The Nice Guy

About My Project

The "Nice Guy" is a rather modern term that refers to a male who slowly constructs a friendship with a woman-offering her a shoulder to cry on, becoming her confidante, analyzing what she likes and dislikes-in order to pursue a relationship in the future. This term is coupled with the idea of the friendzone, which refers to an admirer being rejected by a friend as they reassure their status as platonic companions. The problem with this trope is that it perpetuates the idea that women are required to return feelings for a man regardless of the woman's personal desires. The male entitlement leads to the shaming of women for not conforming to mens' wants.

This trope has been represented in films like 500 Days of Summer, in which the protagonist Tom projects his desire for a committed relationship onto Summer, who repeatedly describes her aversion to romance. Despite both the screenwriter and the actor that portrays Tom reassuring the public that Tom is the villain in this situation, Summer is often villainized.

The significance of this project is that, by becoming more familiar with the trope, we can more easily identify it, and will become more aware of its unhealthy portrayal of relationships. Also, filmakers can recognize their biases and correct them in order to portray relationships in a better way.

The representation of the Nice Guy in film can be representative of how society views a character trope and in turn a personality. Therefore, I plan to analyze the representation of the trope in film in order to gauge how society views this ideology.