I can't figure out whether my screenplay is a Buddy Fleece or an Epic Love. After really digging at the theme, I'm leaning toward going with a Buddy Fleece, since the "thing" the main character wants is not love itself, and the love story is just along the way as the B story.
So, as I'm writing it as a Buddy Fleece, and looking at other Buddy Fleece movies, it occurred to me that very few BF films have a romantic buddy. Romancing the Stone and Far and Away are the only ones that come to mind where the Buddy is a love interest. Anyone have any helpful information out there about how to write a BF story where the buddy is a love interest?
Is being on the road together changing them? Then it's probably a buddy fleece. Romancing the Stone is about a woman going on the road to rescue her sister, not to fall in love. That just "happens" as she changes over her journey. Far and Away is about a guy getting his own land, not to fall in love. That just also "happens".
If there's a societal disaster going on in the background that has brought them together, then it's probably an epic love.
I think you can absolutely write a love story in both subgenres.
Great points, wildcat! Sometimes, it can be a bit tricky to think of Buddy Love types of stories. The way I narrow down and define the genres is to look at the three components of each genre.
In the Golden Fleece genre, these are the "road", the "team", and the "prize", and the prize is usually where the theme is found. Often, it's not what the real prize is, but is something deeper. In The Last Crusade, the prize is the holy grail... but the real prize is Indy's relationship with his father. Regarding subgenres, a Buddy Fleece would be something like Tommy Boy... it has the three elements above, but the friendship is the real prize, not just saving the town.
If you're looking at Buddy Love stories, those are a little different. The three pieces are the "incomplete hero," the "counterpart" and the "complication." Basically, one of these stories has two individuals who should be together, but something is keeping them apart. It might be a professional love, a romantic love, or a friendship love, but they are destined to be together.
In short, Buddy Fleece will be more about the journey and how the relationship builds on the road. Hope this helps a bit!