Some of you might know that I am on a personal quest to rid the world of the adjective “heartwarming” especially when it pertains to the promoting of plays and musicals and movies and stuff, so therefore, every so often I will submit a post on why it irks me to see this term being used.
Look folks, the term “heartwarming” is such a cliched and hackneyed term that it is almost meaningless.
What exactly does it mean, when every blurb also uses the same term to describe their show?
It carries no meaning at all.
You might as well just do away with the word.
It’s just like how when we like to pepper our sentences with “basically”, it basically carries absolutely no meaning as well.
Basically, you can just eliminate the word “basically” from your sentences and you have not altered or diminished the meaning in any way.
Back to “heartwarming”…
At any point in time, you will see this term being bandied about on the SISTIC website, on promotional brochures, in the Life! section on arts, etc.
And any time it’s a drama that deals especially with the topic of love and family relationships, you can bet the barn you’d see the word “heartwarming” lurking somewhere in that blurb.
Just today I spotted the dreaded word in a Life! article about an upcoming local movie that deals with family love.
Show me a Hollywood comedy or romantic comedy that doesn’t strive to be heartwarming.
Show me a musical (other than a Sondheim one) that doesn’t strive to be heartwarming.
And unless it’s a Shakespearean tragedy or some thought-provoking piece or some farce, which play doesn’t wish to warm the audience’s heart as well right?
(Whether they actually succeed in doing so is another matter altogether…but the fact is that most conventional productions aim to warm a viewer’s heart.)
So anyway, if ever you’re writing a synopsis or a blurb for a movie/play/musical any time in the near future, feel free to use the word “heartwarming” if you absolutely need to.
But just know that somewhere out there, someone will be wincing at the very sight of that word.
That’s basically all I will say.
hmm…what about “heart-wrenching”?
“Heart-wrenching”? Nope, I’ve no issues with that term whatsoever. I don’t come across it that often to be honest.
And besides, I don’t think many copywriters would say things like “…this heart-wrenching comedy about love, friendship, family values…” or “…this heart-wrenching musical that entertains one and all…” in their blurb. It just doesn’t sell that well…