I love chick flicks.

They aren’t always my favorite movies, but chick flicks are the comfort food on the daily cinematic menu.

I realize you might not share my love, but … you know what I mean.  I’ll explain my love for the movies, but you have to promise you won’t fall in love with me (yes, I fully intend to pepper this column with more chick flick quotes than Meg Ryan has had chick flick roles).

that people mock the chick flick genre a lot. Take the name, for instance. It is usually uttered with an attitude of contempt or flippancy. “Oh, that’s a chick flick,” people say. How often do you hear people criticize a movie for being geared toward men? Not that often. .

Most chick flick haters say that the genre is utterly unrealistic.  This is true.  But the idea of Russell Crowe killing 500 men with an axe or Sylvester Stallone taking that many punches to the face is also less than utterly believable. Movies involve suspending belief — although really, is it that hard to believe Reese Witherspoon would want to kiss Josh Lucas anytime she wants? There are worse things to believe in than true love.

Where did our love for chick flicks come from? .  Was it the corny lines? The gorgeous men? The women who consistently blow it but still end up with the gorgeous men? Somewhere early on we were exposed to Disney — baby’s first chick flick. We grew up and relegated our love for the mocked genre to girl-only gatherings, but

Any chick flick lover will tell you that the genre can be a bit much; the fervor with which some adhere to a film can be terrifying. Cough, cough, Edward Cullen. And I’ll probably receive death threats for publishing that. It’s OK to love your chick flicks, but a grasp on reality is vital.

Nothing beats cuddling up with a cup of tea and watching Audrey Hepburn fall in love, but if you religiously grow a love fern, insist on a ring from Tiffany’s, only eat brown M&Ms or keep an AOL account so that voice can tell you “You’ve got mail,” you may have taken your love of chick flicks a bit too far.

They are often ridiculous and sometimes even embarrassing, but a life without chick flicks?

After last week’s supposedly sappy V-day topic, I’ve been assigned to again channel the female psyche. This time, we explore the mystical romantic comedy genre so pleasantly referred to as “chick flicks.”

I’m not angry about this assignment, nor am I angry with myself for not being angry. Honestly, I love these movies. What used to be a nuisance slowly transformed into a guilty pleasure, and now I’m to the point where arguing pro-chick is somewhat regular. Worry not, silent friends, I’ll take the heat for this one.

Most guys will bluntly tell you how dumb they find it to trail some woman and her issues through a not-so-dramatic maze of irrelevant emotion. That nothing ever truly happens and that these hourlong (exaggeration, I know) fantasy clips only serve to fill the already overly complex female mind with false expectations.

Get over it.

I’m well aware of the lackluster effects department. I too feel the disappointment in an avoided gunfight or a high-speed chase in second gear. I even get a little nauseous when everything falls seamlessly into place at the end of each monstrous conflict. Still, something about them manages to yank me into a sedated daydream every time.

Hear me out.

And do keep in mind that my love of chick flicks generally applies to those of the more modern persuasion. I really don’t care “when Harry met Sally.”

The first thing that grabs my attention is the lavish setting. It never fails that our characters spend their nights in some of the most ridiculous apartments I’ve ever seen. Take “The Ugly Truth,” for example. (I just watched that one the other day.) We get that this girl is living it up in the big city, but her courtyard alone is nicer than anything I’ve ever seen in my entire life.

The glamour doesn’t stop there. Naturally, if they are to afford the address they must also have a job that fits accordingly. You rarely see these characters working day to day at a job where as an audience you just have to say, “well I certainly don’t envy you.“ Instead we get a glimpse of the most creative, fun jobs out there. Those agency positions do me in every time.

And who doesn’t look for a happily ever after? No one. Guys may go out of their way to be bored by it all, but don’t believe it. We secretly wish ourselves into those situations. I dare you to find one guy who doesn’t want to end up with the girl of his dreams, regardless of what it may take.

You never know; maybe all it takes is being a little more sensitive.

Andy is an integrated strategic communication senior. E-mail him at [email protected].