This blog post analyzes how 「Legally Blonde」 subverts the love-centered romantic comedy formula and expands into a narrative of growth and self-fulfillment through its characters, plot, and style.
What is a romantic comedy?
A comprehensive definition of romantic comedy dramas
Personally, I love the romantic comedy genre the most. In fact, I naturally enjoy watching it because I have many opportunities to encounter this genre, and it has a light atmosphere that is easy to appreciate without much burden. Until now, I had never deeply considered the dysfunctions and functions of the romantic comedy genre, nor the unique factors that draw audiences to it. However, through attending lectures and completing assignments, I realized my fondness for this genre extends beyond mere personal taste. Analyzing which elements have consistently stimulated me proved just as fascinating as the pleasure of watching the films themselves.
Personally, I would define romantic comedy as a genre that uses reality as its stage but presents events that are difficult to achieve in real life in a cheerful and lighthearted manner. Amid events sparked by love, protagonists engage in liberated escapades, delivering laughter and a refreshing feeling to audiences. Because of these traits, romantic comedies feel like the Lolita or Pink Lemonade of film genres. While grounded in reality, the protagonists boldly undertake actions that ordinary people in real life would rarely dare to do. This allows the audience to experience vicarious satisfaction and, emotionally, to temporarily resolve their own conflicts. In this sense, romantic comedies serve a role akin to sweet wine or cocktails.
Of course, realistic conflicts exist within romantic comedies too. However, these conflicts are resolved through elements like laughter, cuteness, and liveliness, never in a heavy or tedious manner. The conflicts naturally dissolve within the laughter, and that very aspect is arguably the genre’s greatest charm.
Characteristics of Romantic Comedy Characters
Romantic comedy protagonists are generally set as outwardly attractive individuals with cheerful and lively personalities. They possess talkative, active, and proactive personalities that tend to create their own situations. Without these traits, the story itself would struggle to take shape, and the plot development would inevitably become flat.
Furthermore, one crucial character trait in romantic comedies is the honest expression of emotions. When faced with a situation, protagonists choose to laugh, cry, get angry, or express themselves directly rather than suppress or hide their feelings. This emotional expression contrasts sharply with characters who are overly socialized and rigid in their thinking, often striking people where they least expect it. Taking unconventional actions with an attitude that seems to mock social etiquette, propriety, or existing conflict structures is also a classic trait of romantic comedy protagonists.
Plot Characteristics of Romantic Comedies
Romantic comedies fundamentally center their narrative structure around love. Of course, each work features slight variations in plot, and the specific developments differ depending on the weight given to love. A key strength and simultaneous weakness of romantic comedies is their extremely fast-paced narrative progression. While this keeps the story thrilling and prevents boredom, it inevitably results in a structure that lacks realism.
A consistent pattern also repeats: conflicts over class, gender, or values are overcome, ultimately leading to a happy ending. This leaves the audience with a light sense of satisfaction and a positive lesson, wrapping up with a feel-good conclusion. However, the conflicts addressed in romantic comedies are never merely lighthearted.
Often, these conflicts are deeply rooted and serious, merely concealed beneath a layer of humor. Conflicts centered around various forms of discrimination—such as class, appearance, race, and gender—are particularly prominent. Plots frequently expose the flaws of the privileged class and delightfully subvert them. Consequently, stories often feature numerous upper-class characters and unfold against lavish backdrops.
A key point to note here is that the plot focus of romantic comedies differs between their initial popularity in the 1930s and their modern iterations. Romantic comedies functioned as a genre during the Great Depression to show the tragedy of capitalism from a different angle. They served as a tool to comfort people weary from the Depression, and mitigating large class differences was also one of their goals. They depicted conflicts between the affluent and the less fortunate, revealing the flaws of the American upper class through the process of overcoming these conflicts, and offering a fresh perspective on true human value.
In contrast, the focus of modern romantic comedies has shifted somewhat. The role of women in modern society is changing; they are no longer passive beings dependent on love, but active, assertive female figures take center stage. Works like “Stories We Tell,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Bend It Like Beckham,” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary” go beyond the simple conflict between men and women of different classes. They comprehensively address women’s self-fulfillment, relationships, and love, expanding the spectrum of romantic comedy. Furthermore, a notable shift is evident in how these films increasingly center conflicts stemming from diverse forms of discrimination, rather than merely class-based tensions.
Stylistic Characteristics of Romantic Comedy
If a romantic comedy were set against the backdrop of dark, dreary slums, could it truly fulfill the genre’s fundamental purpose? Probably not. Romantic comedies provide satisfaction to audiences by vicariously fulfilling desires that are difficult to achieve in reality through their protagonists, and the style itself cannot be an exception to this function. Therefore, most romantic comedies are set in the world of the wealthy. The luxurious and sophisticated atmosphere provides audiences with diverse visual delights and enhances their sense of satisfaction.
