Everyone has been there: you’re watching a romance movie—maybe with a friend, maybe with your family—the main character meets a love interest, they date, they break up and then they get back together, going on to live out their happily ever after. But just how realistic is this? Clearly the unrealistic relationship standards set by movies like this can be extremely damaging for real-life relationships.
Movies are made to be entertaining, to captivate the viewer and make them want to watch until the end. Whether they do this through suspense, dramatic irony or some other tactic, their ultimate goal is to get individuals to show up at the box office and pay to see the showing. With this in mind, the idea of romance gets distorted in favor of monetary gain.
With movies “…you’re going to have resolution, love, romance and pretty people in 90 to 120 minutes,” associate professor of psychology at the University of Mississippi Carrie Smith said. “It delivers every single time, and so to get back to the science, that’s where cultivation theory comes in.” Cultivation theory states that what individuals see influences what they believe. Therefore, the more media of similar propaganda that is consumed, the more individuals are likely to internalize the ideas being put forth.
Romance movies don’t show the real parts of a relationship; they show what is enjoyable for viewers to watch and rewatch. They thrive on predictable plot points, flat characters and the concept of an idealized, “perfect” romance.
Idealized romance focuses on the belief that a romantic partner has to, and always will be, perfect, pushing an unrealistic expectation onto couples and singles alike. By promoting this, unobtainable romance feature movies can actually damage real relationships and individuals’ perspective on having a relationship by effectively overlooking the imperfections and complications of partnership. Expecting perfection from a partner will only lead to disappointment because, newsflash, no one is perfect—no matter what Hollywood has led you to believe.
Additionally, the overused plotline of boy-meets-girl, boy-and-girl-break-up and then boy-and-girl-get-back-together is not necessarily the steps that all relationships follow. However, by promoting this process throughout the media, it’s not surprising that many people believe this is how relationships work. In reality however, individuals have to accept that their love life most likely will deviate from his overly-simplified path that has been created for the purpose of entertaining an audience and increasing producers’ profits.
Life isn’t perfect, and, unlike romance movies, it’s not scripted. The oversimplification of relationships in romance movies effectively does more harm than good to individuals both in partnerships and to those who are single. By setting unrealistic expectations, these films inevitably set people up for failure. Therefore, it is important to remember that relationships are often complicated and unpredictable. The path for each relationship is not defined and it certainly won’t be perfect all the time.
As a tradition leading up to Valentine’s Day, many individuals watch romance movies. However, it is important to remember that what you see is not reflective of real life. (Photo/Olivia Chung)
