The Romance (was HBP: the Good, the Not So Good, and the Ridiculous (Spoilers))

[Richard Shepard]

> > va32h
> 
> > The Good:
> >   
> > The Ginny/Harry romance: this was both good and not so good. I think JK Rowling is dreadful at writing romance, so the Harry/Ginny relationship in the books was just a big old mess.  I much prefer the subtle way it's handled in the film to Harry's raging chest monster.  
> 
> Joann:
> After hating H/G in the book, I didn't mind them in the movie so much. It still doesn't make sense to me, and there is not much chemistry between DR and BW but it's still loads better than the book. The film makers must have thought H/G lacked a little in the book too, or they wouldn't have added so much/changed almost every scene of theirs. 
> 


Richard:

It has been a while since I read all the books so I forget some of the details, but I have never understood why so many people seem to be against the Harry/Ginny pairing.  It might just be because I am a hopeless romantic, but I was expecting/hoping to see both Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny get together from about book 4 on (Ron and Hermione probably even earlier but definitely in Goblet of Fire).  And the school romances are one area that I think the movies have consistently done a good job.  

There were definitely changes in the movie from the book, but I thought the overall feeling and build-up of the romantic angst was the same.  Well, I guess the fact that the movie Harry/Ginny relationship only makes it to the kiss, where in the book they have a first magic kiss and then are together as a couple for several weeks before the end of the term is a big difference, but hopefuly they can address that by starting the first DH movie with a clearly deeper relationship between them.  We don't need all the strained internal dialogue (and the scaley beast of teenage male hormones) because we have actual actors, and I think the few interactions Harry and Ginny have in the movie are sufficient to make it clear to the audience the feelings of both parties.  And the on screen interactions between Ron and Hermione pretty clearly reveal to the audience that Hermione is right there at the cusp of killing Ron for being the biggest dolt in the universe just like she was in Golbet of Fire :)  

And, of course, we have the scene with Harry and Hermione on the steps which clears up the Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, and Harry/Hermione relationships for the teenage boys in the audience that still haven't figured it out because they are dense like Ron :)  

I definitely liked the way they changed the infirmary scene to bring a quicker resolution to Ron/Lavender.  And the dormitory scene with Ron and Harry talking about nice skin was hilarious.  

I will willingly admit that I hope they go completely overboard to make the Ron/Hermione thing heat up in DH1&2 :)  

Thanks,
Richard