When I'm not dispensing relationship advice, I'm studying film. And there's no place those two intersect more closely than the "romantic" "comedy".
It's a great cultural stereotype that guys hate "chick flicks", because it's largely true. But the stereotype is predicated on the idea that guys hate icky "feelings" and "romance", when instead there are many perfectly valid reasons to hate romantic comedies. Usually the male characters. Just like women don't enjoy seeing a dumb blonde who exists solely to take her shirt off on screen (well, as a rule), men don't like to see...
The Douchebag
Matthew McConaughey has made a career out of this character, in the lead no less, but generally it's a minor part. The Douchebag usually begins the movie as the female hero's boyfriend, and within the first fifteen minutes, we learn he's been sleeping with somebody else. Full stop. It is literally never anything else, because if he was unhappy with the relationship, that might mean our heroine was imperfect and human, and this cannot be allowed.
But the Douchebag isn't just a douchebag. The Douchebag has to earn the capital D, somehow, because otherwise we don't have a movie, so the actor is forced by the script to go over the top. He's not just sleeping around. He's banging her sister. He's banging her boss. He's doing all of the above while snorting the ashes of her grandmother off a mirror. And, inevitably, when he's discovered, he chooses that moment to dump her, because, for some reason, a woman in a romantic comedy can never actually be all that assertive.
Hated Because: Hey, who's her current boyfriend? Does she really think I'm like this? Does she really think ANYBODY is like this?
The Platonic Friend
The Platonic Friend is usually male, sometimes female, always comic relief. If straight, he's happily married and generally also related to the lead in some way, just to doubly rule out sex, and, if gay, he will be shrill and never, ever come within fifteen miles of a penis or refer to having any sort of sexual intercourse. Maybe if he's lucky some guy who had five lines in the beginning of the first act will turn out to be gay and they'll end the movie with their arms around each other's waists.
Either way, though, his job is entirely to cater to the heroine, no matter how spoiled, stupid, or ridiculous her demands are. His entire life is subliminated to her desires.
Hated Because: Straight guys like this do exist, but they are doing it for the possibility of sex. These are the guys who think being nice to a girl will get them head, and once that gets ruled out, disappear. Flamboyant gay men also exist, but they generally dislike being treated as pets.
The Doormat With a Hole In It
Inevitably, the guy our heroine winds up with. Rock hard abs, manly job, and inevitably, some sort of glaring personality problem that our heroine will be able to fix, as if he were a car instead of a person. Once this flaw, usually having a personality, is fixed, he immediately does everything she says and does what she wants, as opposed to actually having a healthy relationship.
Hated Because: Wait, I'm only supposed to have ONE flaw? Uh-oh.
As a woman, I dislike almost all romantic comedies. Mainly because they are so freaking boring! And not particularly romantic, AND not funny.
I love romantic comedies. But that's b/c i find them hilarious as caricature pieces of people that don't exist in situations that are so farfetched that they can't help but be entertaining.
Every now and again there's a good one, and it's a breath of fresh air. But, man, sometimes they make me want to pile drive the creative personnel through a concrete floor.
Any in particular you really do like?
LOL. This is great. The d-bag is inevitable and makes you wonder what compelled her to date him in the first place?! Though I must say, I have two very good, very platonic straight guy friends who I've known for years and know there is no chance for sex (I'm Muslim and waiting till marriage). While I definitely do not have them cater to my every whim, they're always willing to give me insight on guy's mentalities and talk it out & comfort me over relationships, life trouble, etc. I return the favor, of course- and they enjoy how I always loved talking politics and philosophy (ever since we met, too, when it was a rarity! at 15 and 16). I know they'll be one of my support systems whenever I get engaged in the distant future.
I have to agree with Fatima, there are straight guys out there that are good guys who are not just interested in sex. They actually value women as human beings with personalities worth getting to know and be friends with, instead of tits and a vagina that need to be obtained for sexual purposes. Breaks my heart to see you lump those good guys in with other guys just looking to get their rocks off.
Seriously, watch the Bollywood film Devdas. I'm serious. Rent it, netflix it, go to India and buy it, whatever you gotta do. Watch it. You want flaws? Oh, they are flawed. Want romance? They do it WITHOUT TOUCHING EACH OTHER. Like singing and dancing? Even better.
Fuck American romantic comedies. The Indians know how to do it without looking like total douches.
Radical!
Devdas is a great movie, even if foreign movies aren't usually your thing, I suggest you try it. It's dubbed too, for those who don't like subtitles.
You forgot the main one: the "lovable" dorky guy who basically stalks the heroine and attempts to sabotage her happiness, who usually "gets" her in the end as a reward for being such a "nice guy." Probably played by Topher Grace or a young Anthony Michael Hall.
I usually watch romcom's for the sake of entertainment. I've never used it as a guide in how guys should act with women, which to say is kind of ridiculous.
They never show "good guys" in romcoms, always "nice guys", which in real life are jerks. Good guys always stick to their guns, have self respect, and have manners towards women.
Why can't their be guys like that in movies? lol
I think the only truly interesting and self aware romcom movie out there is: "He Is Just Not That Into You", the only one that SHOWS women that all the bull they've been taught at a young age about guys, is false and how most are reassuring their friends with lies.