Do you think the Brothers Grimm would be pissed at all the Cinderella spinoffs? Probably. Film narratives aside, there are certain lines that are present in every kind of movie, from coming of age ones to Jen Aniston starring rom-coms. Examples below.
Narrative 1: Boy and father begin the film with a great relationship. They play baseball on Saturday mornings and the father works his butt off so that his son (who will graduate valedictorian) can attend law/medical school at an ivy league. Boy is also editor of his high school paper and aspires to be the next Hunter S. Thompson/fancy pants author/hardcore journalist. He decides to pursue a degree in journalism.
Dad: What do you mean you don’t want to go to Harvard Law? It’s your DREAM!”
Son: No Dad, it’s your dream.
***End scene with son leaving the dining room table and the father is speechless.
Narrative 2: A drama with the classic good guy/bad guy dichotomy. Toward the end of the movie, when the hero finds the villain, they don’t just kill each other straight away. No no. They have to have a verbal confrontation that goes a little something like this.
Bad Guy: We’re not so different, you and I.
Good Guy: We are NOTHING alike.
***Good guy usually gives explanation as to why they aren’t alike.
Narrative 3: A romantic comedy or drama about two star-crossed lovers who, for some reason, have yet to discover that they are perfect for one another. Usually, the guy realizes that the pair are actually soul mates, so he starts dropping hints about their love. The girl remains oblivious and the guy calls her out on her shit.
Guy: You just don’t get it, do you?
Girl: Get what?
***Guy just sighs, shakes his head and leaves the girl speechless. Because she is probably dumb.
Narrative 4: A goofy comedy in which a group of friends is thrown into a crazy adventure. They’re usually trying to escape the clutches of a bad guy (who is almost never genuinely scary because he’s like 5″2 but has a bunch of henchmen). They think they’re in the clear when a noise comes from behind them.
Guy #1: *Turns around and sees villain’s assistant*
Guy #2: He’s right behind me, isn’t he?
***The pair proceed to scream and run, to the comic relief of the audience.
Narrative 5: A love story about two people from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The girl lives on the other side of the railroad tracks and works for minimum wage, the boy comes from a wealthy family of insurance frauds. Pearl-wearing mom tells her son that poor girl is not good enough for him.
Mom: She’s from a different world, Stanley.
Stanley: But mom, I love her.
***Boy looks up at frigid mom with tears in his eyes.
Narrative 6: A feel good comedy about a bunch of crazy kids who go on a life-changing adventure. In the process of their life-changing adventure, they mess with the lives of random adults. For example, they accidentally rip the shirt of a random guy on the street. (Or something to that effect.)
Random Guy: Hey, this could be a good look for me.
***End scene and random guy is not seen for the rest of the film.
Narrative 7: A film about an aspiring dancer, singer, artist, etc. Main protagonist goes on a first date with the love interest of the movie and talks about their passion for dance, singing, art, etc.
Love Interest: So, why do you like to dance so much?
Protagonist: *Looks into distance* It makes me feel alive.
***Love interest acts like this is the most profound thing he’s ever heard.
le fook 