{"id":251,"date":"2009-04-30T16:55:00","date_gmt":"2009-04-30T20:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mimiwells.com\/wp\/do-cliches-matter\/"},"modified":"2013-01-02T01:00:56","modified_gmt":"2013-01-02T06:00:56","slug":"do-cliches-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mimiwells.com\/wp\/do-cliches-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Clich\u00e9s Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stumbled across an interesting article online at the Entertainment Weekly site. With a title like “<\/span>24 Rom-Com Clich\u00e9s We’d Retire<\/a>,” how could I not explore? Although they presented good reasons for their choices, I can’t say I completely agree with them. They also definitely missed some of the things that drive me nuts. Here’s a rundown of their nitpicks:<\/span><\/p>\n

Media Mavens<\/span> (13 Going on 20<\/span>) – Heroines with glamorous jobs in publishing? I thought that went out with the pink-cover chick lit tide. I adore chick lit, but how many jobs in magazine or book publishing are there? As many as the number of Dukes currently in Regency-set romance? How ’bout we look at some other careers, maybe?<\/span><\/p>\n

The Last\u2013Minute Sprint<\/span> (Love, Actually<\/span>) – I can’t lie; I’m a sucker for the big dramatic finale. I don’t have much quibble with this one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do You Believe in Magic? <\/span>(Simply Irresistible<\/span>) – Not a problem if it’s understood from the get-go that this is a fantasy we’re talking about (okay, more of a fantasy than your typical rom-com), but they don’t always work. <\/span>Am\u00e9lie<\/span>, absolutely. <\/span>Like Water for Chocolate<\/span>, not so much.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mischievous Dogs<\/span> (The Truth About Cats and Dogs<\/span>) – I have less of a problem with this than the lonely-girl-with-a-cat scenario. Then again, most women I know with dogs know how to control them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Working Girl…Needs Balance<\/span> (New in Town<\/span>) – Career girl with only a career to keep her warm? I remember those days. As long as she’s not portrayed as a fool when she’s not on the job, this one’s not a biggie either.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. and Mrs. Right in Front of You<\/span> (Win a Date With Tad Hamilton<\/span>) – This one’s a little tired. At what point should you clue in? And if it takes you that long to get a clue, is the sucker who’s been waiting all that time for you really the kind of wimpy doormat you want? Excepting Peter Parker, of course.<\/span><\/p>\n

Love at First Fight<\/span> (10 Things I Hate About You<\/span>) – This tradition goes back to the classics, <\/span>10 Things’<\/span> homage to <\/span>The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, His Girl Friday, Adam’s Rib,<\/span> etc. Done well, it works. What’s that they say about the thin line between love and hate?<\/span><\/p>\n

Clumsy Heroines<\/span> (Bridget Jones’s Diary<\/span>) – This can get annoying. A trip here and there is okay, but don’t paint her as just this side of incompetent and expect us to identify with her.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blooming Wallflowers<\/span> (The Mirror Has Two Faces<\/span>) – Blooming, okay. Suddenly becoming the town hottie because you’ve taken off your glasses and brushed your hair? Yeah, right. That version needs to die the death, and quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Lonely Montage<\/span> (Notting Hill<\/span>) – Can be effective, but only if you’re careful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bad Influence Buddies<\/span> (Knocked Up<\/span>) – Okay for Judd Apatow, since he’s writing for guys anyway, but I don’t see much of this in the female-focused rom-coms. She’d walk if he only surrounded himself with boobs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ridiculous Proofs of Love<\/span> (Sleepless in Seattle<\/span>) – I love Sleepless, but meeting at the top of the Empire State Building when you don’t live in NY? This one, I’ll give them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Easy Sex <\/span>(Forgetting Sarah Marshall<\/span>) – Stupid sex isn’t romantic, sorry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Schlubby Guy, Pretty Girl <\/span>(Hitch<\/span>) – Can the girl ever stay nerdy and get the hottie?<\/span><\/p>\n

Bad Drivers<\/span> (Annie Hall<\/span>) – Any character trait that makes a heroine seem vacuous or incompetent is a no in my book.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fake IDs<\/span> (Maid in Manhattan<\/span>) – Again, if he’s willing to fall for you because you’re wearing a great outfit and doesn’t find out you’re lying through your teeth about who you truly are, neither of you deserves a happy ending.<\/span><\/p>\n

PDA<\/span> (Never Been Kissed<\/span>) – File this one under big dramatic finale. If it fits the story, great. If it’s obviously tacked on to be a big dramatic finale moment, then it should go.<\/span><\/p>\n

Top of the Stairs Moment <\/span>(She’s All That<\/span>) – Love sneaks up on you, it doesn’t announce itself at the ball. <\/span>Pretty in Pink<\/span>, I’m talkin’ to you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eating for Two, or Three <\/span>(Two Weeks Notice<\/span>) – If they’re going to have healthy appetites, have them be healthy sizes. Gals who wear a 12 or 14 can have hot sex and fall in love, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Egregious Girl Bonding<\/span> (Practical Magic<\/span>) – Sex and the City aside, not every group of girls meets on Thursdays to get plastered and end up vomiting on someone’s–usuall Mr. Right’s–shoes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wet Climax<\/span> (Four Weddings and a Funeral<\/span>) – It’s not what you think. They mean rainstorm. Big dramatic finale stuff. Must fit logically with rest of story, or it’s gotta go.<\/span><\/p>\n

I’ve Nothing to Wear <\/span>(27 Dresses<\/span>) – Gratuitous costume changes? No. The scene in 27 Dresses gets a pass because it was integral to the plot. Usually the multiple costuming happens with a girlfriend who’s helping you pick out the perfect first date outfit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Singing Into Objects<\/span> (P.S. I Love You<\/span>) – This is just stupid. Nobody sings into an object unless they’re drunk or in college. Usually drunk and in college. Make them stop.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quirky BFF<\/span> (Working Girl<\/span>) – Apply what I think of as the Accidental Tourist rule. A couple of quirks are human nature. Piling them on to the point of ridiculousness (no sense of direction\/won’t leave the house\/alphabetizing the canned goods\/playing a card game no one outside the family knows the rules to meets strange clothes\/strange career\/weird kid with allergies) is, well, ridiculous.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Personally, I’ve had it up to here with cluelessness. If nearly every decision you make buys you a one-way ticket to Dumbasstown, then you’re no heroine I’m going to enjoy. That, or you’re Julia Roberts. She wore out her rom-com heroine card with me years ago, mostly because of the two expression acting: the flinch and nostril flare (anger and surprise) or the laugh. You know the laugh. Her pinnacle was <\/span>Notting Hill<\/span>, and that’s the last one I need to watch, thanks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anything we missed?<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stumbled across an interesting article online at the Entertainment Weekly site. With a title like “24 Rom-Com Clich\u00e9s We’d Retire,” how could I not explore? Although they presented good reasons for their choices, I can’t say I completely agree with them. They also definitely missed some of the things that drive me nuts. Here’s a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[46,16],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p31G3g-43","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mimiwells.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mimiwells.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mimiwells.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mimiwells.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mimiwells.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mimiwells.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1513,"href":"https:\/\/www.mimiwells.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251\/revisions\/1513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mimiwells.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mimiwells.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mimiwells.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}