Hero's Journey and Screenwriting: Romantic Comedy
The Hero's Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters:
The Hero's Journey:
• Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.
• Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.
• Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.
The Hero's Journey is also a study of repeating patterns in successful stories and screenplays. It is compelling that screenwriters have a higher probability of producing quality work when they mirror the recurring patterns found in successful screenplays.
Consider this:
• Titanic (1997) grossed over $600,000,000 – uses the Hero's Journey as a template.
• Star Wars (1977) grossed over $460,000,000 - uses the Hero's Journey as a template.
• Shrek 2 (2004) grossed over $436,000,000 - uses the Hero's Journey as a template.
• ET (1982) grossed over $434,000,000 - uses the Hero's Journey as a template.
• Spiderman (2002) grossed over $432,000,000 - uses the Hero's Journey as a template.
• Out of Africa (1985), Terms of Endearment (1983), Dances with Wolves (1990), Gladiator (2000) – All Academy Award Winners Best Film are based on the Hero's Journey.
• Anti-hero stories (Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990) etc) are all based on the Hero's Journey.
• Heroine’s Journey stories (Million Dollar Baby (2004), Out of Africa (1980) etc) are all based on the Hero's Journey.
Romantic Comedy
The Hero's Journey is the template upon which the cast majority of successful screenplays are built upon. Films as diverse as Gladiator (2000), Million Dollar Baby (2004), Raging Bull (1980) and Scarface (1983) were all constructed around the Hero's Journey Template.
The Hero's Journey is often seen as a Quest - and as such some analysts find it hard to slot into genres like the romantic comedy.
But romantic comedies all follow a similar pattern and that pattern fits with the Hero's Journey.
For example, in both Annie Hall (1977) and When Harry Met Sally (1989), Boy Meets Girl, Boy Loses Girl, Boy Wins Girl Back (or not).
Briefly, using When Harry Met Sally (1989):
Call to Adventure: can they remain friends without having sex.
Refusal: Sally doesn't want to know.
Physical Separation: They go on a date. But not a date date.
Transformation: They become friends.
Seizing the Sword: They sleep together.
Refusal: Sally doesn't answer Harry's calls.
etc...