Throughout the movie Sleepless in Seattle, characters refer to the classic Cary Grant/Deborah Kerr film, An Affair to Remember. Whenever it is mentioned, the men snort derisively and call it a “chick flick”. The women cry over the poignant story of lovers separated by a twist of fate.

It’s a standard stereotype that men don’t enjoy romantic movies and that they are made for an audience of women. But a survey conducted by Richard Harris, professor of psychology at Kansas State University, shows guys like romantic movies too.

Using a scale of 7 points, Harris asked couples to rate a romantic movie they had just seen. Women rated their enjoyment of the film at a 6, fairly high. When men were asked how much they liked the movie, they rated it an average of 4.8, much higher than the stereotype would lead us to believe. However, when asked how men as a group would like the movie, both men and women fell back on stereotypes and said men wouldn’t like the movie.

Harris also asked women which scene they thought men would like best. They generally chose a sex scene and they were wrong, men didn’t choose a sex scene as their favorite scene as often as the women predicted.

The survey shows that men are more romantic than the stereotypical male image and that both men and women believe the sterotype to be true. The focus of romance is often centered on the woman and her needs for romance thought to be the greatest in a relationship. But in reality, men may be getting shortchanged in the romance department.

Study by K-State professor shows romantic films not just for women

Here’s my short list of movies that will make you feel warm and romantic and have a little bit of holiday cheer thrown in.

White Christmas It isn’t Christmas until you have watched this 1954 classic musical. Starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen, it has everything a holiday romance should. The costumes are lush and the music unsurpassable. The finale is completely satisfying with love in bloom while the snow falls and Bing croons the famous song from the movie’s title.

While You Were Sleeping Sandra Bullock and her disarming charm add personality plus to this sweet tale of finding true love in unexpected places. Sandra falls in love with the handsome traveler she sells train tokens to and rescues him from an oncoming train after he is mugged. Peter Gallagher is the handsome stranger who spends most of the movie in a coma while a misundertanding makes his family believe that Sandra is his fiancee. Complications arise when Sandra and Bill Pullham as Peter’s brother begin to see romantic sparks fly between them.

The Christmas List This 1997 film was made for TV but boasts Mimi Rogers as Melody Parris, a perfume saleswoman whose life and romance is going nowhere. At the urging of a friend she writes her Christmas wish list which the friend capriciously drops into the store Santa’s mailbox. Mysterious things begin to happen and a holiday romance is not far behind. Stella Stevens turns in a wonderful performance as Melody’s mother. Should become a Christmas classic. Watch for it on TV this season.