Last modified: Sunday, June 14, 2009 2:02 AM EDT ZUCK: Only in the movies If you want advice about your love life, never look to the movies for the answer. Sounds logical, right? And yet, it seems we can't get enough of movies with some kind of romantic plotline, a fictional love story that's so wonderful it brings tears to our eyes. We internalize these wonderful love stories, and we hope that our reality will one day somehow parallel these fantasies. Take a closer look at movie romances, and you begin to see how outrageous some of them really are. You thought gratuitous violence was the worst thing about Hollywood - just think what these love stories are doing to the hearts and minds of young America! This point was brought home to me courtesy of Continental Airlines' in-flight movie selections on a recent trip. Heading east, "He's Just Not That Into You" made a good argument that your well-meaning friends with their fanciful love stories might be unintentionally misleading you. Start complaining about the guy that hasn't called six days after your first date, and your girlfriends will reassure you that maybe he's like that one guy who didn't get up the nerve to call a girl for two weeks after their first date - and look at them now, happily married. I'm sure he didn't call because he's out of town. Or he's too nervous. Or he lost your number when his cell phone suddenly got sucked into a tornado. Certainly he's the exception to the rule. We prop each other up with these flimsy excuses in an attempt to preserve hope and protect our friends from disappointment. But all we're doing is shielding each other from the truth and setting the stage for unrealistic expectations. The movie makes a good point - and then the main character falls in love with the guy who ignored her romantic overtures until the very end and they live happily ever after. Sound familiar? Heading west, it was "Last Chance Harvey," which should have been called "How to Stalk a Woman into Submission." Dustin Hoffman strikes up a conversation with Emma Thompson at Heathrow Airport, and despite multiple blow-off attempts he keeps at it. She should have called the police when he followed her onto the train. Or insisted on walking her to her writing class. Or waited outside like a lost puppy for an hour until her class was finished. In the movie I suppose it was a touching sign of affection, but in real life it would have been a sign of criminal intent or mental illness. You gentlemen out there, do not emulate Harvey's approach to picking up women unless you're hankering for a punch to the stomach or a handbag to the head. Ladies, do not expect your stalker to be as charming as Dustin Hoffman when you decide not to call the cops on him. Before you call me a cynic, I'm not saying that wonderful love stories don't happen in real life - they do, all the time, and it's wonderful. It just usually doesn't work out the way it does on the big screen. Come to think of it, maybe that's why we love those movies so much in the first place. BILL ZUCK is the exception to many rules. You can reach him at wcz78@yahoo.com.