Romantic comedies are generally considered to be the quintessential chick flick. They’re the sort of movies that most men won’t watch voluntarily and are most often dragged to by girlfriends or wives. However, there are a few romantic comedies out there that guys may not only be able to stomach but probably actually enjoy.
“The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up”
The best way to sneak a romantic comedy under a guy’s nose is with an R-rated comedy. Director Judd Apatow is a master at this, presenting films that very much fit into the standard romantic comedy mold but are male-accessible. There are a few things about these two films that make them guy-friendly.
The first is the R-rating lends itself to more edgy humor and fewer of the clumsy prat falls that pass for “comedy” in more standard rom-coms. The other is that both of these films, while adhering to fairly standard rom-com situations, are from the perspective of the men. This helps guys watching not feel as alienated, because most men can tell right off the majority of rom-coms just aren’t meant for them. The great moments of male bonding on display in these films will put guys at ease and let them actually enjoy it all.
“Love Actually”
This one is a bit trickier, and a harder sell at the outset. It’s a bit of a rom-com “greatest hits” mix thanks to the many overlapping and interweaving stories on display. However, if you can get your guy to actually start watching it, he won’t regret it.
Thankfully the first hook is right in the first scene, with an aging rocker going on a cursing streak because he keeps messing up his own lyrics at a recording studio; it’s funny no matter who you are. The “greatest hits” style of the film actually means that most of the painful filler that guys really hate about rom-com movies just isn’t there. There isn’t enough time for that stuff so each of the different stories can only focus on the important stuff that actually works. It also helps that the film has a certain level of self-awareness and tosses in complete ridiculousness in some stories to offset some of the more sincere tone of other ones.
“Fever Pitch”
This is the perfect one for the sports fan, and it’s a story many of them will be familiar with. Any die-hard sports fan knows that when a woman comes into his life there’s a very careful balancing act between his new love (girlfriend) and his old love (sports team.) This film deals with that very issue, and though it focuses on a Boston Red Sox fan, it’s a situation any fan of any team or sport can relate to. It will play even better to baseball fans, though, especially those who remember what a painful experience it was to be a Red Sox fan until recently. The chemistry between the leads is breezy and when things threaten to get a little too cheesy, the baseball angle comes back in at just the right time to keep men enjoying it.
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