There’s not a support group for what I have, but if there was, the meeting would likely open like this:
“My name is Bill. I’m a guy, and I like chick flicks”.
“Hi, Bill.”
It’s true. I do like a good chick flick. Like most things, the moniker “chick flick” covers many sub genres. The romantic comedy, or Rom Com as it is often called, is my brand of passionate poison. I’m not into the tear jerkers… a la Nicolas Sparks. “Message in a Bottle” is a good example. Who wants to come out of a movie feeling worse than when you bought the ticket? Although with the price of movie tickets these days, it's hard to feel good about buying the ticket in the first place. “Love Story” falls into that category, too. Regardless of what the movie said, love means never having to say you’re sorry you bought a ticket.
I’m more into titles like “When Harry Met Sally,” which in my estimation is one of the ultimate Rom Coms of all time. Although I have to admit “Pillow Talk” with Doris Day and Cary Grant is right up there as well.
I suspect there are more guys out there who feel the same way but are afraid of losing their man card if they admit it to their buddies. I’m not giving up my man card over this. You see I learned at an early age that females like these types of movies. And being someone who likes females, I also figured out that when asking a girl out, which is hard to do as a teenager, they’re more likely to go to something like “Sleepless in Seattle” than “Aliens” even though Sigourney Weaver had a cat in “Aliens,” and girls usually like movies with kitties.
It’s the comedy that hooks me. Guys like funny and they like attractive women. That’s not me being sexist. That’s me being real. The movie makers know this and exploit it. Why else would they cast Billy Crystal as a romantic lead? The idea is to cast a good-looking female lead with an unlikely (translation: average-looking) guy. This works on two levels. We average-looking guys get the idea there may be hope for us yet. Our dates don’t feel so bad about being with an average looking guy. They figure if Meg Ryan can live with it, so can they. And, if we turn out to be half as funny as Billy Crystal, then it’s even easier to handle. While I’m still not half as funny as Billy, my wife keeps hoping. I appreciate her optimism.
I am occasionally held captive by my addiction. There was the night that “The Holiday” with Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black came on just before supper. It was followed by “Love Actually” and an encore performance of “The Holiday.” My wife had to turn the T.V. off to get me off the sofa. I finally moved fearing an intervention.
The aforementioned are on my list of favorite Rom Coms. Others include “Notting Hill,” “You’ve Got Mail,” “Bridget Jones’ Diary,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Four Weddings and Funeral” (can you tell I like Hugh Grant?), “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” and “Smokey and the Bandit.” Yes, “Smokey” qualifies. Come on, Burt Reynolds, a fast car, and the flying nun. Now, that’s romance!
