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Jessica Henry
Dr. Simcox
COMM 341
28 November 2016
Portrayals of Romantic Relationships in Film

INTRODUCTION
Television shows and movies portray all aspects of human life. It is possible to find
media that portray different life stages: birth, childhood, adolescence, middle age, and old age.
Television shows and movies take place in all regions of the United States. They also portray
most major life events: going to college, getting married, having kids, starting a new job, or
moving to a new city. One major life event is particularly interesting to film makers and
audiences: falling in love. It is so commonly portrayed in movies that it has its own genre, the
romantic comedy. The genre is so popular perhaps for its combination of two things that people
love: falling in love and laughing.
Most romantic comedies follow the same general structure. First, a man and woman
meet, and he is intrigued by her. He pursues her until the attraction develops into a relationship
that develops positively until he does something wrong. There is a period of sadness where the
film depicts the two characters living their lives apart. Then, the man makes a grand gesture of
apology, the woman forgives him, and the pair end up together at least for the time being. Few
movies extend beyond the initial reconciliation. Most recent romantic comedies have a
distinguishing factor. For example, in Killers the couple gets married only for the wife to find out
that her husband is an ex-government assassin with a $20 million bounty on his head. In Crazy,
Stupid, Love, a middle-aged man learns from a younger man how to pick up women at bars. The
twist is that the younger man is dating the middle-aged mans daughter. However, neither of
them know this. In The Vow, a woman loses all memory of her and her husbands marriage, so
her husband has to make her fall in love with him all over again.
Some research has been done regarding the influence of romantic ideals in popular
movies on peoples beliefs about relationships. This paper will review some of this research, as
well as continuing to dig into how romantic relationships are portrayed in film. The research
question that this paper will address is how are romantic relationships portrayed in film? It will
look at this topic through the lens of narrative paradigm theory and apply it to the 2009 film
(500) Days of Summer.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Previous research has shown romantic comedies portray romance in an idealized way.
Sources describe and provide examples of specific romantic ideals that are portrayed. According
to Veronica Hefner and Barbara Wilson, the romantic ideal is a set of beliefs about the power of
love and the perfection of romance (152). This set of beliefs includes expectations for how a
relationship should form, develop, function, and be maintained (Hefner and Wilson 152). The
ideal is made up of four themes: Love can overlook flaws; love can seek out that one perfect
mate; love can happen instantaneously; and love can overcome all obstacles (Hefner and
Wilson 152).
In a study of 52 highest-grossing romantic comedy movies from 1998-2008, Hefner and
Wilson found that 98% of those movies contained at least one romantic ideal expression (157).
Additionally, 98% of the movies contained expressions that challenge romantic ideals (158).
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According to Mary-Lou Galician, portrayals of romance in mass media perpetuate myths

about love and relationships that go back centuries. The idea that people have a soulmate, a one
and only perfect partner, comes from one of Platos works of fiction in which the human species
was divided in to two sexes and they now long for reunion (Galician 36). The idea that two
people can fall in love the first time they see each other, known as love at first sight, comes from
the Greek god of love, Eros, and the Romans Cupid (Galician 37). The myth says that these
gods would blindly shoot an arrow at unsuspecting humans, causing heartfelt love at first sight.
The myth that a woman must be traditionally attractive in order to attract and keep a man comes
from a skewed interpretation of Platos The Symposium. In this interpretation, physical
appearance is vital to being a valuable partner. In mythology, beauty equates to being good
(Galician 38).
Fairy tale stories where damsels-in-distress are rescued by knights-in-shining armor
encourage codependency, an unhealthy dependence of two people on each other who reinforce
each others needs to be needed or rescued (Galician 38). Another common portrayal in myths
and fairy tales are tests of societal disapproval and tests of separation for a couple. This is clearly
portrayed in Romeo and Juliet, in which the two lovers come from families that are mortal
enemies of one another. Narratives of this type characterize love as being able to conquer every
barrier, even death. Lovers with conflicting values can easily overcome these differences, which
fade in the face of loves power, says Galician (39).
In Hefner and Wilsons study, they found that three fourths of the films in the sample
featured an overarching romantic ideal message. The majority of the films had the overarching
theme that love conquers all (161). They also found that, overall, ideals are treated well, while
challenges are treated poorly (162).
The ideal that love conquers all is not only visible in the drama Romeo and Juliet, but it
can also be seen in the comedy of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, where the main characters come
from families with different cultural heritage. This ideal can also be found in Moulin Rouge,
when an idealistic writer and a prostitute with different backgrounds and values fall in love
(Galician 195-96). This is also the overarching theme of the Disney movie Lady and the Tramp,
when a refined lap dog and a street scamp fall in love.
In an analysis of the 2002 romantic comedy Maid in Manhattan, Diana Rios and Xae
Alicia Reyes applied four myths about romantic relationships that are depicted in the movie.
They said that the movie portrays a male in superior status to the female; that actors are the
romantic characters that they portray; two people can fall in love upon first laying eyes on each
other; and women must be traditionally attractive to gain love (Rios and Reyes 107).
Since love and sex tend to go hand-in-hand in mass media, much of the research that
exists also talks about mass media influences on sexuality. Cultivation Theory says that
television is the most powerful storyteller in our culture. It continually repeats the myths,
ideologies, facts, and patterns of relationships that define and legitimize the social order (Brown
44).
Sexual talk and displays in television programs is rapidly increasing. Sex is rarely
depicted with responsible sexual behavior: commitment, contraceptives, and consideration of
consequences (Brown 42). While more than half of the couples who engage in sexual
intercourse on television are in an established relationship, 1 in 10 are couples who have met
only recently; one quarter do not maintain a relationship after having sex (Brown 42). Sex is
often portrayed as easy and wonderful, as long as your partner is truly meant for you (Galician
146). Males are often depicted as being responsible for the sexual success of a relationship.
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The gap in the research that has been done about romantic relationships in film is that
most researchers have chosen to look at mass media as a whole rather than specifically film.

