Welcome to a fun exploration of romantic comedies! Did you know that the wedding dance scene in “Coming to America” was choreographed by a young Paula Abdul? She boldly claimed she knew all about African dance, even though she didn’t, and ended up creating a routine that the director loved. This is just one of many intriguing facts about romantic comedies that we’re going to dive into today.
In “When Harry Met Sally,” there’s a bookstore called Shakespeare and Company that inspired Nora Ephron to write “You’ve Got Mail.” The real-life store closed due to competition from a Barnes & Noble, leading Ephron to craft a story about rival bookstore employees. Ah, the days when bookstores were the main competitors!
Speaking of “When Harry Met Sally,” Meg Ryan chose to play Sally over Shelby in “Steel Magnolias,” a role that went to Julia Roberts. Interestingly, these two actresses often swapped roles. Julia Roberts turned down “Sleepless in Seattle,” which Meg Ryan took, and Meg passed on “Pretty Woman,” which became one of Julia’s most famous roles.
In “Pretty Woman,” the scene where Edward snaps the jewelry box on Vivian’s fingers was a prank to wake up Julia Roberts, who was a bit hungover after her 21st birthday. Meanwhile, Melissa McCarthy based her “Bridesmaids” character on celebrity chef Guy Fieri, even trying to get his signature hairstyle for the role.
The movie “Crazy, Stupid, Love” had a contest for the crew to name it, but no one won, so they stuck with the working title. Despite its name, the film is quite enjoyable!
M. Night Shyamalan once claimed he ghostwrote the 1999 romcom “All That,” but the credited writer, R. Lee Fleming Jr., denied it. Anna Kendrick added the cup song to “Pitch Perfect” after seeing a viral video, making it a memorable part of the film.
Katherine Hepburn wanted Spencer Tracy to co-star in “The Philadelphia Story,” but he was unavailable, so James Stewart took the role. Before “Clueless” became a movie, it was pitched as a TV show but was rejected for having “too many girls.” Thankfully, it was reworked into a beloved film.
“The Switch” was initially called “The Baster,” and “While You Were Sleeping” was known as “Coma Guy.” In “While You Were Sleeping,” a newspaper boy’s failed throw was an unplanned moment when the actor broke his wrist.
Paul Simon was supposed to write three songs for “The Graduate” but only managed one. He played a song called “Mrs. Roosevelt” for the director, who suggested changing it to “Mrs. Robinson.”
The 1934 film “It Happened One Night” was the first to win all five major Academy Awards. Marilyn Monroe, despite her fame, was paid much less than contemporaries like Elizabeth Taylor. “Jerry Maguire” holds the record for the lowest-grossing number one movie in U.S. history, earning just $5.5 million in its fourth week.
David O. Russell originally imagined Zooey Deschanel and Vince Vaughn in “Silver Linings Playbook.” In “Groundhog Day,” Phil was initially stuck for 10,000 years, but the director later estimated it was about 30 or 40 years.
The original ending of “Fever Pitch” had the Red Sox losing, but when they started winning in 2004, the filmmakers changed the ending to include their World Series victory.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson helped bring “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” to life after seeing Nia Vardalos’s stand-up performance. “Coyote Ugly” was based on a GQ article by Elizabeth Gilbert, who later wrote “Eat, Pray, Love.”
Before filming “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” Renée Zellweger worked undercover at a UK publishing firm to prepare for her role, going mostly unnoticed despite her resemblance to her “Jerry Maguire” character.
Thanks for joining this journey through romantic comedies! Share your favorite romcom in the comments, and remember, don’t forget to be awesome!
Choose one romantic comedy mentioned in the article and research its production history, cast, and any interesting behind-the-scenes facts. Prepare a short presentation to share with the class, highlighting what makes this film unique and any surprising elements you discovered.
Imagine a scenario where two famous actors from different romantic comedies swap roles. Write a short script or scene that explores how the story might change with this new casting. Consider how the actors’ previous roles and personalities might influence the characters they are now playing.
Inspired by Paula Abdul’s choreography for “Coming to America,” create your own dance routine for a romantic comedy scene. Work in groups to design a dance that reflects the themes or emotions of a chosen film, and perform it for the class. Discuss how choreography can enhance storytelling in movies.
Many films undergo title changes before release. Choose a romantic comedy and brainstorm alternative titles that capture its essence or themes. Share your ideas with the class and explain why you think your title would be effective in attracting an audience.
