Do Guys generally steer clear of Rom-Coms/Dramas (Chick-Flick)?

[Suet Seung]

Do Guys generally avoid all Romance-Comedy or Drama involving emotions (whether it be man&woman or man and family)?

I know a pitiful guy who said he'd avoid all chick-flicks until he finds a girlfriend then he'll subject himself to watching any chick-flick with her.

If you're a guy, do you think watching chick-flicks are benefitual to gaining any insight to a girl's mind? Or any other advantages over a guy who doesn't watch chick-flicks?

[xJadedx]

Romantic comedies (some, at least) and dramas are different from the generic chick flick, in my opinion. Chick flicks are way oversaturated with sappiness, instead of more believable emotions. Some romantic comedies can be more realistic and actually fun to watch, whereas dramas don't need to be romantic at all to be emotional and touching.

I personally can't stand chick flicks. The only "chick" movies I like are The Notebook, Mean Girls and 50 First Dates (though I tend to like anything with Adam Sandler). I also don't think watching chick flicks will help a guy in any way to learn more about girls.

So I'm quite glad my boyfriend doesn't like chick flicks. I think he was quite glad too that when other girls were bugging their guys to take them to see He's Just Not That Into You, I told him I'd much more like to wait for Watchmen.

[Canuck21]

Guys stay clear of chick flicks as much as chicks stay clear of action-pack movies a la Rambo.

[xJadedx]

Not quite sure what you mean by that. I like action movies quite a lot, so I interpreted your post as guys also like chick flicks.

[Lucre]

im a gal, but i seriously dislike most romantic-comedies, and sappy chick-flicks.

i have nothing against emotions, emotions are good - im an emo too, but i dislike 'predictable plots' unless it's visually stimulating enough. most romantic comedies falls under, predictable waste of time story. =(

guy meets girl, problems & misunderstandings pops up, problems solve, guy & girl happily ever after. (and worst, minus any visually stunning effects)

[Linda]

Guys stay clear of chick flicks as much as chicks stay clear of action-pack movies a la Rambo.

I am quite definitely one of those...I couldn't stand Rambo...I saw it once and never again.

I stay clear of any action film that have the majority of the cast running around high on steroids.

I don't like the majority of chick flicks either. I enjoyed The Notebook, City of Angels, Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail (I generally like anything with my all time favorite rom com couple!).

I find the majority of those so called chick flicks portray women too much as a set prototype, they are most of the time, either too emotional, too delusional or too scared to admit their feelings. Any male that tries to gleam insight into a woman's mind through these films will likely find themselves on the side of a failing relationship.

Of course, going to watch these flicks with your girlfriend gives you extra points, just don't take it to heart.

[Canuck21]

Not quite sure what you mean by that. I like action movies quite a lot, so I interpreted your post as guys also like chick flicks.

There are many types of action movies. Chicks can appreciate a good action movie but normally those action flicks also have some kind of romance in it, if not at least some kind of drama or humour, as little there might be. Most chicks do not like action movies that only have a muscle man running around killing the enemy. Dumb action flicks are the equivalent of chick flicks.

From experience, I cannot recall any female friends nor acquaintances who like Rambo, but I know some who like Die Hard. The difference is that Die Hard has a better story, it has humour and John McClane is a loving husband. Rambo on the other hand is just that, a muscle man. If you like Rambo, then you're not typical.

[Lucre]

There are many types of action movies. Chicks can appreciate a good action movie but normally those action flicks also have some kind of romance in it, if not at least some kind of drama or humour, as little there might be. Most chicks do not like action movies that only have a muscle man running around killing the enemy. Dumb action flicks are the equivalent of chick flicks.

