Paul Gross gives the rom-com a facelift, adds guns

Paul Gross, the nation’s favourite Mountie, has a new movie called Gunless coming out on Friday, and by the looks of it, the western is aiming to lure date nighters with an incredibly cheesy action slash rom-com formula: uptight chick meets rough-and-tumble player turned gentleman, plus lots of guns. We dug a little deeper (i.e., watched the trailer) to show how the movie falls into both genres:

The Rom-Com:

Female protagonist: Jane (Sienna Guillory) is an independent lady “who speaks her mind” and is initially repulsed by the Montana Kid (Gross) but eventually develops feelings for him and learns to love.

Male protagonist: The Montana Kid is a wild and uninhibited American gunslinger who stumbles onto Jane’s peaceful territory and struggles in his new digs.

The incompetent male rival: Just as Juliet had Paris, Julie has a moustached Mountie named Corporal Jonathan Kent (Justin Mulligan Dustin Milligan, who played Ethan on 90210), who appears to also be vying for her affections. Surely Julie would choose the Mountie who will provide her with a stable life rather than the unruly yet passionate American outlaw, right?

The party where we find out the ugly chick is actually hot: Unlike in most rom-coms, where the “ugly chick” turns out to be attractive when she takes off her glasses at a party (She’s All That, Never Been Kissed), it’s the gunslinger who trades in his dusty jacket for a nice suit and flatirons his hair for the shindig.

The Action Flick:

Lots of shootouts: Almost every shot in the trailer shows someone holding a gun, to remind the guys that it’s not all lovey dovey, someone will probably die!

Comedic exchange to break the tension:
-Bad guy pointing the gun at Jane: “You ain’t worth the bullet.”
-Hero intending to defend her honour: “She is most definitely worth the bullet… I don’t mean in that way.”
We didn’t hear any catchphrases that belong in the Die Hard–Snakes on a Plane hall of fame, but we’re sure there’s one in the film.

Shirtless shot of the buff hero: Something for the ladies (and some fellas).

A big explosion: It’s a law that something must explode in all action movies.

This post was updated on April 28 at 11:16 a.m.