Although I am not the most avid Romantic Comedy fan, I definitely have had my moments. Despite this, I feel as if the Rom Com industry just recycles their guys and just changes the situations slightly (just enough so we don’t completely notice). The list below shows the types of guys that show up in movies most often:

1. The Soulmate where chemistry just oozes after one second on screen

This is the type of person that you look up and see this beautiful, attractive boy who has been on the screen for about a millisecond, but the girl knows already that this boy will be the love of her life. It doesn’t hurt that after he is on the screen for about five minutes, we learn that he probably is a lawyer, doctor, or some high-paying profession where he works for the underdog rather than work for consumerism purposes. But it was the first look that really sold the person...his personality was probably almost secondary.

2. The Reformed Bad Boy who is probably just misunderstood

There’s just something about the Bad Boy angle that every Romantic Comedy loves to exploit. As humans, I feel as if we have this need to give people a second chance and are optimistic that you particularly can help them. The charm, the repertoire, and the general remarks from the boy is enough to make a girl’s heart swoon. There’s always been a saying that the line between love and hate is really small. These guys just prove it.

3. The Lovable Friend who may develop a one-sided crush at one point

This person is the reason that the Friend Zone became a thing. The friend invested so much in the relationship, but the girl doesn’t feel the same, forever ruining their friendship… People always say that girls and boys cannot be friends because of all the attraction that is bound to develop. But seriously, sometimes a friend is nothing more than a friend, and if we kid ourselves, we hurt everyone involved in that situation in its wake. It almost becomes a necessary to let the guy down gently, but it’s all right because he probably will find another girl toward the end of the movie.

4. The Best Friend who risks and almost loses their relationship to be with the girl (But not without waiting for movie years contemplating his moves)

So, #3 and #4 have a key differentiation in this list. The Lovable Friend will most likely just tell his feelings to the girl right away while the Best Guy Friend will spend the whole movie and a half, just pondering if he should even tell the girl or just it fester into love. Girls just swoon at those indecisive guys though. But in this case, the Best Friend triumphs against the whole “I waited movie years to tell you I love you, but that’s okay because #Love.

5. The Old Man that gives the girl some life advice

The Old Man is one of my favorites. It’s absolutely inspiring to see the movie stop its journey into the romance and see the main heroine actually get some advice from a mentor figure. Changing into the person we want to be starts from other people, and getting advice into the unknown from people who had been through those situations is inspiring. They don’t want you to make the same mistakes that they had, and they just want to see you happy in your life. That’s the kind of man you want in your life (maybe not in the romantic sense, but there’s more to life than just romance).

6. The Jerky Guy who thinks he’s the King of the Universe (even though he is a jester--at best)

(Also, this picture is from How I Met Your Mother's The Wedding Bride if you didn't know)

So, this guy is just a jerk. But since he’s mainly mistaken to being the Reformed Bad Boy, there’s a problem. He will probably cheat on the girl multiple times, but it’s okay because he only loves her. But no, he’s just a jerk. And will probably cheat again. So, beware.

7. The One who she turns the Jerky Guy down for

Lastly, this guy is the one who has major Saving Damsel in Distress complex. He always seems to be there to get the girl out of a bad situation with her previous relationship. There is some need for the guy to be the savior in today’s society that attracts audiences to watch this same dynamic. But nonetheless, this guy usually lasts and treats the woman with the respect she needs, so it’s not all bad.