Comedy
comedy
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The RomCom Bellamy in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE
Always Be My Maybe Movie Poster The RomCom “Bellamy” or Wrong Guy/Girl in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE is pivotal to pushing Sasha and Marcus together. There are three Bellamys in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE: Sasha’s fiance, her new boyfriend and Marcus’ girlfriend.
But first, SPOILER ALERT. Go watch ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE before you read this post because there are spoilers below. The movie is SO good. It’s available on Netflix.
As a reminder, Billy Mernit uses the term “Bellamy” to describe the rejected suitor in Writing the Romantic Comedy.
The Functions of the RomCom Bellamy in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE
The RomCom Bellamy in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE has several functions (per my earlier post):
- shows how right Sasha (Ali Wong) and Marcus (Randall Park) are for each other
- creates tension and conflict
- leads to the hysterical set piece scene where they double date
Sasha’s Fiance
This picture says it all. He’s more interested in looking at his phone than talking to her.
Sasha with her fiancee – the picture says it all as to why he’s the WRONG GUY He then wants to move their wedding back, separate, travel to India and date other people, so that they’re sure.
Sasha then rails to Marcus that her fiance was like a gorgeous statue, that she couldn’t be herself, and men always say they want a strong woman, but what they really want is a cheerleader. All of which points to Marcus as the ideal mate for her: she is herself with him.
Marcus’s Girlfriend
How is Jenny, Marcus’s girlfriend, wrong for Marcus? Well, she’s not Sasha, as his Dad says.
But even earlier, we know. First, his best friend doesn’t want to join them for dinner when he realizes it’s with Jenny. And second, when Jenny cooks a meal for Sasha and Marcus, and it’s inedible. Now Sasha is a renowned chef, so this highlights the qualities of Sasha as being the right person. Because who first taught Sasha to cook? Marcus’s mom. So a person who can cook is important for Marcus.
Sasha’s New Boyfriend: Keanu Reeves
Now it starts to get really fun. Marcus’s Dad has told Marcus that his girlfriend is not The One because she’s not Sasha (even though she’s nice and loves children). His dad tells him to ACT and not to live with regrets.
So Marcus is about to tell Sasha he likes her, WHEN she announces excitedly she met someone and had amazing sex.
Ooh, unexpected twist.
So now, the Bellamy is creating conflict. Marcus knows what he wants: Sasha, but he can’t go for it because Sasha’s completely enamored of her new boyfriend. Maybe he has even missed his chance.
And then Sasha suggests that they have a double date.
Leading to the Double Date “Set Piece”
What is a set piece?
According to Billy Mernit in Writing the Romantic Comedy,
” . . . in addition to some scene that delivers full-blown romance, a romantic comedy is generally expected to have at least one scene or sequence that’s consistently laugh-out-loud funny. The industry term for such an element is set piece.”
Writing the Romantic Comedy, by Billy Mernit at p. 274.And he continues:
“A set piece is an extended scene or sequence that exploits the setting or world of the movie to build from one joke or thrill to a series of same, climaxing in a satisfyingly big payoff topper.”
Writing the Romantic Comedy, by Billy Mernit at p. 275The Double Date “Set Piece”
The set piece in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE is BRILLIANT. The setting is a fancy restaurant (exploiting that Sasha is a chef and one of the running themes/jokes that fancy restaurants don’t serve enough food). Keanu Reeves playing himself as a movie star appears–in slow motion. Each course is its own joke as they are served some pretentious smidgeon of food, and the dialogue between the four ups the tension.
Sasha asks Marcus his opinion of Keanu Reeves and he calls him a “douche-bag.” Again, this highlights how Marcus is right for Sasha. He’ s not afraid to be honest with her and say what he thinks or call her out.
Marcus proceeds to look more and more unhappy as the meal progresses. They then proceed to a nightcap at the hotel, where emotional truths are revealed, as the tension reaches its peak between Marcus and Keanu (and it is TENSE). And then there’s a fight between Keanu and Marcus.