COMMUNICATION THEORY
One communication theory that explains the popularity of portraying romantic
relationships in film is the narrative paradigm. The narrative paradigm explains why filmmakers
continue to make romantic comedies and why people continue to view them.
The narrative paradigm was developed by Walter Fisher to answer the philosophical
question What is the essence of human nature? Fisher thinks that human communication reveals
something more basic than rationality, curiosity, or even symbol-using capacity (Griffin 303).
Humans are narrative beings who experience and comprehend life as a series of ongoing
narrative, as conflicts, characters, beginnings, middles, and ends (Griffin 303).
Griffin says that Fisher defines narration as symbolic actionswords/deedsthat have
sequence and meaning for those who live, create, or interpret them (305). A paradigm is a
conceptual frameworka universal model that calls for people to view events through a
common interpretive lens (Griffin 305). Put together, a narrative paradigm is a theoretical
framework that views narrative as the basis of all human communication (Griffin 307).
Not all stories are equally good. Whether they realize it or not, everyone applies
standards of narrative rationality to the stories they hear. To have narrative rationality, a story
has to pass the twin tests of narrative coherence and narrative fidelity (Griffin 307). Narrative
coherence deals with how the story hangs together. It has to be consistent and not have left out
important details or made up facts. Narrative fidelity is the quality of a story that causes the
words to strike a responsive chord in the life of the listener (Griffin 309). The values in the
narrative must ring true with the hearers experiences (Griffin 309).
An article by Alan and Victoria Bush introduces the narrative paradigm as an alternative
way to evaluate advertisements. The narrative paradigm deviates from the rational paradigm and
how advertisements would typically be evaluated. The narrative paradigm views an
advertisement as a text or story (Bush and Bush 35). The narrative paradigm takes into
consideration the problematic nature of situational and individual characteristics that limit the
explanatory power of ethical decision-making models (Bush and Bush 35).
The article by Bush and Bush also says that narrative probability (coherence) can be
aided by the storyteller using myth, metaphor, or convention. A myth tells a society why things
are the way that they are and why they do the things that they do. A myth does not necessarily
imply fact, but it also does not imply fiction (Bush and Bush 36). A metaphor is a universally
agreed upon truth that is grounded in notable features of experience (Bush and Bush 36). Widely
accepted metaphors like light and dark, heat and cold, nature, seasons of the year, and the sun
are commonly used in advertising (Bush and Bush 36). Conventions are expectations that the
audience has for the story that are based on previous experience with works of that type. Some
commercial genres that audiences have conventions for are product demonstration, slice-of-life,
problem-solution, image, and testimonial (Bush and Bush 38).
Jennifer Bute and Robin Jensen assert that narrative work is purposeful and builds from
three key elements of narrative theorizing: the sense making function of narratives, individuals
efforts to attribute meaning to decisions and behaviors, and the place of individuals stories in a
particular historical moment (214). In a study with low-income women, Bute and Jensen sought
to find out how low-income women narrate and make sense of their formal sexual education in
the context of happenings and behaviors that have shaped their sexual lives. The interviews with
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the women fell into one of three major narrative themes: the narrative of regret, the narrative of
sex-education satisfaction, and the narrative of uncertainty (Bute and Jensen 220). Although each
woman in the study told her own individual story, there were common themes throughout the
sample, which shows that formal sexual education is marked by both idiosyncrasy and
commonality (Bute and Jensen 227).