In pairs, choose a behind-the-scenes fact from the article and create a role-play scenario that depicts the event. For example, reenact the moment when Julia Roberts was surprised by the jewelry box snap in “Pretty Woman.” Perform your scene for the class and discuss how these moments contribute to the film’s legacy.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to my salon. This is a Mental Floss video, and did you know that the dance scene at the wedding in “Coming to America” was choreographed by a young Paula Abdul? According to Abdul, her motto as a choreographer was to tell everyone, “Yes, I know exactly what I’m doing,” and then figure it out later. So that’s what she did when they asked if she knew anything about African dancing. She ended up putting together something the director loved, so it all worked out. Of course, Africa is a gigantic continent full of vastly different kinds of dancing, but this is America.
Anyway, that’s the first of many facts I’m going to share with you today about some of my favorite romantic comedies and also some of my least favorites. There’s a Shakespeare and Company bookstore in “When Harry Met Sally” that inspired Nora Ephron to write “You’ve Got Mail.” The store closed due to competition from a Barnes & Noble, so she came up with the plotline of two competing bookstore employees in “You’ve Got Mail.” Oh, for the days when bookstores competed with each other and when your computer said, “You’ve Got Mail.”
Speaking of books, you know what makes a great present for the holidays? Physical books bought at physical bookstores—mine especially, but also from other people. Speaking of “When Harry Met Sally,” Meg Ryan turned down the role of Shelby in “Steel Magnolias” so she could play Sally. Julia Roberts ended up taking the Shelby part, and it turns out the two probably most famous romantic comedy actresses have had a lot of role swaps. For example, Julia Roberts turned down the lead role in “Sleepless in Seattle,” which eventually went to Meg, and Meg Ryan turned down the lead role in “Pretty Woman.”
Speaking of “Pretty Woman,” the classic scene where Edward snaps the jewelry box as Vivian is reaching for it was actually a prank. The scene was filmed the day after Julia Roberts’ 21st birthday, so Richard Gere and director Garry Marshall planned the trick to wake her up a little because she was hungover. Honestly, she probably should have been allowed to keep the diamond necklace for managing to show up to work that day.
Melissa McCarthy based her character in “Bridesmaids” on celebrity chef Guy Fieri. According to McCarthy, she tried for a long time to convince them to let her wear short, spiky hair, but they said she couldn’t actually be Guy Fieri. There was a contest on the set of “Crazy, Stupid, Love” for the crew to name the movie, which didn’t have a title yet. The prize was an iPad, but nobody won it, and the directors stuck with their working title. The funny thing about “Crazy, Stupid, Love” is that it’s not a bad movie; it just has such a bad title that you assume it will be.
M. Night Shyamalan has claimed he ghostwrote the 1999 romcom “All That,” but the credited screenwriter R. Lee Fleming Jr. tweeted that wasn’t true at all. Some have suspicions that Fleming is actually a pen name of Shyamalan. Anna Kendrick added the cup song to “Pitch Perfect.” Originally, she was going to sing another song, but she learned the cup song after seeing a viral video of it on Reddit, and so they put it in the movie.
Katherine Hepburn wanted her future significant other, Spencer Tracy, to co-star in “The Philadelphia Story” with her, and this was before the two had ever worked together. He was unavailable, so James Stewart got the part. I noticed that here in the script, Meredith wrote “insert flawless James Stewart impression,” to which I say no.
Before “Clueless” became a movie, Amy Heckerling and her producing partner Twink Kaplan pitched it to 20th Century Fox as a TV show, but it got rejected because it had “too many girls.” So Heckerling and Kaplan reworked it into a film—a perfect film, the greatest film of the century, well, other than “Hitch.” Speaking of “Hitch,” it was almost called “The First Last Kiss.”
“The Switch” was originally called “The Baster” because of artificial insemination, and “While You Were Sleeping” was originally known as “Coma Guy.” I honestly don’t know which of those is worse. In “While You Were Sleeping,” there’s a newspaper boy who tries to throw a newspaper and then fails. That was actually an unplanned moment; the kid broke his wrist.
Paul Simon signed a deal to write three new songs for the movie “The Graduate,” but he was touring a lot and only turned in one song before the film was done being edited. He met with director Mike Nichols and played a little of a song titled “Mrs. Roosevelt,” which he had written for the movie instead. Nichols convinced him to change the title to “Mrs. Robinson.”
