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.)

So, if you hadn't noticed, there's not just one protagonist in It Happened One Night. There's a hero and there's also a heroine, who's arguably even more central to the film's plot and message. And the journey that they undertake is one they undertake together. So the hero's journey in the film is really two heroes' journeys.

Ordinary World

For Ellie, the ordinary world is the one shown in the film's first scenes. It's a world of fabulous wealth: private cruise ships, made-to-order gourmet meals, and insanely expensive jewelry.

For Peter, who's from a much lower social class, everyday life is marked by conflicts with his boss, whom he drunkenly harasses on the phone in his first scene.

Call to Adventure

The call to adventure comes when the two lovebirds-to-be meet one another. Ellie has narrowly—and bravely—escaped from her overbearing father, and Peter has simply boarded a bus. But their near-literal collision on the bus will change both of their fates forever.

Refusal of the Call

The call in It Happened One Night is the call of love, and at first neither the film's heroine nor its hero wants to admit it's there, staring them in the face. These two are blinded by all the small differences that set them apart—differences of class, background, experience, temperament, and donut-dunking technique. Their frequent fights represent their refusal to see that they're made for one another.

Meeting the Mentor

There's not a plain and simple mentor here. Since Ellie and Peter have to go it alone, they're left to their own devices and have to rely on one another. They do get help from strangers occasionally, but more often than not, they're fooling these strangers, sending them off Ellie's trail, rather than seeking their advice.

At the eleventh hour, Alexander Andrews does turn into a mentor of sorts, though. Against all odds, he turns out to be a believer in and supporter of capital-L Love. He encourages Ellie to believe, too, at a time when she most needs encouragement.

Crossing the Threshold

There are many thresholds in It Happened One Night, since Ellie and Peter enter many different spaces—cabins, buses, cars, you name it—and open many doors. But the most decisive of their many crossings may be the one that takes them into their first overnight lodging.

Here, to get detectives off Ellie's case, she and Peter pretend to be a married couple. And the fun they have while doing this first clues us in, even if it doesn't clue them in, to the fact that they'd be great together.

Tests, Allies, Enemies

This film is full of tests—in fact, it's pretty much one long obstacle course, putting ordeal after ordeal in the way of the couple's happiness. There's a stolen bag, a broken-down bus, a close call with detectives, a hitchhiking day gone awry, and, last but not least, hunger. All of these are difficulties that Ellie and Peter have to overcome—and that they have to overcome together.

As for allies—sadly, they're few and far between. The man who gives Ellie and Peter a ride when they hitchhike turns out to be a singing "road thief," and the couple who puts them up at the campground near New York is so suspicious that they end up kicking Ellie to the curb. So even figures who at first look like allies turn out to be less helpful than that, even if they're not all full-fledged antagonists.

In fact, Peter and Ellie encounter only one real enemy on the road, and his name is Shapeley. Shapeley's easily dealt with, but the threat he represents is real: the threat of detection by someone who'd recognize Ellie from her picture in the paper.

Approach to the Inmost Cave

Peter's visit to Andrews represents his approach to the inmost cave—the "cave" in this case being a massive mansion. What's the big deal about this visit, you might wonder? Well, it marks the moment when Andrews, the real big boss and behind-the-scenes mover of Ellie's life, sees that Peter's the real deal.

This prompts the softhearted Andrews to give the permission that he withheld at the beginning of the film: the permission for Ellie to follow her heart's desires and marry the man of her choice. And in this sense, even though it's inconclusive—it only ends in another fight between Ellie and Peter—Peter's visit to the Andrews estate is a real turning point in the film.

Ordeal

Again, you'll find lots of ordeals here, not just one. The final and most challenging one is worth singling out, though: the wedding. Whereas lots of rom-coms culminate in a wedding scene, Capra's masterpiece is unique in making its wedding scene an obstacle to be overcome.

Just in time, Ellie decides to abandon King Westley at the altar, running away and leaving him in the dust to pursue happiness with Peter. All's well that ends well, as we know from another classic romantic comedy. It sure is a close call in It Happened One Night, though. The film might also be called It Almost Didn't Happen One Night, or Ever!

Reward (Seizing the Sword)

The seizure of the sword happens late in the film, and it's over before you know it. What's even more significant than this moment's fast pace, though, is the fact that it's the story's heroine and sometime damsel-in-distress who seizes the sword, rather than representing the sword to be seized.

Here's what we mean: Ellie takes action on her own. She's a thoroughly modern woman and doesn't need to be rescued by a man. Instead, Ellie grabs hold of her own destiny and runs from the "fake" King Westley toward Peter, her true love.

The Road Back

We don't see much of the road that leads Ellie and Peter back together, or to the campground where the film ends. Like the seizing of the sword, this phase in the heroes' journey is abbreviated, and before we know it, we're back in Jericho, with the walls about to fall.

Resurrection

Again, we don't actually get to see the film's loose ends being tied up. After their fight just before the film's wedding scene and final ordeal, we don't hear from Peter again, and we last see Ellie when she's dashing away from the altar and from King Westley. Instead, we see a blanket, the "Walls of Jericho," falling at long last.

And this visual cue—ahem, it stands for sex, happening one night—is all we get by way of resurrection. Still there's enough in the film to convince us that this will be more than enough to bring the leading man and lady back to life. In fact, it will bring them a lifetime together.

Return With the Elixir

If there's an elixir here, it's the elixir of love, and though the film doesn't show anyone returning with it anywhere, we can be sure—because everything all along has been proving it—that this return will take place. It happens one night in the film's last scene, but what happens then is totally a recipe for a future life well spent.