Something funny happened at the movies recently. As usual I was at the first public screening of the latest Harry Potter instalment.
My sister and I chatted sporadically through the previews and adverts. But when those lights dimmed and that Warner Bros symbol descended onto the screen, we sat back, shut up and prepared for two and a half hours of escapism.
Unfortunately, the four 13yr olds on the other side of the cinema mistook their surroundings for a coffee shop and, despite constant “shh”s and the occasional frustrated “Be quiet”s, they sanctimoniously continued to express their strong opinions on whether or not someone called ‘Kate’ should go watch ‘Josh’ play rugby.This continued for the full first half hour of the film. Eventually it got to be so loud and giggly that one of three mid-thirties guys sitting directly behind us simply had enough of the macaque-like chatter, stood up and bellowed, “For God’s sake, will you SHUT UP!”. This would have been amusing in itself but the really funny thing was that the dead silence that followed his outburst was broken by enthusiastic applause and whooping from all the rest of the audience!! The four girls were of course shell-shocked by receiving such a direct command from an authoritative voice and were quiet for almost the whole film.
The experience made me think about my own time as a teen (surely I wasn’t that annoying) and, of course, the stereotypes in movies of teenage life. When it comes to film, to find this stereotype there’s really only one place to look - High School Melodramas. You know the one; stereotypically boy likes girl, girl doesn’t know boy exists, there’s a scheme to get the girl. Usually a lighter, PG version of the RomCom, through these films you can transport back to a stereotypical high school experience and become whichever character you were (or wanted to be).
The genre has become a lot more sophisticated over the past decade. Vintage teen romcoms such as Pretty in Pink were basically just romances in a high school setting. They now tend to include a lot more comedy and are no longer ‘just a chick flick’.So what should you get?
WHATEVER IT TAKES
One of my personal favourites is Whatever It Takes and I’m often surprised how few people have seen it. You not only get the ‘boy/girl’ scenario but some wonderfully executed comedic mayhem – What could possibly go wrong at a Titanic-themed prom?
PLOT: Nice guy Ryan likes the most popular girl in school, Ashley. Ashley’s cousin Chris, the most popular guy, likes Maggie, Ryan’s best friend and literally the girl next door. The two guys combine forces and coach each other in how to be their respective girl’s perfect guy. But is the grass always greener? As he tutors Chris in exactly what it is Maggie wants in a guy, Ryan comes to realise that she’s the girl he’s really after. Who will get the girl?
CAST: Shane West (ER, A Walk to Remember), Marla Sokoloff (The Practice), James Franco (Flyboys, Tristan & Isolde), Jodi Lyn O’Keefe (She’s All That).
LOCATED IN: Comedy section
For more teen romcoms see:
- 10 Things I Hate About You
- John Tucker Must Die
- Bring It On
- Can’t Hardly Wait
- Never Been Kissed
- Drive Me Crazy
- Get Over It
- Grease
- Pretty In Pink
- Clueless
- 16 Candles
- Breakfast Club
- American Graffiti
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