Romantic Comedies have a bit of a reputation (in case you haven’t heard) for being asinine and unrealistic. But, to me, the formulaic-happy-ending nonsense is the whole point of a good chick flick, and many intelligent men and women can enjoy the genre.

For every girl (or guy) out there who has been mocked for owning or quoting or enjoying a chick flick, I salute you.

I have decided to write a series of columns analyzing the “chick flick,” because I love them. And I am not ashamed.

I used to hide my chick lit under the table when I read them or tuck away my chick flicks when my friends came over. That was just preposterous. Chick flicks may be shallow, but that doesn’t mean that the viewer is.

Romantic comedies are a form of escapism much like fantasy television shows or action video games. The genre deserves some respect.

Some argue that the women who watch these movies have unrealistic expectations of love. That may be true to a certain extent, but I can bet that many rom com viewers don’t actually expect their significant other to literally sweep them off of their feet or dance with them in the rain or hire a flash mob to propose.

Give women a little credit, okay?

We can separate reality from fiction. (We know what the word fiction means.)

Now, I take my argument one step further. I think that some chick flicks feature good acting, decent writing, impeccable character development, and some of the best movie moments out there (think Meg Ryan in the café in When Harry Met Sally when she … fakes it).

My columns will focus on garnering some street cred for the genre. I am not trying to say that everyone should like all romantic comedies. There are some seriously terrible movies out there. All I’m saying is this: don’t generalize the genre.

To prove this, my next column will start by analyzing the origin of the romantic comedy:  Shakespeare’s comedies (with a focus on Much Ado about Nothing).

My subsequent columns will move through the various phases of romantic comedies: the Meg Ryan movies, the Julia Robert flicks, the serious romances, the realistic romantic comedies, the Katherine Heigl rom coms, the guy-oriented films and more. (With more movies and columns, I’m sure, thrown in for flair.)

I will be seriously analyzing romantic comedies and their impact on women’s expectations of relationships.

On the fun side, I will also collect my favorite quotes and present my favorite rom com moments throughout. For today, I leave you with this exchange from Pretty Woman (I know the photo does not match the moment but it sets the mood):

Edward: So what happens after he climbs up and rescues her?

Vivian: She rescues him right back.

*Gush*

What romantic comedies do you want to make sure I include in my analysis? Do you have other column ideas? What do you think of the genre as a whole?