If the style of a romantic comedy—with its chaotic, lively, and lighthearted energy—appears overly tacky or lacking, the genre’s characteristic vibrancy and freshness lose their persuasive power. For this reason, style plays a crucial role in romantic comedies.
Romantic Comedy Characteristics in “Stories We Tell”
Character Traits in “Stories We Tell”
The characteristics of romantic comedy examined earlier can also be observed in Legally Blonde, a representative work of the genre. The protagonist of “Stories We Tell,” Elle, is portrayed as the president of the student council, a talkative character who is always cheerful and energetic. She radiates a lively charm while enjoying gossip with friends in her princess-like, glamorous room. However, she simultaneously suffers from the prejudice of being labeled a “dumb blonde” simply because of her hair color. This leads to conflict when her boyfriend, who she expected to propose, abandons her.
Yet Elle refuses to give up. She devises a plan to follow her boyfriend all the way to Harvard Law School and actually carries it out, committing proactive, defiant acts that transcend conventional wisdom. Her actions stand out particularly starkly within the space of Harvard Law School, a setting utterly incompatible with her style. In a setting where everyone else uses laptops for lectures, Elle stands out by using a pink notebook and a fur-tipped pen, and by sticking to her unique, flashy pink fashion choices. She is portrayed as an anarchic character. Furthermore, she expresses her emotions in a cool and natural way, and through her honest attitude, she comes across to the audience as an endearingly relatable figure.
Plot Features of “Stories We Tell”
Like typical romantic comedies, this film also centers its narrative structure around love. However, a key difference is that the initially established love story doesn’t remain the central axis throughout; instead, it transforms into a secondary outcome. To become the ideal type of her Harvard Law School boyfriend—who dumped her for being blonde—Elle sets the goal of attending Harvard Law and actually achieves it.
Yet his prejudice proves hard to shake. Even after enrolling at Harvard Law, Elle struggles through relentless ridicule and contempt from her fellow students. Through this process, she transcends her initial goal of love, gradually gaining confidence and self-fulfillment. She evolves from the love-obsessed Elle of the past into a compelling figure radiating confidence, passion, and unwavering conviction.
Ultimately, Elle resolves her relationship with her dismissive ex-boyfriend on her own terms. She gains recognition in both her studies and career, and finds new lovers and friends. The Harvard Law students, who initially seemed like people from a completely different world, and Elle herself, break down their mutual conflicts through human connection, passion, and conviction. This journey culminates in a classic happy ending, leaving the audience with a pleasant afterglow.
The film naturally sets its backdrop in the upper class, not only because of the so-called ‘doenjangnyeo’ (a term for a woman obsessed with luxury) like Elle, but also because the story unfolds around Harvard. Furthermore, it exposes the flaws inherent in the existing class system when it is revealed that Elle’s ex-boyfriend, who appeared as a representative figure of the upper class, actually gained admission through corruption.
Atmospheric Characteristics of “Stories We Tell”
True to the nature of romantic comedies that primarily depict the lavish backgrounds of the upper class, this film particularly emphasizes a visual and sensory atmosphere. The overall tone is unified around pink, realized as a princess-like pink that combines with the stereotypical image of the “dumb blonde.” An extreme ‘girlish’ style is evident throughout the film, from the protagonist’s entire room to various props, luxurious sofas and bags, sunglasses, and even dog accessories.
These backgrounds, featuring scenes rarely encountered in real daily life, spark audience interest and provide visual pleasure. The role of music is also crucial. Bright, positive-vibe music and upbeat, goal-driven beats infuse the entire film with vitality and lightness, naturally drawing viewers into El’s success narrative.
Success Factors of “Stories We Tell” and Its Impact on Us
Visual and Musical Styles Resonate with Contemporary Young American Women’s Culture Rarely seen in other works, this film features El’s home and props reminiscent of a Barbie dollhouse. Most colors are unified in shades of pink, and every everyday item—from cushions, nail polish, cosmetics, bedspreads, dog clothes, outfits, shoes, accessories, bags, a single pen, to the dog’s food bowl—is composed of toy-like, pretty forms and bright pink hues. These visual elements create an impression reminiscent of a Barbie doll.
Furthermore, the girls’ figures and fashion styles, which are rarely seen in reality, delight the audience’s eyes. It empathetically portrays women relieving stress through nail care and hair treatments, and can be seen as leading the consumption patterns of young American women at the time. This style contributes to making the overall atmosphere of the film even more lovely and lighthearted.
