With self-assurance, Hollywood puts out numerous romantic dramas throughout the year, safe in the knowledge that a considerable proportion of the general viewing public will go and see them. I have no problem with romantic films. The themes which are often connected with romance I find entertaining, and, I must admit, the soundtracks are usually my favourite of all film genres. My hesitation with romance films, lies in their structure...predictability.
Having seen Brandon Camp's Love Happens starring Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston, it seems that Hollywood are not even trying any more. All the clichés were there, a brooding lead (Eckhart) stumbles upon a quirky-yet-confident hottie (Aniston), the romantically awkward dates, the realisation of past regrets, the will-they-wont-they build up, and the final eye-watering euphoria of hurdles jumped. Sorry if this ruins the film for anyone who has not seen it, but trust me, if you have seen one you have seen them all.
The story was never going to be laden with twists, turns, and pitfalls, but it would be nice to have some conflict which does not involve high school relationship tension. Set in the beautiful city of Seattle, the film does have some aesthetic pleasures, scenery and music being the main two. The acting is fine as well, nothing to sing about, but decent.
Romantic films will always find it hard to be original, as the themes have been stretched out so far they cover all bases, but directors and film companies should be able to insert some semblance of reality which will make the film relate to its audience. Love Happens like many others, is just pretty people with problems.
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