And who does Sasha rescue? Marcus. Yes, the fight between Marcus and the Bellamy shows Sasha who she really loves.
Then, there’s a release of tension and the TOPPER in the cab ride home as the camera pans over to the third passenger in the Uber Pool. (So funny).
Let’s Talk
So, have you seen ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE? What was your favorite part? Can you think of other functions that the wrong girl/guys serve? What are your thoughts?
I hope you are all safe and healthy and #stayinghome. I find watching and reading romcoms helps make me less stressed. And now Dav Pilkey of Dog Man is giving art lessons too.
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Crafting the RomCom Bellamy
A jealous Gig Young finding Katharine Hepburn entertaining Spencer Tracy Here are some tips for crafting the RomCom Bellamy.
First, what’s a RomCom Bellamy?
That’s the Wrong Guy or Girl.
As Billy Mernit explains in Writing the Romantic Comedy,
In the screwball era, Ralph Bellamy was the prime rejected suitor of choice, playing the earnest stodgy fellow who didn’t get the joke or the girl. . . . Solid and dependable, Bellamy represents the qualities his heroines have been unable to secure in their desired heros–in both cases, played by the charmingly tricky and unreliable Cary Grant.”
Writing the Romantic Comedy, Billy Mernit, at p.131-132Take THE AWFUL TRUTH.
Ralph Bellamy is in the middle between Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. How is Ralph Bellamy wrong for Irene Dunne?
- seems a bit stodgy
- is visiting New York with his MOTHER, to whom he seems quite attached
- is from Oklahoma, where Irene Dunne does not want to live. In one scene, Cary Grant repeatedly says how much Irene Dunne will love living in Oklahoma and Irene Dunne winces every time.
- does dance enthusiastically, but not in a way that fits NY society. He’s country dancing in a sophisticated New York nightclub. (Personally, I give him points for that.)
Crafting the RomCom Bellamy in DESK SET
Or take DESK SET, one of my favorite movies. (Fun fact: The screenplay for DESK SET was written by Nora Ephron’s parents.) The Bellamy there is her office crush. How do we know he’s the Wrong Guy?
- she is very uncertain of their relationship even though they have been dating for YEARS
- he asks her for help checking over his numbers (using her)
- he doesn’t recognize how smart she is
What is important to remember is that the Bellamy “helps define who the protagonist is and isn’t.” Writing the Romantic Comedy, at 132.
It also helps to highlight the qualities of the Right Man. So in DESK SET, Spencer Tracy
- recognizes immediately how smart she is after their lunch date and is very impressed with her (another one of my favorite scenes);
- seems romantically interested; flirts with her; compliments her
- Has a good sense of humor
Benefits of the Bellamy
Comedy: My favorite part of the Bellamy is that it enables you to set up a triangle comedy “set piece” where this is displayed, as, for example, in DESK SET when Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn are having dinner and Gig Young, the guy she has been dating for years, arrives and is upset to find Spencer Tracy there. Bridget Jones also does this with Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. Remember when she is having her birthday dinner with Colin Firth and her friends, and Hugh Grant shows up.
Tension: If you do it right, you may create genuine mystery as to who will be The One. For example, in HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, I think there’s genuine tension as to which girlfriend becomes her mother.
“The most effective Bellamy is one who poses a genuine threat to your central romance, meaning: for maximum triangle tension, design a Mr. or Ms. Wrong who we can believe could actually be a viable mate for your protagonist.”
Writing the Romantic Comedy, Billy Mernit at p. 134In my WIP, Partner Pursuit, I tried to do this, but I worry that I made my Bellamy too desirable, which took away some of the comedy and made my beta readers feel bad for him. But if I made him less likable, I took away some of the tension that she would end up with him. So, I think there’s a trade-off. I think for comedy, you need to make him less likable.
