A Yearner’s Guide to the Rom-Com

Written By: Aashka Shroff
Graphic By: Jessye Fan

I’ve been on a huge rom-com kick lately. I’m no expert, but I can say with confidence that there’s always a set of tropes that sews together the classic rom-com. Obviously, they have their own distinctive factors that separate them—otherwise, we’d be in nasty intellectual property law violation territory— but I’ve noticed that each of them posses some form of the following: the meet-cute, the fight, and the confession. 

The Meet-Cute  

A meet-cute is the fated first encounter that sets the tone for the entire relationship between our love interests. It’s the magical moment when the universe decides that two people are destined to be together, and in a romantic comedy, the more charmingly absurd the encounter, the better. Think: Audrey Hepburn’s character dropping an ice cream cone on Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday or Katherine Heigl’s character fumbling through a bridal shop in 27 Dresses. 

The meet-cute serves two purposes: it introduces the chemistry between the leads and establishes the whimsical, often unrealistic tone of the movie. In the real world, chances are your first encounter with your “soulmate” won’t feel as cinematic. But that’s the magic of a rom-com—everything feels more perfect when it’s exaggerated. And that’s exactly how it shapes society’s view of love; we’re socialized to believe that love is supposed to be serendipitous, magical, and larger-than-life. 

The Fight  

The fight is that moment when the couple hits a snag, often because of a misunderstanding or  jealousy. It’s the point where one character believes the other doesn’t love them, they think they’re not good enough, or they’re convinced that love just isn’t possible for them. The fight is inevitable in every rom-com. It’s almost as though every relationship needs this dramatic turn of events to make the eventual reconciliation all the sweeter. 

In the end, the fight isn’t actually about real conflict—it’s about miscommunication. These fights are less about exploring the complexities of love and more about creating tension before reconciliation. In rom-coms, love is something that requires struggle, but it’s a struggle that is, in the end, easily overcome with a little bit of vulnerability and a well-timed grand gesture. 

The Confession  

Every rom-com needs a confession. The moment when one character confesses their love, often in a dramatic, public way that could only happen in the most idealized version of reality. The confession can be in the form of a speech, a song, a gallop through the rain—whatever channel that allows one character to confess their love for the other. 

What’s unique about the confession is that it typically follows a period of both characters suppressing their feelings for one another, whether it be after the fight or whether it’s just the general plot of the movie. It’s almost as if the universe has to intervene, forcing one person to step up and confess their love, often in a public, vulnerable way. It’s the product of all the tension, all the misunderstanding, and all the emotional buildup. Culturally, the confession represents the ideal that love isn’t just something quiet and private; it’s something worth proclaiming, often to the world. The cinematic quality of these confessions feeds into the narrative that love should be bold, dramatic, and something worth celebrating.

Rom-coms are a cultural template for love; they guide our ideas of love and socialize our interactions in love. The meet-cute, the fight, and the confession are more than just plot devices—they’re the emotional scaffolding that hold up our expectations of romance. They teach us that love can be found in the most unexpected ways, tested by misunderstandings, and solidified by vulnerability. Perhaps, that’s the charm of the rom-com itself—it’s all about the fantasy. The fantasy that love will be worth the fight, the confession will be worth the wait, and the meet-cute will always be just around the corner.