Rating: 
Summary: This goes on the shelf next to my computer!
Review: A fabulous book not only on writing romantic comedy movies but on writing, period. In particular, a romance writer of any medium would find this invaluable. Mr. Mernit examines the basic components of story and character, but also provides fascinating insight to such subjects as theme. End-chapter exercises are unusually helpful and enlightening. Critiques of a few movies show just how they accomplished what they did. (The examination of "Tootsie" is amazing!) I appreciated the breakdown of how romantic comedy in the movies has evolved through the years and am now collecting many of the titles listed in the book that I've never seen. (The recent AFI list on romantic movies is also a good source for more study.) This book is on my shelf now right next to Syd Fields and Debra Dixon. I will certainly be referring to it again and again in the years that come.
Rating:
Summary: A Dream Come True!
Review: As a struggling romantic comedy screenwriter, I found this book to be the perfect bedstand accessory, especially when insomnia strikes as I wrestle with my seemingly incessant story problems. And as a former student of Mr. Mernit, if you can't take the class, this is the second best way to get his wisdom into your brain and improve your work! I've started to watch romcoms, as he calls them, and recognizing what he's discussed such as the uniting force of humiliation in public places and the cute meet. Billy, thanks for giving birth to this baby!!
Rating:
Summary: A great read, too
Review: As someone who has the terrible habit of buying just about every screenwriting book on the market, I have to say that this is one of the few that is fun to read. I admit a bit of prejudice since I have taken Billy's RomCom class. Witnessing first hand Billy's extraordinary knowledge of the genre. He is also a first class teacher who I learned quite a bit from. I think screenwriters at any level (from newbie to professional) will be able to gain valuable insight from this book. I recommend it as fun and informative.
Rating:
Summary: Great for Writing Any Kind of Movie
Review: I almost let the cheesy cover of this book put me off. But I read far enough into it to realize that it's definitely one of the best screenwriting books out there. And since then I've read it through and found that it immeasurably improved the script I'm now working on. Like most good screenwriting books, this is a good writing manual, no matter what kind of script, essay, or novel you're working on. I'd recommend it for beginner or veteran alike (I'm a professional with half-a-dozen scripts to my credit.)
Rating: 
Summary: To the point
Review: I have to admit I had a really tough time reading this book. When I sat down with it, I had the shell of an idea. As I read the book, the idea began to develop in my head. With each page I had an urge to throw the book in the corner and start writing my romcom. I resisted that urge, and I'm glad I did. Because also with each page, my story turned in new directions and I found new doors and ideas opening in my head. The book directly tackles the romcom and offers useful insight. It breaks down classic romcoms so you can see the methods in action. The best thing is that it takes a structure you are familure with (the standard three act structure) and shows how to map your romcom on it. But, it doesn't present the structure as a hard and fast rule. That makes it easy to manipulate the structure to your own story. I would have liked to have seen more on creating/building chemistry between characters. The book does offer practicle, useful advice on character chemistry, though. I just think that it's such a huge part of a romcom that maybe the book could have devoted a little more time to it. What I appreciate most is that it has good excercises that can help you get your story moving.
Rating:
Summary: Writing the Romantic Comedy
Review: I have to say, I thought "Writing the Romantic Comedy" was great! I read the book over the long weekend, took extensive notes, and plan on using Mernit's suggestions in my very next script (which, I'm now so pumped-up about, I'm going to start tomorrow). Author Billy Mernit was right when he said that there was a lack of screenwriting books in this arena-- this is the first one. My only suggestion, is that you probably need to know something about basic screenwriting structure in order to get the most from this book. But, as a professional writer myself, I think even Guild members will have something to learn from this one. Mernit's chapter on "Imagery" is particularly good (and, something I never saw before) as is his breakdown of romantic comedy structure into seven basic plot points. Very well written.
Rating:
Summary: Writing the Romantic Comedy
Review: I have to say, I thought "Writing the Romantic Comedy" was great! I read the book over the long weekend, took extensive notes, and plan on using Mernit's suggestions in my very next script (which, I'm now so pumped-up about, I'm going to start tomorrow). Author Billy Mernit was right when he said that there was a lack of screenwriting books in this arena-- this is the first one. My only suggestion, is that you probably need to know something about basic screenwriting structure in order to get the most from this book. But, as a professional writer myself, I think even Guild members will have something to learn from this one. Mernit's chapter on "Imagery" is particularly good (and, something I never saw before) as is his breakdown of romantic comedy structure into seven basic plot points. Very well written.
Rating:
Summary: Isn't It Romantic?
