Can you smell it? Either love is in the air or the Chick-fil-A has started using chicken-scented billboards. Yes, Valentine's Day is coming to give all men night sweats over what to do on the most romantic of the Hallmark holidays. As we were searching around for entertainment suggestions, we were taken aback by the utter lack of romantic comedies currently playing in the theater. Did we give up on star-studded, holiday-themed, rom-coms so quickly?! Actually, the closest thing to a romantic comedy playing right now would be Joyful Noise, and we don't see that as being particularly funny (A Dolly Parton/Queen Latifah romance we can imagine).
Most likely, the gentlemen out there are not crying over the theater's lack of your stereotypical "date movie." Rom-coms tend to be, well, let's be honest, god-awful for guys. For the chicks out there, they are cinema gold. We don't know what it is about a rom-com that makes a woman feel the inexpressible need to put down the remote and become affixed to whatever contrived plot Reese Witherspoon finds herself in, but all women do it. We (personally) have been known to openly mock specific scenes in 27 Dresses, which we can only do because we've seen it five times!
The romantic comedy genre was not conceived for the dudes, but that doesn't mean all rom-coms are bad. There are even a few romantic comedies that are well worth watching -- for you and your boyfriend/husband/guyyoujustbroughthome. If you find you and your significant other cannot agree on what to do for the big V-Day, stay in and check out one of these "guy-friendly" romantic comedies.
10. Shallow Hal
For the ladies, it is awesome to imagine a day when Gwyneth Paltrow will be hugely fat and unattractive to even the likes of Jason Alexander. For the guys, it is probably just as amusing to think that as well.
9. Waitress
This is a lovely little indie flick starring Keri Russell as an unhappy diner worker who creates unique named pies that give her some reprieve from her abusive marriage. For the girls out there, it is a cute movie with the ultimate happy ending; for the gentlemen, you get to watch and think about pie for two hours.
8. Easy A
Emma Stone plays a teen caught in a web of lies when she falsely claims to have lost her virginity to an older college guy. The rumors take off and she finds herself with the title of "school hussy." Ladies will like this movie because movies about high school for some reason are always good, no matter how bad they are. Guys will like this movie because they can daydream about Emma Stone being a slut.
7. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Michael Cera and Kat Dennings star as two semi-strangers that go on a mission into New York City to follow their crushes and their favorite band, which bizarrely doesn't believe in telling people where they play their concerts. Naturally, they get together in the end. Neither men nor women will love this movie, because it's neither good nor bad. The movie is worth watching for the soundtrack alone that features the likes of Devendra Banhart, Vampire Weekend, We Are Scientists and Band of Horses, to name a few.
6. Just Friends
Ryan Reynolds plays the formulaic "fat kid in high school who loses lots of weight and returns home to show the girl he always loved" opposite the always lovely Amy Smart. Both the guys and gals will like this movie because it is not that bad and not that bad is good enough for a romantic comedy.
