While all that is going on they’re unknowingly falling for each other on this app that makes all of the users anonymous. I thought this book was super interesting and unique. As an avid Twitter user, I liked the inclusion of Twitter into the story. Also, a lot of women authors have trouble writing the pov of male characters, and male characters in general. I’ve found that they tend to be cliché heavy and just not all that realistic. This author does a really good job of it though. This is probably one of my favorite books, it’s crazy how invested I got in the story.
Always Be My Maybe (movie) – Randall Park is so damn charming. He and Paul Rudd are cut from the same cloth in that regard. They’re both just so easy to get behind in whatever role they play (Steve Carell too). The plot of this movie centers around two childhood friends, who ended up falling out after a failed romantic relationship, reconnect after several years. Now Sasha is a famous chef, and Brandon has seemingly underachieved so far in life. On paper the story is pretty basic but it just worked for me, in large part due to Randall Park’s endless supply of charm.
Geek Charming (book) – This book ended up being made into a Disney movie. I specified the book for this list because the movie is…well it’s a live action Disney movie, it’s enjoyable but nothing special. I think the book is really good though. Dylan is the snobby popular girl who’s kind of mean and condescending to everyone around her and Josh is the neurotic geek who decides to take advantage of her popularity to make a documentary that will get him into USC. Their relationship starts off rocky but ends up blossoming into a nice friendship. I like how the book subverts the expectation of the two leads ending up together (there is romance in the book though, don’t worry about that). It’s super cheesy and endearing.
Normal People (book/tv show) – Normal People is a book that also got made into an award winning tv show, both are high quality (although the tv show is shot in a style that might take getting used to so I recommend the book more than the show). It follows the up and down relationship of Marianne and Connell. From friends to lovers to not friends to friends again to lovers again to…you know what you just gotta read it. It follows their relationship from senior year of high school throughout college. One of the reasons I chose this book initially was because a large part of it takes place in college and honestly there are less books like that than you would think, which is also a reason I had my book be set in college. This book was one of my biggest inspirations when I first started writing. The dialogue flows so well and the story itself feels so real and unique (there’s basically no clichés in this one). This book doesn’t try to be endearing or cheesy, it’s gritty and real, which sets it apart from other contemporary romance novels. I try to revisit this book once every few months or so, it’s that good.
Master of None (tv show) – This is one of my favorite shows. It follows the main character, Dev, on his journey to find love and find his way in his career (he’s an actor). Seasons 1 and 2 are top tier television in my eyes, season two I view in especially high regard. The way they portrayed the unrequited love in that season was pretty amazing. The show also has an excellent soundtrack and really good standalone episodes. The episode in season one titled “Thanksgiving” is especially great, it depicts a queer black woman coming out to her family and it’s masterfully done. This show was a huge inspiration for me.
Some others worth considering – I realized this essay was getting kind of long but I still wanted to add these. 40 Year Old Virgin, Definitely Maybe, Hitch, Crazy, Stupid Love, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. These movies are a little older and generally more well known so I didn’t want to write about them all individually but they’re solid. Not quite on the level of the ones I mentioned earlier, but still good. Love Life is a tv show that was created in a similar manner to Master of None. It’s not quite as good in my eyes but still worth the watch.
Just some guy on the internet 