The classic 1934 romantic comedy “It Happened One Night” was the first film to win all five major Academy Awards for picture, director, actor, actress, and screenplay. The only other two films to do this are “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Silence of the Lambs.” For his role as Miracle Max in “The Princess Bride,” Billy Crystal brought two pictures to the makeup artist for inspiration: one of his grandmother and one of former baseball player and manager Casey Stengel.
Marilyn Monroe probably wasn’t as well paid as you think she was. For instance, she was initially paid $100,000 for her work on the unfinished film “Something’s Got to Give.” At that time, it wasn’t unusual for Elizabeth Taylor, for instance, to receive a $1 million salary. As of now, “Jerry Maguire” is the lowest-grossing number one movie at the box office in U.S. history. During its fourth week in theaters, it earned just $5.5 million but still managed to be the number one film that week.
As I always say when the staff begs for a pork chop party, “Show me the money!” There isn’t enough in there yet. As David O. Russell was writing “Silver Linings Playbook,” he imagined Zooey Deschanel and Vince Vaughn in the lead roles. In the original screenplay for “Groundhog Day,” Phil was stuck in that day for a full 10,000 years. Director Harold Ramis eventually said he was probably stuck there for about 30 or 40 years.
Speaking of early scripts, the original ending of “Fever Pitch” had the Red Sox losing in the playoffs. But then in 2004, when they were filming the movie, there were three games that indicated the Red Sox had a pretty good chance to win the World Series. So the Farrelly Brothers decided to have Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore attend the next game, and the Red Sox won. Fallon and Barrymore rushed the field in character to kiss, which ended up in the movie.
Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson are partially responsible for the success of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” Wilson brought Hanks to one of Nia Vardalos’s stand-up performances and convinced him that they should produce a movie about it. The film “Coyote Ugly” was based on an article published in a 1997 issue of GQ that was written by Elizabeth Gilbert, who went on to write “Eat, Pray, Love.”
Finally, I returned to my salon to tell you that before “Bridget Jones’s Diary” went into production, Renée Zellweger spent three weeks undercover working at a publishing firm in the United Kingdom. She spent her days doing pretty ordinary tasks: answering phones, calling literary editors, making photocopies, and of course, perfecting her British accent. According to her boss, only a few people noted that she looked “just like the girl from Jerry Maguire,” but all in all, she went pretty unnoticed.
Thanks for watching this Mental Floss video, which is made with the help of all these wonderful people. Leave your favorite romantic comedy in the comments—it better be “Hitch.” And as we say in my hometown, don’t forget to be awesome!
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Romantic – Relating to or involving love or a close, loving relationship, often depicted in literature and performing arts as idealized or passionate. – The romantic subplot in the play added depth to the main storyline, highlighting the complexities of human relationships.
Comedies – A genre of literature and performing arts characterized by humor and a happy or cheerful ending. – Shakespeare’s comedies often explore themes of mistaken identity and love, leaving audiences both entertained and thoughtful.
Bookstore – A place where books are sold, often serving as a cultural hub for literary events and performances. – The local bookstore hosted a reading of the new play, attracting theater enthusiasts from across the city.
Characters – The individuals portrayed in a literary work or performance, each with distinct traits and roles. – The characters in the novel were so vividly described that they seemed to leap off the page during the dramatic reading.
Roles – The parts or characters that actors portray in a play, film, or other performance. – She prepared for her roles by studying the motivations and backgrounds of the characters she was set to portray on stage.
Moments – Specific points in time within a performance or narrative that hold particular significance or emotional impact. – The climactic moments of the play left the audience in awe, showcasing the actors’ powerful performances.
Contributions – The efforts or inputs made by individuals or groups that enhance or support a literary or artistic work. – The director’s contributions to the production were evident in the seamless transitions and innovative staging.
Awards – Recognitions or honors given to individuals or works for outstanding achievements in literature or the performing arts. – The playwright received numerous awards for her groundbreaking work that challenged societal norms.
Films – Motion pictures or movies, often used as a medium to tell stories or convey artistic expressions. – The adaptation of the classic novel into films brought the story to a wider audience, capturing the essence of the original text.
Stories – Narratives or accounts of events, real or fictional, that are shared through literature or performance. – The stories told through dance in the performance conveyed emotions that words alone could not express.
