There was the time I walked into a theater with Carol for a showing of The Book Club. A youngish woman (I’ve attained the age where they’re all more or less youngish) who passed me in the aisle said, “You’re like the third dude in here.” I didn’t know whether to feel special for attending what she clearly thought to be a “chick flick,” or  be impressed that I still somehow managed to retain “dude” status at my age. I chose the latter, because, over the years, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed many movies that could be labeled chick flicks.

   I’ve created my own category: Top Ten Chick Flicks for Guys. These are movies any man should feel comfortable in his own skin to pack for any weekend golf outing, fishing trip or hunting camp without fear of ostracization. Here they are in debatable ascending order.

10. The Notebook. Losing a spouse to Alzheimer’s is right up there with any guy horror movie like Night of the Living Dead or House of 1000 Corpses.  

9. Not Without My Daughter. One of the great escape yarns. Think Steve McQueen or Papillion.

8. The Miracle Worker. Getting a high functioning Helen Keller into the world was comparable to the Enigma code breaking of The Imitation Game.

7. Sophie’s Choice. Nazi bastards. Say no more.

6. 9-5. I’ve had bosses and editors I would love to see get their comeuppances the way Dabney Coleman got his.

5. Tootsie. You just have to admire a macho guy who can imitate a woman in full better than a lot of actual women.

4. Shakespeare in Love. I fantasize about writing words so powerful that it would drive a woman to fake being a man just for the privilege of speaking them. I emphasize the term fantasy here.

3. Love Actually. If Colin Frissel can go to Milwaukee and become a “player,” there’s hope for all us nerds that we may have had more game than we thought we did. It inspires me to think I should have made a run at Maria Campagna in the 8th grade, even without an English accent.

2. Steel Magnolias. I simply don’t think I would have the strength to survive the loss of a child.

1. A League of Their Own. I mean, come on, it’s baseball for crying out loud.

   Now, I admit this list reflects my personal biases and inadequacies. And no, I wouldn’t think of yanking any of these out of my suitcase with some of the Homo Robustuses I’ve shared a golf cart or canoe with over the years. 

   That same weekend I saw Book Club with Carol, we also saw Ocean’s 8, and I admit to feeling the need for a dose of Nugenix after that. Fortunately, that was the same weekend as the Belmont Stakes, and watching Justify win the Triple Crown brought a measure of balance back to my testosterone levels.

   I find occasionally watching either Goodfellas or a Three Stooges episode helps keep things in perspective as a male of the species as well.