The Rom-Com Soldier, Billy Mernit

Rom-com-versations is an interview series with people from the entertainment industry discussing all things rom-com.

Hi Meet Cuties,

I had the pleasure of chatting with Billy Mernit, or as others might know him, the guru of rom-coms. Billy is a script consultant and story analyst at Universal Pictures, and was a Distinguished Instructor at the UCLA Extension Writers' Program. Author of the novel Imagine Me and You (Shaye Areheart/Random House) and the bestselling screenwriting textbook Writing the Romantic Comedy (Harper/Collins), he has written for NBC's Santa Barbara, and composed songs recorded by Carly Simon, Judy Collins, and Morrissey. Billy is an academic with a passion for love, which is why I’m so excited to be able to chat with him.

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💓 Naomi: What is your favorite rom-com and why?

💚 Billy: I don’t have a solitary favorite romantic comedy because it’s a moving target – certain movies have meant more to me at different times in my life. But over the years, a half dozen have had remarkable staying power. Out of all the old screwballs, I’d go with Bringing Up Baby, largely because no matter how silly the story gets– and it gets way silly– it’s Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn at their comedic peaks. The Lady Eve remains my idea of the apex of “Old School” wit. For the modern era, The Apartment just looks better and better, over time, for its mix of dark and light; Moonstruck is just about perfect for characterization and theme; Groundhog Day is genius (for story concept and LOLs); and for world, Lost in Translation is a transporting movie I will never tire of getting lost within. 

💓 Naomi: I think it’s safe to say that most everyone has seen a rom-com movie, but not everyone has read a rom-com novel. What elements of a rom-com do you think are lost on screen that only a novel can expose?

💚 Billy: Screenplays are about the exterior. Movies can easily make the outside world look real, but have to find inventive and effective ways to visualize and articulate people’s inner lives. While fiction has a harder time keeping exterior reality present, it excels at realizing our interior worlds. Only a novel can really get you so wholly inside a character’s heart and mind. A good romance, comedic or dramatic, gets a huge leg up on the pages of a book, because no translation is needed to get all the feels and thoughts across.

💓 Naomi: I love that distinction of movies giving you a picture of reality which literature gives you a deep picture of the individual. You really are the king of rom-coms, having written books, shows, movies, and even songs around love. What are some of the differences, challenges, and benefits of writing for each of these?

💚 Billy: I’m no king of any of these realms – more like a journeyman soldier. We touched on books and movies above. As for shows, well, nothing beats live theater for engendering you-are-there intensity, but the challenge lies in sustaining tension from start to finish. Songs are a delight because you can just let your most romantic instincts fly; music is a huge boon in expressing emotion. I’d say the most challenging but arguably most rewarding form is musical theater because it’s got everything – dialogue, lyrics, music, dancing, performance, scenery – but it’s so, so tricky to get right. That said, the romance and comedy found in Sondheim’s greatest shows (e.g. Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Sunday, Into the Woods) is well-nigh unbeatable.

💓 Naomi: Was there a writer that inspired you to write in this genre? Who were they and what did they do that really left a mark on you?

💚 Billy: When I was a kid, reading Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, and humorous pieces by James Thurber and Robert Benchley informed my taste for comedy – they all shared a love of language and the good line. Gotta give Golden Age screenwriters like Ben Hecht, Billy Wilder, and Preston Sturges props for their bravery and sophistication. And – though I know it’s politically incorrect – I must acknowledge the early films of Woody Allen as a formative influence; they had a freewheeling imaginative tilt that was like nothing else in their day, and thus were inspirational. 

💓 Naomi: What has been your favorite rom-com piece (adapted to any medium) to write and why?

💚 Billy: My novel Imagine Me and You comes to mind, because the basic premise was so much fun: A man invents an imaginary lover to make his errant wife jealous and thus gets himself into trouble when this imaginary woman comes to life. Still think there’s a movie to be made out of that one.

💓 Naomi: That’s a movie I would watch! It reminds me of the movie Her. You also teach a very popular course at UCLA called “ Writing the Romantic Comedy,” along with a few others. To someone who is dabbling in writing their own rom-com, what advice would you give them?

💚 Billy: My textbook Writing the Romantic Comedy – recently reissued in a 20th Anniversary edition, expanded and updated, with interviews and lots of new material – has plenty of advice to give, but here are a few thoughts about writing rom-coms in 2022.

People got tired of formulaic romantic comedies, and predictability is still the biggest issue; we know how the story’s going to end, and by now, we know a lot about the ways the plot will get us there. So one real key to raising interest lies in your characters. Who’s an unusual candidate for romance? Who do we not think of as being a “romantic comedy lead?” Similarly, what’s an unconventional setting, locale, or milieu for a funny love story? Where do we not expect to find romance and/or laughs? What unfamiliar world would be fun to explore, in this context?

My strongest advice to an aspiring rom-com writer would be, ironically: Don’t think of your story as “a romantic comedy.” Instead, think of it as a story about two (or three or four, if you’re so inclined) fascinating people. Don’t try to hit the standard beats, just follow these unique, intriguing individuals into whatever sort of delicious predicaments they can create.

And finally, please, for the love of all that’s holy, make it be about something. Surely you have some personal point of view on what makes a relationship work, what sustains love, how romance can transform a person’s life, etc. That’s what we’re most interested in, not “hijinks ensue.” Take a cue from a movie like When Harry Met Sally, which has a provocative premise that gets people thinking even as they’re laughing. Harry and Sally getting together means something, thematically, and that’s one big reason for the movie’s enduring popularity.

So what’s going on in your life and/or the lives of others that raises a question you really want answered? Pursue that, and you’ll get onto a story that’s got depth and interest. And it’ll stand a better chance of ultimately getting made.

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Hope you all loved this conversation with Billy as much as I did! Feeling more inspired than ever to write a rom-com myself. Anyone want to read it? 

In the meantime, stay tuned for my next Rom-com-versation!

xx,

Naomi