I feel like OP hasn't seen enough Hallmark movies — the protagonist's jealous beau showing up is exactly the kind of second act complication they need.
Please put on too much makeup, turn up holding a fleet of disposable designer bags, and then get your heels stuck in the grass for some reason, followed by a tiffy "I HATE it here!"
*a tiny chihuahua in a prada bag starts yapping, and then the sprinklers come on for some reason and she starts to lose it as her makeup begins to run*
Hallmark movies have cookie cutter plots usually involving one of the characters reuniting with someone while visiting their home town and then falling in or rekindling love. The characters tend to be divorced or in an unhappy relationship, and one of the driving forces of tension is the push for them to get with each other before the visiting party has to leave
They also tend to have a focus on "city = bad, small town = good," framing the original relationship in the city as being bland and out of touch, while the small town relationship is warm and attentive.
I like looking at "cookie-cutter" by its namesake. Cookie-cutters create shaped cookies of identical shapes. For an application, consider cookie-cutter houses. These are typically in neighborhoods where there are only a handful of unique blueprints for houses, and so there are tons of identical houses all "cut out" as if from cookie cutters. The Hallmark movie example refers to a handful of plots (as opposed to blueprints), where each movie is "cut out" of whatever cliché plot they choose from the incredibly small amount of plots Hallmark has.
21 Comments
Tehhund@lemmy.world · 98 pts · 203d
I feel like OP hasn't seen enough Hallmark movies — the protagonist's jealous beau showing up is exactly the kind of second act complication they need.
tetris11@feddit.uk · 55 pts · 203d
Please put on too much makeup, turn up holding a fleet of disposable designer bags, and then get your heels stuck in the grass for some reason, followed by a tiffy "I HATE it here!"
UnrepententProcrastinator@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 202d
God I hate her already!
tetris11@feddit.uk · 6 pts · 202d
*a tiny chihuahua in a prada bag starts yapping, and then the sprinklers come on for some reason and she starts to lose it as her makeup begins to run*
Hadriscus@jlai.lu · 37 pts · 203d
this is so obscure to me. What does it all mean ?
jjagaimo@sh.itjust.works · 88 pts · 203d
Hallmark movies have cookie cutter plots usually involving one of the characters reuniting with someone while visiting their home town and then falling in or rekindling love. The characters tend to be divorced or in an unhappy relationship, and one of the driving forces of tension is the push for them to get with each other before the visiting party has to leave
Hadriscus@jlai.lu · 35 pts · 203d
Thanks for the clarification !! much appreciated
for completion and for anyone else confused, cookie-cutter means marked by lack of originality or distinction
Signtist@bookwyr.me · 29 pts · 203d
They also tend to have a focus on "city = bad, small town = good," framing the original relationship in the city as being bland and out of touch, while the small town relationship is warm and attentive.
NannerBanner@literature.cafe · 4 pts · 202d
Meanwhile the 'small town' has everything bad about cities, but they simply gloss over it.
Filetternavn@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 5 pts · 203d
I like looking at "cookie-cutter" by its namesake. Cookie-cutters create shaped cookies of identical shapes. For an application, consider cookie-cutter houses. These are typically in neighborhoods where there are only a handful of unique blueprints for houses, and so there are tons of identical houses all "cut out" as if from cookie cutters. The Hallmark movie example refers to a handful of plots (as opposed to blueprints), where each movie is "cut out" of whatever cliché plot they choose from the incredibly small amount of plots Hallmark has.
Hadriscus@jlai.lu · 5 pts · 202d
Indeed, I was just picturing the wrong tool. I had those little wheels in mind, the ones used to cut pizza. It made no sense
Thanks for the explanation
genuineparts@infosec.pub · 4 pts · 202d
Pizza cutter Plots are plots where the story is divided in equal parts between multiple deuteragonist \s
Hadriscus@jlai.lu · 3 pts · 202d
hah !
tetris11@feddit.uk · 35 pts · 203d
country mouse goes to city and marries city mouse, but country mouse goes back to country and likes country mouse instead
🪤 🐁
Hadriscus@jlai.lu · 18 pts · 203d
right up my mouse brain, thank you
zaphod@sopuli.xyz · 6 pts · 202d
But does the mouse get the cheese in the end?
tetris11@feddit.uk · 4 pts · 202d
we all get the cheese in the end
Midnitte@beehaw.org · 8 pts · 203d
He's going to fall for the doctors daughter? I guess?
tetris11@feddit.uk · 3 pts · 203d
The only one who could really reach him
Was the daughter of the doctor, man
MigratingApe@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 203d
Well done! I know the reference.
GreenBeanMachine@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 203d
tomiant@piefed.social · 2 pts · 203d
This will do wonders for the trust necessary for a healthy relationship.
Next week: "Help, my boyfriend is too controlling! He doesn't want to watch my favorite tv shows with me!"