From experience, I cannot recall any female friends nor acquaintances who like Rambo, but I know some who like Die Hard. The difference is that Die Hard has a better story, it has humour and John McClane is a loving husband. Rambo on the other hand is just that, a muscle man. If you like Rambo, then you're not typical.

i remember there was a video game featuring rambo ~ and i used to play it. never watched the show though.

i have a preference for tim-burton shows. ^_~

[pemberly]

There are many types of action movies. Chicks can appreciate a good action movie but normally those action flicks also have some kind of romance in it, if not at least some kind of drama or humour, as little there might be. Most chicks do not like action movies that only have a muscle man running around killing the enemy. Dumb action flicks are the equivalent of chick flicks.

From experience, I cannot recall any female friends nor acquaintances who like Rambo, but I know some who like Die Hard. The difference is that Die Hard has a better story, it has humour and John McClane is a loving husband. Rambo on the other hand is just that, a muscle man. If you like Rambo, then you're not typical.

39% of the opening weekend audience for The Expendables is female. Admittedly, I have not watched it (I want to), so I don't know if there is a love story. nytimes

Also, a high percentage of the Saw movie fans are female. And as far as I can recall, those don't really have any kind of love story.

[Cesare]

From experience, I cannot recall any female friends nor acquaintances who like Rambo, but I know some who like Die Hard. The difference is that Die Hard has a better story, it has humour and John McClane is a loving husband. Rambo on the other hand is just that, a muscle man. If you like Rambo, then you're not typical.

First Blood is by no means a simple, dumb action flick. It's got a fairly strong element of drama and even social criticism. I loved it. (The second and third sequels are no big deal, but still VERY entertaining.)
I like emotion and drama in action films but NOT romance. I can tolerate romance only if it doesn't stand in the way and if it's quickly over and done with. John Woo and his homosocial flicks for me, thanks.
I know quite a lot of girls that can enjoy a straightforward, dumb action flick.
I know some, for whom The Expendables and not Inception is the movie of the summer...:-) (I'm totally one of them.)

[xJadedx]

Seeing The Expendables tomorrow I think. Can't wait .

[Canuck21]

i remember there was a video game featuring rambo ~ and i used to play it. never watched the show though.

i have a preference for tim-burton shows. ^_~

Tim Burton?!? Was that just a random comment or are you saying Rambo is a Tim Burton movie?

39% of the opening weekend audience for The Expendables is female. Admittedly, I have not watched it (I want to), so I don't know if there is a love story. nytimes

Also, a high percentage of the Saw movie fans are female. And as far as I can recall, those don't really have any kind of love story.

Ask those 39% if they liked The Expendables, then come back and give me the answer. I'm sure there were many females who were dragged by their boyfriends to see Rambo and similar movies, but the real question is how many of those liked it. As for Saw, that's horror, not action. Horror attracts as much males and females.

First Blood is by no means a simple, dumb action flick. It's got a fairly strong element of drama and even social criticism. I loved it. (The second and third sequels are no big deal, but still VERY entertaining.)
I like emotion and drama in action films but NOT romance. I can tolerate romance only if it doesn't stand in the way and if it's quickly over and done with. John Woo and his homosocial flicks for me, thanks.
I know quite a lot of girls that can enjoy a straightforward, dumb action flick.
I know some, for whom The Expendables and not Inception is the movie of the summer...:-) (I'm totally one of them.)

I agree, First Blood is less dumb than its sequels but I was generalizing. Most action flicks from that nature are dumb. There will always be exceptions, but in general, Rambo is a fail to most women, like Dear John will mostly be a fail to most men.

I like romance in action movies if done well and when it's not used as just a gimmick. One of the best romance in an action movie is The Terminator.

BTW Cesare, are you male or female?

[Cesare]

Female - I think.

[pemberly]

Ask those 39% if they liked The Expendables, then come back and give me the answer. I'm sure there were many females who were dragged by their boyfriends to see Rambo and similar movies, but the real question is how many of those liked it.

39% is not a small number. For even 30% of that 39% to be dragged there by their boyfriends, you'd have to assume that 60% of the audience were part of a couple. and you'd have to assume that a similar percentage of guys would go see "chick flicks" because why would guys be more likely to drag their gfs to movies than girls to drag their bfs?

so what movies would you classify as pure action flicks that girls don't like? so far, you've cited rambo, which has garnered interest from the females of this forum.

