Okay, let’s not forget the teen demographic. 2003 gave us Big Fat Liar , which was technically a comedy, but the B-plot romance between Jason (Frankie Muniz) and Kayla (Amanda Bynes) was surprisingly solid.

2003 also saw the rise of the "queer coming-of-age" as a bare genre. Thirteen (2003) by Catherine Hardwicke is not a romance in the traditional sense, but the relationship between Tracy and Evie is a toxic, desperate, codependent "romantic friendship." Their storyline involves sharing clothes, drugs, and secrets with an intensity that mimics first love. The film uses shaky close-ups and hyper-realistic sound—the jingle of a belly button ring, the crinkle of a drug bag—to make the viewer feel the suffocation of teenage obsession.

: The central relationship is the sisterhood between the three protagonists. Their bond is tested as they are forced to navigate the extortion business and stage a massive bank robbery to recover lost diamonds for the underworld bosses.

When analyzing the storylines from this specific niche, three distinct romantic archetypes emerge. Each one challenged the post-9/11 desire for safety by making love feel dangerous again.

While the film is classified as softcore erotica, its romantic storylines touch on several common relationship themes: