The Blatant Bellamy vs. The Tough Choice
I'm off to a wedding today, which made me think: has it been a while since we talked about the rom-com?
Here's my rom-com whinge of the day. This issue has been noted by many students of the romantic comedy, but for the rest of you: take notes. In the modern romantic comedy, the Bellamy--the term coined by Billy Mernit to describe the "wrong guy" or "wrong gal" in a rom-com--is always so darn wrong. You know it the minute you see them--they're dull and weak, or they're mean and manipulative. It's only a matter of time before the hero/heroine sees that they're with the wrong guy/gal and makes a beeline toward the new guy/gal on the scene.
Some examples:
Wedding Crashers - Rachel McAdams' fiance is pretty much a complete jackass.
High Fidelity - Laura's "new man" is an over-the-top new-agey Tim Robbins. You just can't take the guy seriously. She might not have ended up with Rob, but she sure wasn't going to settle down with this dude.
Sleepless in Seattle - Poor Bill Pullman, with his allergies. (Folks, in movie-land, being sniffly = total dudsville.)
Why does the Bellamy tend to be so blatant? I suppose there are two decent reasons: 1) there's more comedy to be had in a more extreme character, and 2) if our hero's going to leave their partner or fiance(e), we can't be feeling too sorry for the ditchee.
But there are also at least two huge problems with the blatant Bellamy: 1) if the hero's with an obvious ass or a wuss, the hero can look like a bit of an idiot, and 2) the hero choosing Mr. or Ms. Right over the lame-o Bellamy isn't much of a choice, is it? Don't we want choices to be tougher on our hero than that?
Some examples of more interesting Bellamies:
Forces of Nature - The third party is Ben Affleck's fiancee, at home waiting for him, and going through her own cycle of doubt. She's a real person. By the time you get to the third act, you're starting to realize that maybe free-spirited Sandy Bullock is actually the Bellamy. Ben's choice at the end of the film feels like a legitimate one, as there are two totally different, but real, women he could be with.
My Best Friend's Wedding - The Bellamy in this case is the bride, and a lesser movie would have played her as a witch. Instead, she's the impossible-to-dislike bubbly and bright Cameron Diaz. The groom's choice in the end is a tough one, as is our hero Julia's... she, too, starts to realize the "other gal" is the "right gal".
13 Going on 30 - Almost has it right. Jen Garner tries to convince her oldest, dearest friend Mark Ruffalo that she loves him, and that he should call off his imminent wedding. Mark tells her he has feelings for her too, but it's too late-- he's getting married. "We made choices. I chose Wendy." Nice stuff for what's supposed to be a fluffly little flick. My only complaint is the obligatory scene in which Wendy, the fiancee, has her moment of bitchdom. Why why why?
So here's my call to action for you, writers: consider the alternatives. Consider new ways to Bellamy. Hell, consider playing the existing partner as the RIGHT choice, and the hot new love interest as the WRONG one... just don't do the easy Bellamy thing.
Your hero deserves better.
Here's my rom-com whinge of the day. This issue has been noted by many students of the romantic comedy, but for the rest of you: take notes. In the modern romantic comedy, the Bellamy--the term coined by Billy Mernit to describe the "wrong guy" or "wrong gal" in a rom-com--is always so darn wrong. You know it the minute you see them--they're dull and weak, or they're mean and manipulative. It's only a matter of time before the hero/heroine sees that they're with the wrong guy/gal and makes a beeline toward the new guy/gal on the scene.
Some examples:
Wedding Crashers - Rachel McAdams' fiance is pretty much a complete jackass.
High Fidelity - Laura's "new man" is an over-the-top new-agey Tim Robbins. You just can't take the guy seriously. She might not have ended up with Rob, but she sure wasn't going to settle down with this dude.
Sleepless in Seattle - Poor Bill Pullman, with his allergies. (Folks, in movie-land, being sniffly = total dudsville.)
Why does the Bellamy tend to be so blatant? I suppose there are two decent reasons: 1) there's more comedy to be had in a more extreme character, and 2) if our hero's going to leave their partner or fiance(e), we can't be feeling too sorry for the ditchee.
But there are also at least two huge problems with the blatant Bellamy: 1) if the hero's with an obvious ass or a wuss, the hero can look like a bit of an idiot, and 2) the hero choosing Mr. or Ms. Right over the lame-o Bellamy isn't much of a choice, is it? Don't we want choices to be tougher on our hero than that?
Some examples of more interesting Bellamies:
Forces of Nature - The third party is Ben Affleck's fiancee, at home waiting for him, and going through her own cycle of doubt. She's a real person. By the time you get to the third act, you're starting to realize that maybe free-spirited Sandy Bullock is actually the Bellamy. Ben's choice at the end of the film feels like a legitimate one, as there are two totally different, but real, women he could be with.
My Best Friend's Wedding - The Bellamy in this case is the bride, and a lesser movie would have played her as a witch. Instead, she's the impossible-to-dislike bubbly and bright Cameron Diaz. The groom's choice in the end is a tough one, as is our hero Julia's... she, too, starts to realize the "other gal" is the "right gal".
13 Going on 30 - Almost has it right. Jen Garner tries to convince her oldest, dearest friend Mark Ruffalo that she loves him, and that he should call off his imminent wedding. Mark tells her he has feelings for her too, but it's too late-- he's getting married. "We made choices. I chose Wendy." Nice stuff for what's supposed to be a fluffly little flick. My only complaint is the obligatory scene in which Wendy, the fiancee, has her moment of bitchdom. Why why why?
So here's my call to action for you, writers: consider the alternatives. Consider new ways to Bellamy. Hell, consider playing the existing partner as the RIGHT choice, and the hot new love interest as the WRONG one... just don't do the easy Bellamy thing.
Your hero deserves better.
posted by Jennica at 9:53 a.m.
4 Comments:
Pretty and Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful also did a good job with this as well; even though the original script for Pretty and Pink has Andie winding up with Duckie, it still works the way they did it (though though winding up with Kristy Swanson at the end is a stretch).
And props to St. Elmo's Fire for giving Ally Sheedy two reasonable choices in Judd Nelson and Andrew McCarthy, and then having her realize that she doesn't need to make a decision yet, just because the movie is over.
What is your take on "Four Weddings and a Funeral"? 'Cause the Bellamy actually ends up being the "right girl"(Andie McDowell) in that movie and the "wrong girl" (Kristin Scott Thomas) is way more intriguing. Although I suppose the argument could be made that Charles's fear of committment was actually the Bellamy.
I guess I've always been confuzzled by that film even though I absolutely ADORE it because I really don't get why he would choose to be with Carrie when Fiona was so much more fun and interesting.
Oh, Scott, the Duckie example! So good. John Hughes examples are so great... back when it was okay to let us actually invest in multiple characters...
Dionne, I've actually thought about that very question... even had a bit of a conversation about it over at "Living the Romantic Comedy" some months ago. Here are my feelings about Four Weddings:
1 - Strictly speaking, the Bellamy would be Duckface. No? He almost *marries* her, and surely she's the wrongest gal of all! She's such a traditional Bellamy, too. So needy, so bossy. Of course, when Hugh screws her over and she punches him in the face, I kind of feel for her. That punch redeems her a little, as far as I'm concerned.
2 - If you look at Kristin Scott Thomas as a Bellamy, I think the answer is: she's friend material for Hugh. Sure, WE love Kristin more, but he just doesn't have the spark for her that she has for him. She's like a sister to him. No one's fault. A nice example, maybe, of an un-Bellamy-like Bellamy. (Phew!)
3 - Another conclusion we came to (that's me and my good pal Billy Mernit :) was that in Four Weddings, Hugh and Andie are both the "wrong" choices. They're both Bellamies. He's the lame-o that can't commit and says the wrong thing at any given moment (except when toasting), and she's the American slut (apologies, but come on) who's drawn to leathery men so long as they have money. So maybe these two are Bellamies that found each other, and good thing, 'cause who else would have 'em?
As far as Fiona being more interesting than Carrie, I have heard it argued that the Brits liked that free-spirited American thing. They actually like Andie over there. :) Any folk from the UK care to weigh in?
I’m not sure what happened to me as a child, but my rom-coms always turn into thrillers (at best). Within ten pages, my wrong gal is boiling the guy’s pet rabbit.
Nevertheless, thanks for the refreshing insights and a hat tip to Billy as well.
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