3. When Harry Met Sally
On the face of it, When Harry Met Sally is much the same as any other 80s Rom Com. It stars Meg Ryan for a start, which is the law if you're a Rom Com made in the 80s. But take a deeper look, and it has two specific features which writer Nora Ephron must surely have aimed squarely at men. Firstly there's the eponymous Harry, expertly played by Billy Crystal in what is arguably his finest role. Knights in shining armour be damned, here was a romantic lead as flawed as he was charming, and who was trapped in the friendzone long before Ross and Rachael ever made it cool. In addition to this, he also found himself in the awkward situation of escaping said friendzone, by sleeping with his best friend, but then regretting it before his head even reaches the pillow. Never underestimate the amount of men who can relate to at least one of these, and perhaps for the first time in a Rom Com, Harry lives out the fantasy of male rather than female viewers everywhere, by living happily ever after with his hot best friend. Using the classic bait and switch technique however, once the men in the audience have been caught in Ephron's trap, the film unashamedly dares to actually teach them a little something about women, relationships, and sex. And orgasms. And faking them. Considering this was 1989, havinh an orgasm in the middle of a restaurant was hardly the done thing, and I'm sure there were many men in cinema audiences (many of whom must have been with their own dates and/or girlfriends) who were suddenly wishing that they weren't relating to a stunned Harry after all. (Fun fact: it was director Rob Reiner's own mother who asks for "what she's having.")