I don't like the traditional romance films, simply because a good non-demographic-targeted romance story is hard to do. Romance as the conflict in a movie usually has one of a few tropes "Love Triangle", "Star Crossed Lovers" or "Forbidden Love", none of which particularly interests me.
Though, you were making a comment on anime and there are two romance anime that I like. ToRaDoRa and Sword Art Online, simply because these did not end when the couples got together as most romances do. There was an after, a building of a relationship, something that is missing from most romance-based media.
As I remember, in Sword Art online they got together physically in the last episode of the anime.
But they accepted their feelings for each other and acted upon it about halfway through. Hell, they even vacationed together, had implied sex, this is why the main character goes all zerky later on.
@Animasta: Don't tell anyone, but I love Korean dramas. One of my all-time favorites of anything is a show called "First Shop of the Coffee Prince." It's amazing. Check it out (if you're into that sort of thing). http://www.viki.com/channels/247-coffee-prince
I can quote most of Pretty Woman by heart, I've seen the honestly-pretty-damn-rubbish 27 Dresses more times than any normal person should, and I think Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is the finest love story of our time. Also, I'm getting married tomorrow, and I can't wait (well, it's both nerves and excitement, but whatever).
I enjoy romantic subplots in my comics, tv shows, movies and games as long its not terribly bad and cringe worthy. In particular in games and comics I find that romantic subplot actually grounds characters and makes them more relatable (There is nothing about Superman that I can relate to, but when I read a Superman story where he has girl problems it makes him way more human to me and same goes with video games).
Furthermore I find that romance can be a great realistic motivational tool for characters as far as story structure goes.
As long as it isn't a story about a primary man/woman falling in love with a 1 dimensional opposite sex and they have to gain their respect by being fucking slaves to them. A love story needs to focus on the trials-and-tribulations of both lovers. They gotta be flawed and conflicted, and they gotta love one another through respect of each's flaws. That's true love right there.
I don't really feel like they try to make romance for males. They target a female audience because they know it will sell better that way. I'm not opposed to the idea of romance though, I'm just never interested in the ones that I have an opportunity to see, because they're all very formulaic. 10 Things I Hate About You is one of my favorite movies though if that counts, and I also really love (500) Days of Summer. So by that logic, I suppose as long as your romance story has Joseph Gordon Levitt I'm set.
Oh also I have this up on my wall, despite the teasing I get.
The problem is not many seem to be able to do romance stories well, or in an interesting manner.
It's all cookie cutter, hearts aflutter saccharine cute shit. The story almost always deals with the beginning, "honeymoon" phase of a relationship. My favorite romance stories don't follow those tropes. Like say the movies Blue Valentine and 500 Days of Summer, or the novel Fight Club (which I consider to be a love story between the unnamed narrator and Marla Singer).
I agree with this. When I was a teenage girl, romcoms and romance novels were okay for an exercise in fantasy escapism, especially when you're still trying to learn how romantic relationships work. But I quickly found that stuff terribly boring and unrealistic. The man and woman always take on the same two boring roles. I do really enjoy stories about relationships, but it has to feel like real people and real relationships, that move past that first blush, "honeymoon" phase as you so aptly put it. I think the problem is the romances were written for women in the first place, so it's often a wish fulfillment story for women that's not very relatable to men. Now I'm a lady, so I suppose I"m not one to answer your question, but I gotta say I find a lot of the "romantic" stuff in the typical romcom overblown and kinda embarrassing. The amount of crap the man has to go through to "prove his love" is rather awful. It's all a sort of old-fashioned game I don't like playing. There are more and more movies coming out now that I think reflect real, contemporary romances better than they have in the past.
the perception that males don't like 'romance' in all it's forms comes from the same place as the perception that women dislike sports, beer, and action movies. Stoicism was a virtue praised by ancient cultures, and the blocking/ignoring of emotion has always been an undercurrent of what makes a male a 'Man'. I mean, images like this used to be present everywhere:
I think this is generally right but I would limit it to the west as far as I know. It's the whole "men aren't supposed to have emotions" thing that has been slowly going out of style.
@pekoe212 said:
I think the problem is the romances were written for women in the first place, so it's often a wish fulfillment story for women that's not very relatable to men.
I'd say that's another part. I find it's weird that it's wish fulfillment since if guy did those things in real life...well prison would be full of romantics. Pass that I'd agree with what some people have said, in that most romantic stories are centered around a female protagonist so they're instantly less relatable to men.
From my opinion. I think non-macho/single-minded guys do like romance movies, just not crappy hollywood rom coms that depict their gender in unrealistic social interactions. That's not how relationships work and those men do not exist. However, if we look at movies like Eternal Sunshine for the spotless mind, a lot of dudes like that movie. But if the wish fulfillment goes the other way like in American Pie/other late-night comedies then guys enjoy it a lot more. Then we get the wish fulfillment of both genders in Titantic, I bet a few guys liked that movie.
And yes I am male and like romance movies. My favourite movies of all time are: Lost in Translation, Solaris(original), Before Sunrise, and Before Sunset.
I like romance quite a bit, I don't however like romance novels, or at least not what's on the front cover; goodness no. Furthermore, you're underestimating the way men feel. While we do think about sex, it's not as if that's the only thing we think about. When I read that, it makes it seem like something someone would come back and say "Ha ha, that's a good one..." It's true though. I may be old fashioned.
Any one of these I can't even image seeing myself read though.
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