This Is Not a Chick Flick: The Discourse of the Romantic Comedy Genré Created by Hollywood

Date
2016
Authors
Griffin, Vicki
Supervisor
Bancroft, Andrew
Item type
Exegesis
Degree name
Master of Creative Writing
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Auckland University of Technology
Abstract

The feature length film script Priceless! is a romantic comedy set in 21st century New Zealand about family, relationships and corporate greed, seen from the perspective of the main protagonist 29 year old Philippa (Pippi) Shore. Born in the fictitious Toi Toi Beach, Pippi has left small-town life far behind her for the opportunities and excitement of the big city, but things aren’t quite turning out as she had hoped. Living on credit cards to keep up with her best friend Ruby, overlooked for promotion by her boss, still flatting and single, Pippi needs something in her life to change. When the opportunity to be promoted at work arises and she is finally considered, it comes at a cost. Pippi must return to Toi Toi Beach and convince the people she once cared about to get behind a development plan that could compromise the lifestyle they cherish dearly. The following exegesis on Priceless! challenges the notion that the romantic comedy genré is only successful when produced by big budget Hollywood studios and relies exclusively on an existing star system. By exploring aspects of the history of the genré and the expectations of a contemporary audience you will see how the success of the romantic comedy in an independent film market can be a signifier of maturity in our local industry and shouldn’t be so easily written off.

Description
Keywords
Film , Script , Genre , Romantic comedy , Rom com , Feature film
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