Lightly blending the prejudice between ‘soy sauce girls’ and ‘people with long strings of bags’
The film depicts the tense relationship between the group known as ‘soy sauce girls’ and the education-focused group represented by Harvard students. While initial conflicts arise from mutual prejudice, the film portrays this process in a comical and unburdened way, gradually resolving the tensions.
Criticism of consumer-centric female archetypes existed in American society at the time, coinciding with the era when figures like Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton were consumed as images of lost selfhood. The film comically subverts these images while simultaneously showing the protagonist advancing to a new stage without abandoning her identity. Scenes like a male study group member helping with relationship problems and female solidarity keeping secrets emphasize human connection, convincingly portraying Elle moving beyond prejudice. These points elicit strong empathy and resonance from the audience.
Establishing an Active, Proactive Female Role Model Beyond Passivity
The film relatively accurately captures shifting social currents. While El initially appears obsessed with marriage, she evolves into a confident woman who studies independently, manages herself, and regains her self-assurance as the story progresses. Though she faces setbacks—such as an inappropriate advance from a male professor and the disregard and ridicule of those around her—she ultimately refuses to give up and forges her own path.
It presents a refreshingly positive image of a woman who lives her life as an independent individual, not dependent on men, and proposes a new female ideal that simultaneously pursues self-management and self-realization. This serves to offer many female viewers a new dream and vision.
The cathartic vicarious satisfaction from a growth narrative overcoming prejudice through effort
Despite attending the same university as Elle, her ex-boyfriend dismisses her based on the prejudice that “a blonde girl can’t handle it.” However, Elle steadfastly endures this and ultimately achieves success. Furthermore, the scene where she decisively rejects her irresponsible ex-boyfriend upon his return provides the audience with a powerful catharsis.
This story of success and growth breathes new will and vitality into modern individuals navigating a world of constant competition, comparison, and dismissal. Through Elle, the audience experiences the emotional catharsis of thinking, ‘I too can overcome prejudice,’ which is one of the key elements driving the film’s box office success.
The Intrigue and Pleasure of Deviance
People instinctively desire to be special. Few would not want to be the center of everyone’s attention. Elle fulfills this desire for them. Armed with her Barbie-doll looks, blonde hair, and flashy accessories, she inevitably draws attention wherever she goes.
Though she sometimes becomes a target of ridicule and criticism, her transgressive actions—from costume party outfits and solo extravagant fashion to walking her dog and even a scented pink resume—offer audiences small pleasures and a sense of liberation.
The Limits of Romantic Comedy as Seen in “Stories We Tell”
Lack of Realism
Romantic comedies possess a genre characteristic of resolving problems in a lighthearted and breezy manner. While the outcome is clearly presented, the process is often insufficiently depicted, diminishing realism. This can weaken the justification for the result.
In this film too, the premise that a top-performing fashion design student could gain admission to Harvard Law School with relatively little preparation is a significant leap from reality. While scenes of studying and enduring dismissal are shown, the actual suffering endured is expressed very limitedly. It feels difficult to sufficiently establish realism with just a few minutes of montage and music.
The protagonist’s growth does not lead to complete resolution of the conflict
Elle overcomes the discrimination she faced due to being blonde, but this is achieved not by eliminating the cause of discrimination, but rather by transforming that image into an advantage. While this method of overcoming can be positive, it does not completely resolve the structural tension between the ‘bean paste girl’ group and the academic elite group.
While a success story transcending blonde prejudice is presented, the rift between the two groups persists because the existing style is maintained. This is less a flaw than a structural limitation inherent to the romantic comedy genre.
Potential to plant new oppression and unrealistic expectations
This film presents an idealized image of a woman who is both smart and beautiful, but this can simultaneously become another form of oppressive standard. In a modern society demanding ever more conditions and perfection, such an image risks becoming a new burden.
Romantic comedies may approach gently, but they can implant obsessions about specific human ideals in the audience’s perception. If reality and fiction are not distinguished, they can foster unrealistic expectations. Therefore, I believe it is crucial to approach this genre purely as a form of vicarious satisfaction, comfort, and vitality.
Conclusion
Analyzing romantic comedies, which I had previously considered light-hearted, and films I’ve always enjoyed, proved far more challenging than anticipated. This experience also sparked a desire to develop a more balanced perspective, capable of integrating diverse elements effectively.
Romantic comedies, which provide vitality and stimulation to life while bringing joy to the eyes and emotions, feel like a genre that serves as a refuge where one can hide temporarily, dreaming of escapism and vicarious satisfaction whenever times get tough. As a fan, I conclude this blog post hoping that romantic comedies will continue to be produced with even more diverse themes and higher levels of completion.
