Rom-coms Romantic comedies are a staple of Hollywood, and they all end (basically) the same way with the two main characters becoming a permanent item. So, what exactly makes this moment of consummation satisfying to audiences? What makes the finale of a rom-com shine?
We asked 300+ US teens and adults to watch similar 1-minute sequences from 6 different rom-coms and give us feedback
When we asked participants to tell us what makes the climactic scene in a romantic comedy work well, just over 50% selected a private moment shared between the two characters, while only 23% said a public moment was appealing to them.
Our two top performing scenes, When Harry Met Sally and Love & Basketball, both showed the importance of strong dialogue. After watching all 6 scenes, viewers voted on the best lines, and all 3 of the top 3 spots went to When Harry Met Sally. (See below for the full ranking).
“I love that you get cold when it’s 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you’re looking at me like I’m nuts. I love that after I spend a day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night.” - Harry Burns
“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” - Harry Burns
“That is just like you Harry. You say things like that, and you make it impossible for me to hate you. And I hate you Harry. I really hate you.” - Sally Albright
And while Love & Basketball showed up lower on our comparative list (participants were limited to selecting 2 favorite lines), our in-the-moment viewing data across all six scenes peaked with Love & Basketball’s swoon-worthy:
Lovers of rom-coms love to debate the genre’s best in class. And while this ranking likely will not settle any internet fights (and may even start a few), we asked people to share with us ALL the rom-coms they adore that did not quite find their way into our deep-dive study.
Here’s what they said...
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