50 First Date

Genre theory is used in the study of films in order to facilitate the categorization of films. Genre also allows viewers to have an idea of what they will be watching before even watching it. Genres are dependent on various factors such as story line, whom the director is, and the audience expectation. Today there is a greater diversity in film; there are more alternatives that allow for more genres to be presented. For example, the romantic comedy genre can also overlap with subgenres such as screwball comedy, teen comedy, or gross-out comedy (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, table 4.1). This paper will focus on the romantic comedy genre, specifically the gross-out comedy, 50 First Dates, to help viewers gain a better perspective on the elements of this film, as well as the how this film expands the boundaries of romantic comedies.
The romantic comedy plot involves a romance
Throughout the movie a high key lighting sets the scene in this film. Having very few shadows and relatively low contrast between the lightest and darkest parts of the scene draws the audience to imagine that there are there on the Hawaiian island. In all aspects of the movie the cinematographer works hard to the design the proper lighting for a more realistic look to the movie. In the scene where Lucy is driving her bright yellow car down the dirt road, the brightness on the green luscious mountain stands out in the gloomy day. Another convention is the theme, which helps represent the genre of the film. The theme is “what the movie is about,” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, Ch. 3.3, para. 2). The theme of 50 First Dates is how two opposite people meet under unusual circumstance, come together, overcome obstacles, and fall in love despite the challenging position Lucy is in. This is the most popular and recurring theme seen in romantic comedies, which helps set expectations of the