IN THIS SEASON of love, you might feel more sentimental—and temperamental, too—as that February love fever creeps in to give you the itching need for a romantic movie that grants that dose of kilig, heartbreak, heartache, and warmth this Valentine’s.
Behind those films, the relationship dynamic of the main characters is what fulfills this desire. Romantic tropes have always been the major crutch of romantic films such as Titanic, The Notebook, and The Vow, just to name a few. These tropes drive our romantic fantasies so let us dive deep and discover what makes romance movies truly romantic.
“The More You Hate, the More You Love”
Yes, it is the most classic romance trope of all time. Due to the characters’ dynamics, the enemies-to-lovers trope has always been entertaining. You know that irony where they hate each other’s guts, but they just keep getting closer and closer together until, viola! They’re now a couple!
In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen explores the theme of class divide through a romantic story of two people struggling with their pre-existing pride and prejudice.
Elizabeth Benneth, the main protagonist, hated Fitzwilliam Darcy as he came from the upper class, a feeling which he also reciprocated. As the story progressed, however, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy learned to relinquish their “pride” and “prejudices,” allowing love to triumph over all. In Jane Austen’s novel alone, the effects of the trope have influenced the rest of the world from its time of writing until the present day. This made people realize that women are free to be true to themselves and to choose who to love, and men to love for who they are.
This quirky trope has made a mark in several pop-culture movies, books, and TV series such as You’ve Got Mail, The Sound of Music, and The Devil is a Part-Timer, to mention a few. This character dynamic is indeed fascinating to watch as we see their pride and prejudices slowly fading away, allowing love to come knocking on their doors.
“A Friendship-turned-Budding Romance”
It’s cozy, heartwarming, and sometimes heart-wrenching. But when friends end up as lovers, we realize that everything is worth the wait. Having friends turn into lovers reminds us that love was just in front us this whole time, you just don’t know it yet.
In the sitcom Friends, Chandler and Monica portray the trope where their close relationship evolves into a secret romance, leading to them moving in together, getting engaged, and eventually getting married and raising their adopted twins. Fans of the show admire their chemistry and their presence for each other during their ups and downs.
Having this happen in real life is one in a million for sure—even fiction proves this is difficult to pursue considering several factors. For instance, it’s important to note how deep the protagonist’s friendship is with their friend and how some viewers prefer the main character to end up with another love interest. Despite all of that, there are forms of media that take on this trope and execute it well, such as Fight For My Way, Yona of the Dawn, The Cheat Sheet, Super Secret, I Cannot Reach You, and many more.
“It’s just you and me, baby.”
You have no choice. You have to be stuck together with… the person you’ll eventually fall for?! This is the classical idea of the “stuck together” trope. It takes on many variations. Sometimes, the main character gets stuck on a stranded island with a co-worker, a friend, a stranger, or worse, their enemy. At other times, they have to be stuck around with each other because of their work or academic responsibilities. Still, the characters intertwining company provides the room for them to find their feelings for each other.
My Roommate is a Gumiho, a popular Korean TV series, narrates the story of a nine-tailed fox, named Shin Woo-Yeo, who wants to become human. He collects human energy in a bead, but a university student, named Lee Dam, accidentally swallows it. They live together to prevent Lee Dam from dying and losing his chance to become human until they find a solution. As time progresses, they then developed feelings for each other and start a romance.
This character trope, seen in works like Cherry Blossoms After Winter, Not Here To Be Liked, Exactly Where You Need to Be, and She Drives Me Crazy, show how the protagonists behave differently around their love interests. It explains how their love interests become a comfort space or how much they can’t stand still with their presence.
“The Biggest Question of the 21st Century”
“Are you dating or not?” This question is dedicated to those people who seem to be in a relationship, but not really. This is quite perplexing as these people are found in a romantic situation without not having any romance involved, therefore having their status identified as a “situationship.” Such an instance has become a trope in days of the recent past. The situationship trope is truly one of the most famous tropes of all time found in cinemas, books, and TV series.
Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa is a Filipino indie film portraying the situationship between Sam and Isa, who are stuck in a dilemma of whether or not the couple should commit. The movie resonates with those unsure about their relationships and whether love is worth pursuing at the wrong place.
500 Days of Summer, Brokeback Mountain, Friends with Benefits, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s are just some of the films that may suit your itch for the situationship film you’ve been looking for so long.
“Love is Better Through a Sequel?”
Some guru on the internet has always said something about love, here’s how it goes: “Love is sweeter the second time around.” What? Is it even possible? Well, apparently, yes! Others may argue that this isn’t true, but different stories and forms of media have proved otherwise. Second chance tropes are genuinely interesting in storytelling narratives because they gave an idea that there’s a strong history between characters, so much so that both romantic interests finally come to realize how much they value that person the second time around. The trope essentially focuses on the chance to rekindle their love for each other.
In most movies, the beauty of this trope is typically shown through the pair’s love for each other. Then suddenly, a conflict arises leaving viewers to realize how the angst can either progress to become a hindrance or a motivation for the couple to get back together—perfectly posed in a setting where they could finally say: “Right person, right time.”
In Always Be My Maybe, a 2019 American romantic-comedy film, the protagonists, Sasha Tran and Marcus Kim, reconnect after 15 years. The two were former childhood friends who grew up in San Francisco next door to each other, and their friendship showed tinges of them being in love during their teenage years. However, they did not end on a good note after their post-sex argument. Sasha and Marcus, former flames, reunite when Sasha opens a restaurant in her hometown 15 years later. Despite their lingering feelings, they struggled to navigate each other’s changed lifestyles.
Second chances are only given to those deserving — a part of a few ‘what-if’ scenarios turned into reality in another person’s mind—What if I did this instead? What if I could have done that? The other way around?—These thoughts drive the trope, leading one to fix the past, which heavily resonates with people (maybe like you?). Other examples of this trope can be seen in Starting Over Again, Love and Other Words, and Our Beloved Summer.
“From the Two Ends of the Spectrum”
The yin to my yang, the sun to my moon, or the dark to my light is what this romantic trope is all about. This romantic trope proves the notion that opposites attract; the grumpy vs. sunshine trope which shows how two people from different worlds can fall in love. The sunshine person has a special impact on their grumpy love interest.
My Little Monster, also known as Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, revolves around the story of Shizuku Mizutani, an academic achiever nicknamed “dry ice” for her unaccommodating, hostile, and cold attitude towards the people she encounters, and her relationship with Haru Yoshida, her very carefree and innocent classmate who kept following her after she delivered class printouts to his home. Ever since Haru kept professing his love for her, they go through the nature of their relationship and their emotions.
Examples of this relationship dynamic include Pretty Face, Grumpy Fake Boyfriend, Nice To Meet You, Miss Abbott and the Doctor, and The Duchess Deal.
“We Just Can’t Be Together”
For this last and final trope, we must acknowledge that there will always be a love that just cannot be. The forbidden love trope is one of the most famous tropes of all time brought by the one and only William Shakespeare.
Romeo and Juliet is a famous story of two star-crossed lovers going into a forbidden relationship. This situation may resonate with those who couldn’t pursue their passion due to life circumstances. Following this, it grants another perspective of love, that of which entails the sacrfice of letting go.
A Walk to Remember and The Notebook are two romantic films, two of the most famous movies in its genre. Follow through with this trope and get ready to satisfy your forbidden love trope need.
So there you have it! The seven romantic tropes that Bedans should watch out for. And as we walk into the rosy-bricked road this month of love, we implore you, seek other tropes, find the perfect film, don’t forget to pop up your tissues, assemble your snacks, and view the cures for your February blues!
(with Dianne Radel Magallon)
Artwork by: Rizan Balleta