MovieChat Forums > Friends with Benefits (2011) Discussion > God forbid a rom-com character doesn't h...

God forbid a rom-com character doesn't have a ridiculously awesome job

posted 13 years ago by Johnny-Park
8 replies | jump to latest

Artistic director of GQ magazine and a corporate head-hunter (of the highest echelon)? I get it that no one wants to see a movie about a dishwasher or a garbage man, but can't there be some kind of middle ground? The characters in these movies always have some ridiculously great job but they took it a bit too far in this one. It's just a little hard to feel empathy for a character that supposedly has one of the coolest jobs in the world at a young age. Who cares if he finds love or not?

Things are more moderner than before... San Dimas High School football rules!

[–] woodsmith 13 years ago

What makes it worse is when rom-coms make the ex's out to be completely unlikeable. It completely devalues the main character(s) for the rest of the film and just serves to destroy any form of sympathy the viewer might have left for the cool, young, good looking guys with strong families and great jobs.

[–] rianty-wahab 12 years ago

Good point!

[–] Wicked_Genius 12 years ago

She's out of My League had a guy who worked for the TSA

[–] bubblegum3091 12 years ago

It just gets rid of all the normal problems that might be in the way and gives them more possibilities with the scripts and grander scale of things which heightens the emotional payoff. You get different locations (he can just buy her a ticket to LA), nice houses (no ugly backgrounds), going out all the time, buying certain presents (a choreographed flashdance). It just means they can focus on the rom com aspect rather than bogged down in normal people problems, and have it more open to anything happening. There is a saying which is a bit relevant - something like only the rich can afford to be in love.

[–] buckaroobanzai50 11 years ago

If you want realism, watch Swingers.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] cookiela2001 11 years ago

It didn't really bother me that he had such a high profile job...but what pushed it over the edge for me was when we see his childhood home....with its own private beach in Malibu. i was like, "Oh yes, of course this is how your usual movie lead lives. No problem. And I bet the taxes are all paid up, too." Uggh, then we got the sweetie-pie dad with dementia....gag.

I think I first really started noticing this eerie surrealism in Sleepless in Seattle.. God, that huge polished house the single dad lives in doesn't have a speck of dust in site!

Mina Kunis was excellent in this, I must say. She's a much more accomplished actress than I though, with a great deal of range. Justin Timberlake's speaking voice is slightly weird, though.

[–] chefkiller2002 11 years ago

Knocked Up. Seth Rogan didn't even have a job heh.