Valentine's Day and our Screenplays

The holiday of love is upon us.

You don’t have to look very far to see roses, chocolates, stuffed hearts, and an explosion of red. Some wonder why we celebrate, some complain it has gotten to commercial, and others feel an enormous sense of pressure. But deep down inside, everyone just wants someone to love and be loved. And most of us know that expressing that love publicly is something that makes our love stronger. Valentine's Day, a holiday that was established in 496 AD, has stood the test of time, because it gives everybody a day to stop and put love first.

So if Valentine’s Day is traditionally a day on which lovers express their public love for each other, then think of the climax of your romantic comedy, a version of this holiday. The third Act of our romantic comedies must be dedicated to expressing love. It is here where our character learns that love is the most important thing to them, something they value over everything else. It is here, where publicly, our hero must learn and grow and change. It is here, where publicly, our hero must sacrifice what he thought he wanted, for what he actually needs. It is here, where publicly, our hero must put his heart on the line and lay his soul bare. It is here, where publicly, our hero must express to his lover, why they are meant to be together forever.

Valentine’s Day, like the climax of our romantic comedies, reminds us that doing little things to show our love is what keeps it alive. It reminds us that publicly celebrating and expressing our love for one another is important. It reminds us that buying flowers and writing love poems will help express our love. Valentine’s Day is a symbol of how important it is to put love first – not just one day a year, but everyday. It is a reminder for lovers to keep love front and center in their lives.

And similarly for our characters, it is a reminder that the climax of our films must be a public declaration of love, to the person that they cannot bear to live without for even one second longer.

Valentine’s Day, like a great romantic comedy, reminds us all that to love and be loved is all that truly matters.