Today, romance is one of the most popular genres to watch on television. Unlike most cases, romance is a genre where the plot revolves around the love between two main characters as they experience the ups and downs of love. “Common themes that revolve around romantic films are kissing, love at first sight, tragic love, destructive love, and sentimental love” (Taylor). These themes appear in many historical films and this trend continues in modern films as well. Watching romantic films has a considerable negative influence on the viewer's analysis of what love and relationships should really be like. These films give a false impression of reality when it comes to dating, marriage, having children, and even how to handle a relationship in the first place. Although romantic films are commonly watched, watching these types of films has many effects on real-life personal relationships. For starters, romantic films shape expectations of what love really is. They show that love is the only thing that matters. In the past, love was secondary. Relationships were arranged by parents because they wanted their children to join lands or kingdoms, and whether or not the couple actually loved each other didn't matter. Today, parents have almost no say in who their children fall in love with. Romance films overemphasize love when it comes to "falling in love at first sight" and the idea that "true love conquers all." I'm sure almost everyone knows that real love doesn't work like that, but that doesn't mean that these illustrations of love that movies characterize don't affect viewers' hope for romance and true love. love in their own lives. . For example, after watching The Notebook, viewers may describe Noah's relationships in a positive or negative way, it all depends on how we choose to compare Hollywood romance to our reality. romance of life. Works Cited Hefner, Veronica. “From love at first sight to soul mate: Romantic ideals in popular films and their association with young people's beliefs about relationships.” Thesis (2011): 1-241. Print.Johnson R. Kimberly and Holmes M. Bjarne. “Mixed Messages: A Content Analysis of Hollywood-Produced Romantic Comedy Feature Films.” Quarterly Communication 57 (2009): 1-22. Print.Riskind, Arlyn G. “Romantic Comedies Affect Beliefs About Relationships Less Strongly Than Expected.” National Communications Association (2013): 1-3. Print.Taylor, Laramie D. “Cads on Dads on Screen: Do Media Portrayals of Mate Scarcity Affect Mate Preferences Among College-Aged Women?” Communication Research (2011): 1-20. Print.