As I’ve just learned from some quick calculations, 10 000 hours of rom-coms is equivalent to watching about 6 500 movies. So, I may not be an expert on the subject according to Gladwell’s 10 000 hour rule, but I’ve still watched my fair share of rom-coms (to say the least). What I’ve recently started to wonder, however, is why we’re so hesitant to admit that we love them. Yes, they’re predictable and sometimes even problematic in terms of the stereotypes or lessons they portray; but, does this mean that they deserve the ridicule that they receive?
If predictability is the hallmark of a bad movie then there are plenty of critically acclaimed movies whose high ratings are almost inexplicable. Did anyone at any point think that John McClane wasn’t going to save his wife and the whole host of hostages in Die Hard? Or that Danny Ocean and his crew weren’t going to pull off their elaborate heist in Ocean’s 11? There may be some twists along the way, but the endings of these movies aren’t surprising to anybody who was paying attention. We’re also able to recognize that a lot of classic films are problematic without attacking the intelligence and the taste of their viewers. For instance, The Breakfast Club is still held in high regard 35 years after its release, despite the fact that it essentially romanticizes sexual harassment by uniting John Bender and Claire Standish.
The major criticisms of rom-coms are not ascribed to traditionally male-targeted movies, which often commit the same offences. A logical explanation, then, of such widespread disdain for rom-coms is quite simply the fact that they target women. Surely anyone who enjoys watching makeover montages and actors running desperately through the airport or in the rain (take your pick) must be of inferior intelligence. So, while we revel in the car chases and explosions throughout the whole Fast and Furious franchise but turn up our noses at the frills and romantic gestures of rom-coms, let’s take a second look at this double standard. I for one will go watch 10 Things I Hate About You for the fifth time, and maybe with slightly less shame.