Journal+Entry+3+-+Screwball+Comedy

Over the summer I learnt a lot about screwball comedies, and this genre does have a great influence on our film, which is a romantic comedy. One thing that I learnt is the theme of the battle of the sexes. As the script writer, I am incorporating this into our film with the reversing positions of Frank and Lauren each time they meet. During the first blind date and the therapy, Frank is losing the battle and extremely embarrassed with all his vulnerabilities on the table (his anxiety). However, during the third meeting, the superiority of Lauren is reversed as she is now the one embarrassed and brought to the bottom. Even though this is not exactly a literal battle, there is this weird tension between the two protagonists as their role keep reversing every time they meet, through which I am trying to create an unconventional relationship between the two. The last scene where they meet again in the restaurant implies that the battle/tension has come to an end as they’ve both exposed their most vulnerable side of themselves and are back to where they first met again, starting over at equilibrium this time.

The second thing that I noticed with screwball comedies is the characters talk very quickly, a characteristic called fast-talking. Even though I wasn’t aware of this when I wrote the script, I did get influenced by this as Frank talks fast because of his anxiety; he would start rambling every time he opens his mouth. This really helps me build Frank’s character and I think creates a unique and likable side to him. At the same time, the fast-talking reflects his personality as well as basically everything that is going through his mind.

Lastly, another distinct characteristic of screwball comedies that influenced my script-writing is the occurrence of ridiculous situations. This helped me shape my plot development especially for the climax, when Lauren actually decides to get a nose job. On top of that, her surgeon is her rude blind date and therapy patient who caused her to get the plastic surgery in the first place. By actually making the impossible happen, I am trying to create a comedic and absurd tone to the film.