Review: I'm a sucker for romantic comedies. Watching stories about cuddly, charismatic couples falling in love can turn this hard-bitten cynic into a mushy puddle of Jell-O in no time. They're this writer's Achilles' heel. You could show me the worst romantic comedy ever made, and I'd still probably find something good to say about it. So, I was delighted to come across Billy Mernit's "Writing the Romantic Comedy."
Although I've done some screenwriting in my time, my head isn't exactly bursting with ideas for romantic comedies. But since I'm an admirer of the genre, Mernit's book felt like a guided tour through a favorite building when you don't have any plans to construct a building of your own.
Hollywood producers notoriously hate to read, so if you're a Hollywood writer, you need to pick up a few tricks to make reading as easy for them (or their surrogates) as possible. As a writer for the entertainment industry, Mernit has obviously picked up a few tricks of his own, making his book a brisk and enjoyable read. The historical overview is appreciated almost as much as Mernit's disassemblies of some of the rom-com's stand-outs to show how the genre ticks.
Although the book is sprinkled with a few factual errors (for example, on page 177, he refers to author Milan Kundera as "Polish" instead of Czech), these aren't enough to upset the taco stand. Mernit's explanations of the genre's components are straightforward, artful, but clearly presented. And his dubbing of the Mr. Wrong character (a convention in many rom-coms) as the "Bellamy," after actor Ralph Bellamy who specialized in such roles, had me laughing out loud. My only criticism of the book is a mild one: There ought to have been at least a handful of movie stills illustrating some of the films that Mernit talks at length about -- this would have heightened the book's visual interest. I highly recommend "Writing the Romantic Comedy" even if you're not a screenwriter. Understanding how the genre works may make you appreciate it even more.
I do have one word of advice: If you're just starting out as a screenwriter, you won't want this to be the first book you read. Start off with something that teaches you the nuts and bolts of the craft, like "Screenwriting" by Syd Field or one of its clones. Next, I would recommend "Writing the Character-Centered Screenplay" by Andrew Horton, which talks a little more in depth about the vital components of character and structure. For good measure, you might also want to check out "Making a Good Script Great" by Linda Segar for advice about how to tighten a screenplay. Only then will you want to give Mernit's book a thorough going-over. If you're an old hand at screenwriting, you're probably already familiar with these books.
Once you've got all of them under you're belt, you'll be inspired to sit down at the keyboard and write and write. It may only be your name over and over, but you'll still be inspired to write.
Rating:
Summary: My thoughts on the book
Review: I've been looking for a book like this for a long time. Most of the screenwriting books out there just cover the usual nuts and bolts of screenwriting and cite the same movies as examples (i.e. Citizen Kane, The Verdict). I found this book very useful because it was specific for the Romantic comedy genre. The author obviously studied the genre exensively as hundreds of romantic comedies old and new are cited. The book has a very good chapter on the basic structure road map of romantic comedy--but leaves enough flexibility and points out exceptions to the rules...like Sleepless in Seattle where the couple doesn't technically meet until the very last scene (but the screenwriter got around the rule well). I also liked the way the book lays this out to you in Layman's terms, not like the Robert McKee book where you end up more confused by the end than when you started. The book also offers some good chapters on Theme, imagery,dialogue, character chemistry, story credibility and "being funny" and offers specific case analyses at the end of the chapter to highlight what the author's talking about. The book also goes into the history of romantic comedy, the future, and a list of sub genres and sub categories--but what really made it worth my money was the chapters on theme and structure and the case studies. Now, if only there were more books out there on all the other genres...
Rating:
Summary: My thoughts on the book
Review: I've been looking for a book like this for a long time. Most of the screenwriting books out there just cover the usual nuts and bolts of screenwriting and cite the same movies as examples (i.e. Citizen Kane, The Verdict). I found this book very useful because it was specific for the Romantic comedy genre. The author obviously studied the genre exensively as hundreds of romantic comedies old and new are cited. The book has a very good chapter on the basic structure road map of romantic comedy--but leaves enough flexibility and points out exceptions to the rules...like Sleepless in Seattle where the couple doesn't technically meet until the very last scene (but the screenwriter got around the rule well). I also liked the way the book lays this out to you in Layman's terms, not like the Robert McKee book where you end up more confused by the end than when you started. The book also offers some good chapters on Theme, imagery,dialogue, character chemistry, story credibility and "being funny" and offers specific case analyses at the end of the chapter to highlight what the author's talking about. The book also goes into the history of romantic comedy, the future, and a list of sub genres and sub categories--but what really made it worth my money was the chapters on theme and structure and the case studies. Now, if only there were more books out there on all the other genres...
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