The Heart of the Film

Introduction: Love Story Anatomy

Part One: The Meet (Cute and Otherwise)

1. Romantic Comedy Cute Meets

2. Other Meets

3. Old Flames Re-Ignited

4. Married Love Stories

Part Two: The Crack

5. Breaking through the Shell

6. The Wounded Knight

7. The Emotional Crack

8. Humiliation and Low Self Esteem

9. Nakedness

10. Kids and Families and Friends

11. Honesty

12. Drugs and Alcohol

13. Dental Floss

Part Three: Why You?

14. Matchmaking in Movies

15. Twins

16. Opposites

17. Life Force and Sleepwalker

18. Soul Mates

19. The Pressure Cooker effect

20. Specificity: One of a Kind

21. Baby Love: Underage Love Stories

22. Old Love

23. Gender Change/Orientation

Part Four: The Obstacle

24. The Essential Obstacle

25. Animosity, Feuds and War

26. He/She is Married or Engaged

27. Misunderstandings

28. Unavailability

29. Other Obstacles

30. Levels of Character Evolution

Part Five: Putting them All Together

31. Multi-Tasking

32. You've Got Mail

Part Six: Styles & Miscellany

33. Platonic Love Stories

34. The Throwdown

35. Sex Scenes

36. The Alternative is Impossible

37. The Symbols of Love

38. The First Golden Age: 1938 - 1942

39. The Second Golden Age of Rom Coms: 1980s - 1990s

40. Endings

Appendices

Whitcomb's Top 100 Love Story Films

Old Love Casting List

Index