Ever notice that every blockbuster movie has the same fundamental pieces? A hero, a journey, some conflicts to muck it all up, a reward, and the hero returning home and everybody applauding his or her swag? Yeah, scholar Joseph Campbell noticed first—in 1949. He wrote The Hero with a Thousand Faces, in which he outlined the 17 stages of a mythological hero's journey.

About half a century later, Christopher Vogler condensed those stages down to 12 in an attempt to show Hollywood how every story ever written should—and, uh, does—follow Campbell's pattern. We're working with those 12 stages, so take a look. (P.S. Want more? We have an entire Online Course devoted to the hero's journey.)

Ordinary World

Here's the butcher, Marty, tending to his customers and being asked when he's going to finally get married. After all, the last of his siblings has recently been matched, so he's now all by his lonesome, living in a big house in the Bronx with his aging Italian ma. He works, goes to church every Sunday, and hangs out with his buds, including Angie. "What do you wanna do?" Angie asks every weekend night. "I don't know," Marty responds. "What do you wanna do?"

Call to Adventure

Cousin Tommy comes over to the house to ask Marty's mother, Teresa, if his own mother, Catherine, can come live with them—she's been having a bad time, fighting with his wife over the raising of the young couple's baby. While Tommy is over, Teresa asks where Marty could meet a nice young girl. After Tommy gives his aunt some intel, she suggests that Marty go out and try to make something happen.

Refusal of the Call

For Marty, life has been one rejection after another. He's too fat and too ugly, he tells his mother, for any girl to ever fall in love with. After throwing a bit of a tantrum though, he obeys his mother and goes out for one more night of more of the same. (Or so he thinks.)

Meeting the Mentor

For Marty, Clara is his mentor in romance and in his profession. So when they meet at the Stardust Ballroom, they're almost instantly giving each other pep talks. "We're not so bad as we think we are," Marty says to Clara. "You should buy that butcher shop," Clara encourages Marty. It's totally a feedback loop of good vibes.

Crossing the Threshold

Together at the diner, Marty and Clara raise the stakes by becoming vulnerable to each other, swapping stories. Marty tells Clara about the time he contemplated suicide. Clara tells Marty how scared she is to leave the city and take a new job. What started as mutual empathy is progressing pretty quickly into true love.

Tests, Allies, Enemies

As Marty and Clara walk from the diner to Marty's place (so Marty can grab some cash and they can really step out), one of Marty's friends hollers at him from a car. When Marty goes over, the pal explains they've got an extra girl in their posse who could use some company. Even though the guys promise she's super-fun, Marty knows he's already with the lady who's perfect for him.

Note: This story is full of all sorts of mini-tests like this, as when Angie tries to get Marty to leave Clara and go back out, or when Marty's mother tells him not to see Clara again, or when Tommy tells him not to buy the butcher shop. It's all of these expectations and the desires of other people that Marty must overcome in order to be happy—but that's a little bit more scattered than can fit in this neat Hero's Journey sequence.

Approach to the Inmost Cave

Here Marty invites Clara into his family home, which is empty while his mother is proposing her sister's move. He's never brought a girl home before, and he's visibly nervous. "This is the kitchen," he tells Clara, standing in the kitchen. "I see that," Clara jokes good-naturedly.

Ordeal

Clara and Marty are still standing in the dark of the house when Marty goes in for the kiss. Clara turns away and Marty becomes hurt and angry. He's used to rejection, but it feels different this time. "I'm old enough to know better," Marty says sadly.

Reward (Seizing the Sword)

Clara tries to explain her withdrawal from the kiss: It isn't that she's not into him, it's just that she was unprepared. She says she wants to see him, that he's "the kindest man" she's ever met, and after she gets home all she'll do is "lie in bed and think of" him. Then they kiss, just like in the movies.

The rest of the night is totally sweet, even if Ma comes home unexpectedly and in an irritable mood, and Angie's rude to Clara while Marty is on the way to drop his sweetheart off at home. It's love, and it seems like things are going to be just fine!

The Road Back

In the light of day, things are little more complicated: Marty's aunt moves in with a depressive cloud over her head, and his cousin Tommy implores him not to get messed up in buying the butcher shop. His mother tells him not to see Clara, who was too out-spoken and not at all Italian. What can a good son do buy obey his Ma?

Later Marty mopes around the house, listlessly hanging out with his buddies and not calling Clara even though he promised to.

Resurrection

It's later Sunday night and Marty's out with the boys… who are talking about what to do next. Should it be cards? A movie? A burlesque? Marty stands by, only half-listening to them, and suddenly is aware he's letting go of the totally sublime happiness he discovered the night before with Clara. To stay in this dull, do-nothing pattern is to stay unhappy. Instead, he can choose love.

Return With the Elixir

All keyed up, Marty declares that he chooses love.

MARTY: What am I crazy? I got something good here. [...] All I know is I hadda good time last night. I'm gonna have a good time tonight. If we have enough good times together, I'm gonna go down on my knees and beg that girl to marry me.

He sits down in the phone booth, makes his call, and asks for Clara. When she picks up, he smiles.