Romance Movies: Fiction or Real-Life?

Despite what society deems fiction, with an “unrealistic” storyline, romance movies may be more realistic than you think. Romance movies essentially portray a damsel in distress and a white night that comes to her rescue. From “Pretty Woman” to “Dirty Dancing,” it’s all about romance with a side of heroism. It’s instilled in the brains of little girls from the time they first watch a Disney princess movie. As a society, are we blinded to the fact that romance movies are more like real-life romances?

Him

The man of her dreams. He exceeds the standards of any typical man. He’s got charm. He’s handsome. He’s passionate. He’s generous. He’s got that something that she can’t quite put her finger on, but makes him different than any other guy, and draws her in. When the girl sees HIM, all she wants is to be swept off her feet and to fall in love. Someone who can be all that she needs and someone who fulfills all of her desires. Someone who makes her happier than she ever thought possible. When that girl meets that guy, though it’s not always sunshine and rainbows, they live happily ever after.

That’s the premise of most romance movies. The guy that has everything the girl wants. Funnily enough, Hollywood and its entertainment conglomerates make it seem like this man is a fairytale. For the two hours that you’re at home or at the theatre, you escape reality and become encapsulated by this perfect, “unattainable movie.” But that guy that you see isn’t just in the movies. 

Whether you fell in love with the ways of Prince Charming as a little girl, or you yearned for a guy like Johnny Castle, Jack from “Titanic” or Noah from “The Notebook,” you fell for this idea of one day finding your white knight or your prince charming. But, he’s not as far out of reach as you may think.

In life, though it can be very challenging to see, these men are out there. The premise behind romance movies isn’t just curated from thin air. They’re based on love. It’s not so unbelievable to think that you’ll meet that guy at a retreat, through a friend, on a vacation, in town or at work. Just like in the movies, he could be anywhere, and you’ll probably meet him when you least expect it. Love happens, he just hasn’t happened to you yet.

Her

The woman he didn’t know he needed. Loving. Compassionate. Beautiful. Challenging. Smart. Confident. Supportive. She’s more than he could’ve ever desired. She makes him want to be better and makes him feel like he never has before. When he sees HER, all he wants to do is sweep her off her feet and rescue her from all her troubles and fears. She is someone he finds himself always wanting to be around. 

It starts when he meets her — he falls head over heels in love with her, but he doesn’t really know it yet. Then, he really falls for her and opens up in ways he never thought he could. Eventually, they live happily ever after.

Most men aren’t big on the genre of romance, so it’s hard to say who it was for them that caught their eye in the movies. But it’s safe to say that one day, a guy will desire to find that girl — and she’s out there, too.

Dating

In romance movies, once the relationship takes off, it’s magical. Newfound couples flirt, they go on dates and the guy brings the girl flowers and gifts. It’s just the two of them in a bubble while reality is going on around them. He and Her. They’re each other’s escape and happiness.

Not unlike real life, if you stop and look around, romance movies are playing out all around you. Restaurants are filled with couples out for lunch or a fancy dinner. They’re lit up from cheek to cheek and smiling, holding hands. Sometimes, you’ll even catch someone buying a gift for their significant other at the store. If you take the time to really pay attention to the world around you and not just focus on the negatives or the obvious bustle and stress of life, these romantic storylines in movies are the romantic storylines playing out in real life. 

The Transition Period

In romance movies, at some point in the relationship, there comes the transition period. The lifestyle changes. All of the sudden, she’s always at his house, waking up with him or waking up to go see him. He’s taking a break from work to go get lunch with her, coming home from work and taking her out to dinner. This is the point when their schedules revolve around each other, and when things are getting serious. 

Of course, we see this play out in real life. You call your friend in the morning and a guy/girl picks up. Guess who had a sleepover? You want to hang out with your friend, but you can’t because their schedule is always booked. His schedule now involves texting the girl to see how her day is going. Hers involves packing a night bag and “accidentally” leaving something behind in his room. There’s always that time when the girl and the guy are getting serious and reach a point where their relationship is so important to them that it changes the way they carry out their day-to-day life. 

The Happily Ever After

The biggest gratification comes from the last 10 minutes in romance movies because it’s the happy ending. The icing on the cake. He tells her that he wants her to be his. That there’s no one else in the world that he’d rather be with and that he can’t live without her. If we’re lucky, he’ll get down on one knee and we’ll get to see her say yes. In the end, the screen fades and they live happily ever after.

Now here’s where it gets tricky. Relationships and marriage are complicated. Sometimes, a couple gets married, their relationship falls apart and they get divorced. They aren’t happy all the time. The good comes with the bad.

But around us, there are people who are married and in love. They live out their dream, have kids and are a happy family. Married couples still go out on date nights and take vacations. They still surprise each other, and everyone once in a while, a guy will buy his wife a bouquet of flows. It’s not always so predictable, but in the end, many couples live out their own version of happily ever after.

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