APPLICATION
(500) Days of Summer is a breakout indie hit that grossed 27 times its original budget
cost (Wiseman). According to the-numbers.com, the film brought in over $34 million in theaters
worldwide and over $22 million in DVD and Blu-ray sales. It received four stars on
rogerebert.com. The films non-linear narrative and seemingly unhappy ending led critics to
compare it to other films such as Annie Hall and High Fidelity.
(500) Days of Summer is a romantic comedy-drama that tells the story of Tom Hansen
and Summer Finn. Tom went to school to be an architect but now works as a greeting card writer
in Los Angeles when he meets Summer, who has just started working at the greeting card
company. Tom is a hopeless romantic who believes in love and that one day he will meet the
one. Summer, on the other hand, does not believe in love and soulmates because her parents are
divorced. These elements are revealed very early on in the story, so it is the first place that a
romantic ideal is portrayed. However, the narrator cautions, this is a story of boy meets girl, but
you should know up front this is not a love story. Summer challenges Toms beliefs in a
conversation early in their relationship:

Summer: I like being on my own. Relationships are messy and peoples feelings get
hurt. Who needs it? Were young. We live in one of the most beautiful
cities in the world. Might as well have fun while we can and save the
serious stuff for later.
Tom: Okay, but what happens if you fall in love?
Summer: You dont believe that, do you?
Tom: Its love. Its not Santa Clause.
Summer: What does that word even mean? Ive been in relationships and I dont
think Ive ever seen it. And most marriages end in divorce these days, like
my parents. Theres no such thing as love. Its fantasy.
Tom: Well I think youre wrong.

Evidenced in this conversation, Summer challenges romantic ideals, which is contrary to

behavior that viewers are used to seeing in female characters. This tension in beliefs is visible
throughout Tom and Summers relationship. Throughout the nonlinear telling of the story from
Toms point of view, there are happy moments with interspersed tension as Summer refuses to
label their relationship as boyfriend/girlfriend. Some might say that Summers refusal causes
narrative incoherence because she acts like Tom is her boyfriend yet refuses to label him as such.
However, Tom and Summers relationship has narrative congruence because they do things
together that viewers are used to seeing couples do in romantic comedies. They go to the movies,
go shopping at Ikea, kiss, hold hands, and have sex. By seeing them do these traditional couple
activities viewers begin to recognize Tom and Summer as being boyfriend and girlfriend.
When Summer continually to call her and Toms relationship what it is, viewers begin to
view Summer as being unfair to Tom. After the conversation in which she explains to Tom that
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she doesnt believe in love, she tells him that she isnt looking for anything serious and wants to
keep things casual. Tom tries to play it cool because he likes her and wants to continue to spend
time with her, but Tom cant deny his true feelings about love and relationships forever. Those
feelings come out in a climatic fight between him and Summer. It takes place after Tom has just
punched an overly-forward man who took an interest in Summer when she and Tom were at a
bar. Toms actions at the bar have narrative fidelity because viewers are accustomed to seeing
men defend and protect their girlfriends in movies. They go back to Summers apartment, and
she expresses her displeasure in his actions:

Summer: Okay, well next time, dont cause I dont need your help. You know
what, Im really tired. Can we talk about this tomorrow?
Tom: starts to leave You know what, Im not going anywhere until you tell me
whats going on.
Summer: Nothings going on. Were just
Tom: What?
Summer: Were just fr
Tom: No. Dont pull that with me. Dont even try to pull that with me. This is
not how you treat your friend. Kissing in the copy room, holding hands in
Ikea, shower sex, come on friends my balls.
Summer: I like you Tom. I just dont want a relationsh..
Tom: WELL YOURE NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT GETS A SAY IN THIS.
I DO TOO, AND I SAY WERE A COUPLE. Leaves and slams door

The climatic fight is a staple in romantic comedies, so this scene gives the film narrative
coherence. Viewers are used to a scene in which the man has done something that has caused to
woman to get mad at him. However, at this point in the film the audience is rooting for Tom
because Summers actions and her words are incongruent with each other, and Tom is the more
likeable character.
The deterioration of his relationship with Summer was hard on Tom and sends him into a
period of depression. He emerges but is now disenchanted with the idea of love and finding the
one. The audience gets to see Toms changed perspective through a final conversation with
Summer. It appears that Tom and Summers beliefs have flipped as Summer met a man after she
stopped seeing Tom, and they are now married.

Tom: You know what sucks? Realizing that everything you believe in is
complete and utter bullshit.
Summer: What do you mean?
Tom: Oh you know, destiny and soulmates, true love and all that childhood fairy
tale nonsense. You were right. I shouldve listened to you.
Summer: I was sitting in a deli reading Dorian Grey and a guy comes up to me and
asks me about it and now hes my husband.
Tom: Yeah, so?
Summer: So what if Id gone to the movies? What if I had gone somewhere else for
lunch? What if Id gotten there 10 minutes later? It was meant to be. And I
just kept thinking Tom was right.
Tom: No. laughs painfully
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Summer: laughs Yeah, I did. It just wasnt me that you were right about.

