Traditionally, the
date movie has always been a
romance with some light
comedy centered around the
female character or characters, because
they're the only people who are really in touch with their inner feelings. But in recent years, there has been a small but
successful sub-
genre of date movies that are targeted toward a
male audience. These movies are to be prized and treasured by both men and women, because they're among the few films that can be watched in a mixed group or on a
first date that both parties are almost
guaranteed to enjoy.
It's hard to pin down exactly what makes these date movies great for guys, but some common qualities include:
- Genuine comedy involving the men in the movie. Most romantic comedies have jokes centering on the women, because everyone knows that romantic guys need to be tragic and sensitive (e.g., "Sleepless in Seattle"). Guys don't get those kinds of jokes. It's not that we're stupid, it's just that we can't relate.
- Some degree of action. It doesn't need to permeate the movie; it doesn't even need to be in there more than once or twice. "Grosse Pointe Blank" shines as a terrific date movie for guys based on this alone.
- The guy needs to be someone your average guy can root for. This means he can't be a recently-widowed father or a professional ballroom dancing instructor; he ought to be young, single, moderately horny, enjoy sports, and if at all possible, not understand women at all at the start of the film (see "Keeping the Faith"). In the right movie, he can be an action hero, which is even better (see "The Princess Bride").
- He needs to spend most of his free time around other guys. All real men do this. It's why they don't understand women at all at the start of the film (see "Swingers").
- If at all possible, include a video game.