10 Weird Rules That Only Ever Work In TV & Movies
3. Rivals In A Love Triangle Are Cartoonishly Rotten
Rom-Coms have a lot of hurdles to jump in order for the two romantic leads to run away into the sunset together.
One of the hurdles our leads must overcome is the awkward situation regarding a third person that creates a barrier between them. In real-life, these circumstances happen all the time where two people who would be great together are already in relationships with significant others.
On the occasion where affairs and infidelity sprout, our sympathy can lean towards these poor individuals who get cheated on by their partners. However in Romantic Comedies, in order for us to root for the two leads to get together, we have to find a reason to oppose the current relationship.
Enter the animated tricksters that are "current boyfriend/girlfriend". Bad relationships exist all the time, and you probably know of someone you care about who is in a relationship with someone who is detrimental to their happiness.
But in Rom-Coms, these partners have their toxicity amplified so much we don't even register them as people on the same wave length as everyone else.
Even in Wedding Crashers, where Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are at their sleaziest, they are nothing compared to the borderline sociopathic Bradley Cooper.