Reel Life

The persecuted fan

Last semester, I sat in the back of FM 301, aka Screenwriter, feeling a bit like a caged animal. My professor was teaching us about the importance of genre when writing a screenplay and how, with every genre, there are certain expectations. We started with the genre of romantic comedies, otherwise known as chick flicks. He asked us for a list of the best romantic comedies made in the last five years. No one raised their hand but me. I suggested the merits of The Holiday - the adorable film that came out last year starring Cameron Diaz and the Oscar-nominated actress Kate Winslet. I found myself teased about my choice, with only one other person in the class agreeing with my suggestion. It should come as no surprise that that one other person was another female (there were just three of us in the class). My professor then requested our ideas for the best romantic comedies of all time. This evoked a better response, as the class started listing the likes of Pretty Woman, Notting Hill … and basically anything else with Julia Roberts. The collection was still pretty scant though, leaving out classics like Sleepless in Seattle and The Wedding Planner, huge oversights in the book of this chick flick connoisseur. The class disillusioned me and even caused me to rethink my obsession with the genre. Out the window was the pride I held in my cinematic tastes.

The backlash against chick flicks became publicly evident this weekend, when the delightful Ryan Reynolds comedy, Definitely, Maybe, opened at just No. 5 at the box office, being beat out by the likes of Jumper and Step Up 2 the Streets. I will admit that the trailer for Definitely, Maybe was completely misleading and confusing, but did nobody read the fabulous reviews it received? Even the entertainment Bible, Entertainment Weekly, decided that the film was worthy of a B - no small feat for a chick flick reviewed by a man who hates chick flicks. But no one saw the movie. Yet another piece of evidence uncovered on the romantic comedic prejudices that exist in America.

I suppose that men are really to blame for the underrating of the genre. Don't worry, I'm not about to delve into some huge pro-feminist, anti-male tirade. In fact, I don't think feminists would agree with my enjoyment of chick flicks either. But I think that the men of the world are just plain ignorant to the rich culture of the romantic comedy. They cannot understand the appeal of a genre that delivers the same thing every time. They do not understand the comfort in knowing that, yes, the fictional characters of Jane and John will overcome adversity and get together at the end of the story. What can be better than knowing that you will go into and come out of a movie happy, no matter how many tears you shed in between?

Do not get me wrong, though. Not all chick flicks are created equal. Love Actually, for example - good. Music and Lyrics? Bad, very bad. Perhaps the only way men will ever know what it feels like to be persecuted for their film preferences is if women start a movement against their favorite movies. The first targets? I daresay those awards should go to Fight Club and Rudy. I never did understand why my dad cried as Rudy was hoisted onto the shoulders of the football team…