[darkcser]

First Blood is by no means a simple, dumb action flick. It's got a fairly strong element of drama and even social criticism. I loved it. (The second and third sequels are no big deal, but still VERY entertaining.)
I like emotion and drama in action films but NOT romance. I can tolerate romance only if it doesn't stand in the way and if it's quickly over and done with. John Woo and his homosocial flicks for me, thanks.
I know quite a lot of girls that can enjoy a straightforward, dumb action flick.
I know some, for whom The Expendables and not Inception is the movie of the summer...:-) (I'm totally one of them.)

Agreed, I ended up watching the first Rambo after seeing the later ones, and it struck me as very different. Instead of "American Hero" we have a soldier returning from war, rejected by society, abused by the authorities and pushed to the point that he has to fight back. It was surprisingly deep and poignant -although it had some great action sequences too.

As for watching romance-comedy films, I see it as reinforcement of unrealistic expectations. When people go see an action film, they don't expect people in real life to dive through windows and jump from moving cars. Yet for some odd reason they think romance-comedy films are reflective of reality. Try half of the shenanigans seen in romance-comedy films and you will end up being labelled a stalker/psycho with possible legal implications. It's kind of like saying you can learn a lot about relationships by watching p...

[darkcser]

i remember there was a video game featuring rambo ~ and i used to play it. never watched the show though.

i have a preference for tim-burton shows. ^_~

Was this the one with the overhead view, and you walked around with a knife and collected all sorts of items like grenades and first aid packs? I had this one back in the day. Never got very far in it though.

[Canuck21]

39% is not a small number. For even 30% of that 39% to be dragged there by their boyfriends, you'd have to assume that 60% of the audience were part of a couple. and you'd have to assume that a similar percentage of guys would go see "chick flicks" because why would guys be more likely to drag their gfs to movies than girls to drag their bfs?

What? I never said that guys are more likely to drag their girlfriends. Yes, we'd have to assume that a similar percentage of guys would go see "chick flicks" because they were dragged by their girlfriends. That's exactly my point, the testosterone action flicks are the equivalent of the chick flicks. I don't know why some of you can't grasp that. There are certain types of movies that generally attract more males and other types attract more females.

so what movies would you classify as pure action flicks that girls don't like? so far, you've cited rambo, which has garnered interest from the females of this forum.

The only female so far who like Rambo in this forum is Cesare. Did I forget anyone else? You?

I would say pretty much all of Sylvester Stallone's movies are a turnoff to most females except maybe the Rocky series, even then I don't think so. Hmm... what else... Movies with Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude van Damme, Steven Seagal, Michael Dudikoff and John Cena. Some of the Governator's movies like Commando and Predators. Do you get the drift of what type of action flicks I'm talking about?

[xJadedx]

The Expendables was really fun. Obviously not a good movie, but well worth the entertainment value I was hoping for. Needed more Willis and Schwarzenegger though.

[Cesare]

I think (from my experience and from my circle of acquaintances) that overall the probability of girls liking (or even adoring) a good, dumb action flick is considerably higher than the probability of guys appreciating chick flicks like SATC or Twilight (let alone guys liking SATC or Twilight and openly admitting it).
(Could be the prevalence of "masculine" values in society - or simply the fact that a dumb action flick is generally a lot more fun than a dumb chick flick.)

[rosely]

I watch action, horror, sci-fi, adventure and everything that tugs at the heart hehe.

So I watch serendipity, lovers of the arctic circle, 50 first dates, wedding singer, bed of roses, some kind of wonderful, the notebook, as good as its get, a walk in the clouds, all meg ryan rom-com lol, the apartment, an affair to remember, the lake house, all sandra bullock rom-com haha and several kdrama such as the green rose and the snow queen- yay, prepare buckets and lots of tissues :P.

Most of these films and drama affects me for days, weeks even months such as the snow queen that became very heavy at the end complete with a sad ending, my favorite hehe.