Because Valentine’s Day is coming up, I’ve been thinking
about movies (and books) that have been popular with men and woman and boys and
girls. Not that my husband or boys won’t watch the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, but let’s just say
that it’s not high on their to-watch list. They’d much rather watch Black Hawk Down, Hamlet or one of the Batman movies.
And although there aren’t a lot of books and movies we all
like, there are some. For example, the Bourne movies, Harry Potter series, Alfred
Hitchcock movies, the Hunger Games novels, and Lord of the Rings. While they are
all very dissimilar, the commonality between them is a balance of action and
romance. Amidst all the action (Jason Bourne finding his life, Harry learning
to be a wizard, Cary Grant nearly getting thrown off Mount Rushmore, Katniss
trying to survive, and Aragorn winning his throne), there is a backdrop of love
and romance. Jason falls in love with a kind-hearted woman trying to find her
purpose in life, Harry falls for Ginny, Cary falls for the gangster’s moll who
works as a spy, Katniss tries to choose between Gale and Peeta, and Aragorn
longs for Arawen.
What about you readers? Besides good writing/acting, do you
think a balance of action and romance helps make a movie/book popular with both
sexes? And what recommendations do you have—let me know in the comments
section. I’d love to get a list of book and movie recommendations from you.
I balance both, but sometimes with romance I like a spice of drama as action.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really interested in romance stories, but they don't bother me -- as long as there is plenty of action too! It's usually possible to superimpose the two without them stepping on each other's toes, and that way we can reach a wider audience. Hunger Games is a great example of this.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on finishing your first draft!
It definitely is a balancing act, trying to balance the action parts and the relationship parts of our stories, but I guess as long as each part is integral to the plot, you can't go wrong. Congratulations on finishing Book #3!
ReplyDelete