The opening scene of Crazy, Stupid, Love is set in a restaurant. The first shot is of a couples legs under a restaurant table. The legs are touching each other, showing the audience that perhaps they are in love. They are wearing nice shoes showing that they have made an effort in their appearance. This could show they both really like each other because they want to look nice for their partner. This is a typical convention of a romance film. Romance films always have lovers in them, which is exactly what the first shot is showing. The camera rolls to then another underneath of a table and the same thing is being shown- a couple's legs under the table, wearing nice shoes, showing they have made an effort. The camera rolls again and again until it reaches a table which isn't quite the same. The couple's legs under the table are far apart and from the looks of things they haven't made much of an effort. The man is wearing a pair of old, scruffy- looking trainers, something perhaps you wouldn't wear to a posh restaurant.
Throughout the first shots of the loved-up couples, happy, romantic music is playing in the background which brings the shots together. The music outlines the love between the characters and it makes the convention of a romance just that bit more stereotypical- loud, romantic music playing as the lovers are on a date. The romantic music continues until the couple who don't seem to be as in love are in the shot. The music instantly quietens and now you can only hear it in the background. Now the noise of the rest of the restaurant can be heard. This is perhaps showing that because there is lots of background noise they are not thinking of each other, they are taking in everything that's happening around them rather than each other. Whereas the other couples in the restaurant are shown with loud music playing, and rather than the music being in the background it is loud and that's all that can be heard which is showing they aren't thinking of anything else, they are just in love and are only noticing each other.
When the camera moves upwards to above the table it shows the couple who don't seem to be having a good time. The man in this mid, two shot seems to be extremely bored. You can tell this by his body language. He is resting his head against his hand and he is not making any eye contact with the woman he is with. Even when he begins speaking he does not make any eye contact. It is only when he asks the woman if she is alright when he briefly looks up at her. He does not show any kind of concern when he asks her. This is a key feature of the scene because it shows he genuinely doesn't care as the tone he uses is dull. The woman responds and does not look up also showing she is perhaps not interested in the man. About 10 seconds later she blurts out she wants a divorce. This is another typical convention of a romance film. When you think of all the things that happen in romance films you will always think of the break ups and then the make ups. The break up has just happened which is one of the main conventions you expect to see in a romance.
Another romance film where the conventions are similar is 'valentines day'. The man proposes to the woman, she says yes but then changes her mind and leaves him. This again shows that break ups are one of the main conventions in romances. Also 'The Heartbreak Kid' is another film where the conventions are the same. The man leaves his wife for another woman. This sums up the fact that the main convention of a romance is in fact the break ups, usually the break ups leave the person broken-hearted but at the end of the film there is usually a happy ending.
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