Analyzing Rom-Com posters

1. Deconstruction of
Romantic Comedy Film
Posters
BY KERRY CAULFIELD

2. The image of a car being crumpled under
the females foot links with the word ‘super’
in the movie title. This suggests that the
super is describing the superpower aspect
of the movie. (In this case, Super-Strength).
This could connote the comedy aspect of
the film, as it looks as though it’s been
adapted to look broken. (Which would
suggest that the film will include some
other animated/edited moments too).
Featuring the name of the tar on the
poster allows the audience to know
who the stars of the film are. Luke
Wilson is famous for being in ‘Legally
Blonde”, also a Romantic Comedy. This
makes the audience interpret that this
film is also a Romantic Comedy as Luke
Wilson is a star in the film.
The title font is consistent, apart from the
word ‘super’. This suggests the creators of
the poster are trying to make that specific
word stand out.
The colour of the word ‘Super’ matches
the colour of the car. This also suggests
there’s a possibility of ‘superpowers’ in
this film.
Uma Thurman is standing with her hands
on her hips to make her look like she is in
charge. However, Luke Wilson has his
arms crossed. This suggests that Uma has
control while Luke is trying to sustain from
it, also linking with the word ‘Super’ in the
title (she has the “super power” as she’s
in charge).
I think the intended audience of this film are the
younger adults. I think this because of the way
the poster is set up. The title font is very
sophisticated and the stars of the film are known
for their roles in adult movies.
The tagline, ‘he broke her heart, she
broke his everything’ insinuates that he
breaks up with her (bringing in the
romance) and she decides to get her
revenge by ‘breaking his everything’
(his physical possessions – bringing in
the comedy).

3. The tagline, ‘A new funny film
about love, with a bit of time
travel’ tells you this is a romantic
comedy straight away (using the
words ‘funny’ and ‘love’). Making
the genre clear to the audience
allows the right people to notice
it.
The stars of the film are featured
in the poster, letting the
audience to know who will be in
the movie. They are laughing
and are positioned close to each
other. This also suggests that the
film is a romantic comedy.
The stars names are on the poster, allowing anyone who
reads it to get a clear understanding of who will be
featuring in the movie. Rachel McAdams is famous for her
role in ‘The Vow’, a romance film. Using an actress that is
known for work in a romance film makes the audience
assume the film also involves romance.
The title ‘About Time’ suggests this film
is about romance. It’s a phrase that a
lot of people will use when something
finally happens. A common use of this
phrase is when two people begin a
romantic relationship after liking each
other for a long time without doing
anything about it. This suggests that
the main stars (in the poster) will finally
get together and that it’s ‘about time’
that they did.
Mentioning that the film is from a
writer who writes romance novels
(and listing some of them) suggests
that the film is also going to be a
romance film, as it’s his form of work
when he writes a story. Also, the right
audience will be attracted if they
notice that one of their favourite
novels have been mentioned. If their
favourite novel writer has made a
film, they may be interested in
watching it.