This conversation shows that Tom believed that Summer was the one for him, and
when she turned out not to be it had such a negative effect on him that he no longer believes in
the one. Since Tom is the more likeable character, the viewer is sad that Tom has been turned
into a cynic and Summer got a happy ending. At this point, the story has narrative infidelity
because the good character got an unhappy ending and the bad character got a happy one. In
romantic comedies, viewers are used to the main characters ending up together. The bad
character usually apologizes in a grand gesture to the good one. The bad becomes good and the
pair gets a happy ending with each other. This is not the path that (500) Days of Summer takes.
Toms story is redeemed at the end of the movie when he meets a new girl, whose name
is Autumn. The movie ends as the pair is about to go on a first date, after they both have job
interviews for the same architecture job. While (500) Days of Summer does have the ending that
most romantic comedies do where the two main characters end up together, it still follows the
typical romantic comedy plot because the characters get a happy ending. They are just separate
happy endings. Narrative fidelity is restored after the viewer sees Tom get a happy ending with
an appropriately-named woman.

CONCLUSION
While they may not always realize it, romantic comedies are influential on peoples
views of romantic relationships. Humans are storytellers, and those stories told influence real life
beliefs and attitudes. Romantic comedies create ideals and expectations for peoples real-life
relationships. The narrative paradigm allows us to understand why people enjoy watching
romantic comedies: because they are stories that people believe to be real, or at least possible.
The narrative paradigm in the movie, a male and a female in a relationship with opposite
views on love and relationships, allows viewers to identify with the male character who believes
in love and soulmates. The idea that everyone has a soulmate is an ideal that has been
perpetuated in most romantic comedies. Though female characters usually believe in soulmates
while the male character usually does not, (500) Days of Summer still perpetuates the soulmate
ideal. Summer ultimately ends up believing that she has found her soulmate in the man she
marries. The audience can infer that, though Toms beliefs were shaken after his rocky
relationship with Summer, he has regained his faith in the one when he meets Autumn at the
very end of the movie.
Romantic movies are fun to watch because they often include interesting twists and
unique characters. However, filmmakers and viewers both need to be conscience of the effects
that these films are having on peoples beliefs. For filmmakers, it is a societal responsibility and
for viewers, it is a personal responsibility to recognize that what you take in does have an effect
on your personal beliefs.
It is also important to consider why viewers are watching romantic comedies. This is
linked to uses and gratifications theory, which investigates why people use media in the ways
that they do. Are they just looking to pass time? Are they looking for companionship, escape, or
enjoyment?
Future research could include a study of the effects that romantic comedies have on
peoples views of romantic relationships. This would need to be done using actual people as
research subjects. The research could include interviews with people about the narratives they
watch versus the narratives they believe to be true.
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Works Cited

(500) Days of Summer. Directed by Marc Webb, performances by Zoey Deschanel and Joseph
Gordon-Levitt, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2009.

Brown, Jane D. Mass Media Influences on Sexuality. The Journal of Sex Research, vol. 39, no.
1, 2002, pp. 4245. JSTOR. Web. 17 November 2016.

Bush, Alan J., and Victoria Davies Bush. The Narrative Paradigm as a Perspective for
Improving Ethical Evaluations of Advertisements. Journal of Advertising 23.2 (1994):
31-41. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 17 November 2016.

Bute, Jennifer J., and Robin E. Jensen. Narrative Sensemaking and Time Lapse: Interviews with
Low-Income Women about Sex Education. Communication Monographs 78.2 (2011):
212-232. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 17 November 2016.

Galician, Mary-Lou. Sex, Love, and Roman in the Mass Media. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,
2004.

Griffin, Em, Andrew Ledbetter, and Glenn Sparks. A First Look at Communication Theory. 9th
ed., McGraw-Hill, 2015.

Hefner, Veronica, and Barbara J. Wilson. From Love at First Sight to Soul Mate: The Influence
of Romantic Ideals in Popular Films on Young Peoples Beliefs About Relationships.
Communication Monographs 80.2 (2013): 150-175. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17
November 2016.

Rios, Diana, and Xae Alicia Rayes. Jennifer Lopez and a Hollywood Latina Romance Film:
Mythic Motifs in Maid in Manhattan. Critical Thinking about Sex, Love, and Romance
in the Mass Media, edited by Mary-Lou Galician and Debra Merskin, Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates, 2007, pp. 107-119.

Wiseman, Eva. "'Is there such a thing as "the one" and what happens if you lose her?". The
Guardian, 16 August 2009, theguardian.com/film/2009/aug/16/500-days-of-summer.
Accessed 17 November 2016.