Let’s Talk
Do you like movies or books with a Bellamy? What are some of your favorite books or scenes in movies? Why do you like them? Next time, I will look at the Bellamy in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE–a more current movies 🙂
Unless now that my kids are home from school and I am home-schooling, I come up with some good ideas to share. I did find Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems, so, since we love Mo Willems, we will try to incorporate lunch doodling into our schedule.
Keep safe and keep washing those hands!
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Analyzing the new OVERBOARD
Overboard movie poster So OVERBOARD (1987) with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell is one of my favorite movies, but I still wanted to see the new OVERBOARD (2018) and to spend some time analyzing it. (It’s free right now on Amazon Prime). And I enjoyed it in the end, but on its own terms. Since I’m writing a romantic comedy, and since I love watching romantic comedies, I also love discussing and analyzing romantic comedies. And there were some interesting lessons.
Analyzing the New OVERBOARD
Here are some of mythoughts on the new OVERBOARD:
- Still like the set-up of the scam
- Shows how to make an unlikable love interest likable
- Uses double entendre in comic scenes – based on the scene with the male buddies
- Missing the chemistry of the original OVERBOARD
The Comedy Scam
According to John Truby, “the plan is always a scam in comedy.” So that’s the case in OVERBOARD, since Anna Faris’s character decides to pretend that Eugenio Derbez is her husband. This also brings in the “fake dating” romcom trope, which is one of my favorites. Only, OVERBOARD has a clever twist since only one of them is aware that they are “fake” married.
P.S. I highly highly recommend John Truby’s course on Comedy. It is one of the best courses on comedy I have taken so far.
Making an Unlikable Love Interest Likable
I REALLY disliked Eugenio Derbez’s character initially. He was so so awful. He had to be awful so you sympathize with the Anna Faris character taking advantage of him. So I was impressed with the scriptwriting because I started to like him. BUT am I really that easy? He makes lunch for her and I’m like, okay, I guess you’re a good guy. I guess I am really that easy. His amnesia, though, also allowed the audience to give him a fresh start.
My Favorite Scene in OVERBOARD
My favorite scene was actually when Eugenio Derbez was hanging out with the guys and he says: “I don’t think this is my life. I don’t have sex with my wife.”
The other guy says that the last time he had sex with his wife was 9 months before our daughter was born. And our daughter is now 2. (So there you have the set-up, the joke, and then the topper (and now our daughter is 2).) And that nobody thinks that this is their life.
Eugenio says that he feels that he should be the guy owning the pool, not building the pool. And all the guys say that they think that.
So it has the double entendre aspect because you know that this is not Eugenio’s life (and that in his former life, he did have sex all the time and was the guy owning the pool) and that makes that funny. But the conversation also has truth to it (everybody thinks that), which adds to the humor.
Missing the Chemistry of the Original OVERBOARD
I think that from a romantic point of view, it was missing the chemistry of the original OVERBOARD. Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell definitely had more chemistry. Maybe that’s because they have chemistry in real life, but I also think that the OVERBOARD (2018) script had less flirtatious banter between the leads. I’ll have to go watch the original again to see if my theory is correct. 🙂
I remember that I wrote one scene in my draft novel where the male romantic lead was doing the dishes and my writing tutor in my Penguin UK Constructing a Novel Writer’s Academy course found this boring and said I needed to add more sparks. Meanwhile, as someone who hates doing dishes, I thought that the male romantic lead doing the dishes was sexy. Lol.
Sexy man doing dishes But she was right and I did add more banter to the scene.
Meme that I want you to want to do the dishes from The Break-Up Exactly. Why would anyone want to do the dishes?
Three Take-Aways from Analyzing the New OVERBOARD
- Use a scam in your comedy. Add a twist if you can.
- Make sure there is flirtatious banter between the leads
- Comic scenes that play with double entendres work.
Let’s Talk
Have you seen the 2018 OVERBOARD? Did you like it or hate it? What was your favorite scene? What was your favorite scene in the 1987 OVERBOARD?