89. The rom-com best friend side character
Lately, I've been having a rom-com fest. If you check my Letterboxd reviews as of recent, you can see that I'm just consuming all of these romantic comedy movies left and right. Which got me thinking about what kind of role or archetype I fill if I were to be in cast in a movie...
I wear my badge proudly as the "rom-com BFF" for my friends and I've come to realized that I've fallen into this role with many of the people I know. I'm the friend with the kooky, but endearing stories about my travels, romance, bizarre situations that I tell my friends in a call. But sometimes I feel like the background character. There are times that I don't so much see myself as a side-kick or a third wheel, but more like an extra in the scene. And I really like it, to be honest. I like the freedom and comfort of always kind of lurking in the shadows, you know?
Although, these days, I think I see myself becoming the clumsy, neurotic, but still kind of likeable protagonist character lately? Not that it's a bad thing at all. I guess I'm having that "main character breakthrough" moment that the leads in movies usually have towards the end of their stories. (That seems dramatic to say... It's not the end of my stories I believe).
The rom-com BFF is usually the dependable side character that helps the protagonist figure out what they want to do. I've always liked this character growing up because they seemed like the more funny, loyal, and caring person that helps their struggling best friend, the main character. They're always the ones that pick up the main lead when they're feeling lost and seem like the more well-adjusted one out of the entire movie.
List of my favorite rom-com best friends:
- Casey (Judy Greer), 27 Dresses
- Kevin Jackson (Dave Chappelle), You’ve Got Mail
- George (Rupert Everett), My Best Friend’s Wedding
- Spike (Rhys Ifans), Notting Hill
- Ruby (Jaime Winstone), Love Rosie
The thing is, I'm the protagonist in my own life and I gotta make these changes. It's inevitable that I have to do it myself. There's no best friend side-kick character that will help me out whenever I'm stuck in a rut. The BFF characters in all of these movies I've watched may have similarities - namely, it's basically a a life just empty enough that they can drop everything at a moment's notice to rehash their friend's love woes.
But I'm not in a movie...
I love my friends. I truly do. I gotta be the main character now. A rom-com wouldn't be complete without the equally lovable sidekicks.
~ the rom-com BFF,
<3 K