Tess Morris (writer, Man Up):
“The challenge with writing a romantic comedy film is you’ve got to make people now sit up and go, “Why is this a different story?” Like, it’s a one-night stand, a romantic comedy film, and it’s a long-term relationship in terms of television formats. I have to try and think of different ways to tell modern stories, but I also think that those, I like the old-fashioned ones, and I just think there are definitely opportunities now to still write about the core things that you want to write about, but you just have to find unique ways, storytelling ways and plot ways to do that, because essentially, you’re still writing about boy meets girl, boy meets boy, girl meets girl, and whatever, gets them, loses them, maybe stays together with them.”
Scott Neustadter (co-writer, 500 Days of Summer, The Fault in Our Stars):
“There was a period of time where they made these movies, sort of retroactively. They had two stars and they came up with a conceit that kept them apart for a little while, and then got them back together. I think that, that turned a lot of people off, but while that was happening, there were all- like, pretty great movies that were also sort of romantic comedies, technically, but they weren’t of that formula. In 500 DAYS OF SUMMER, there was a moment where that thing was a hundred-and-fifty-page first draft, and we had no point, we didn’t know what we were doing, there were just scenes, and until you figure out the story you’re telling, the purpose, the point, it’s all just kind of nonsense, and I think that, the outline is sort of, it helps to have that road map to the end.”
Michael H Weber (co-writer, 500 Days of Summer, The Fault in Our Stars):
“Everything we write, the tool we use more than anything else is asking ourselves the question, “What would really happen?” So, we never write in, “Oh, we need a set piece here. Here comes a trailer moment!” We never think that way. We certainly didn’t think that way on 500 Days of Summer. It just always goes back to what would really happen. What, have we been through, what have our friends been through?”