Nick Waters went where very few men have gone before when he decided to watch a string of "chick flicks" in hopes of better understanding the opposite sex.

But then he took it a step further, deciding to document the whole experience on a blog, entitled 30 Chick Flicks in 30 Days: One Guy's Exploration of Romance Through Movies Loved by Women.

Waters, 28, is a regular guy living in a small town in southern Oklahoma who has been married for seven years to his wife, Nicci.

"Nicci and I were watching a chick flick last July, on her birthday," says Waters, "and I turned to her and asked, 'Wouldn't it be cool to watch 30 chick flicks in 30 days?'"

Nicci was thrilled by the idea, and before he could second-guess himself, the idea was sprung. "I brainstormed with some trusted people and had them help me build a Web site," he says.


Waters had rules for the selection of movie titles and how each movie would be viewed and reviewed.

"Once the Web site went up, I only needed people to suggest movies to watch," says Waters. "I didn't have any real requirements for the movies The only requirement was that the films be from 2007 to the present. I left it up to everyone else to decide for me what they thought a chick flick is."

Waters whittled the list of eligible titles down to 30 and on Jan. 15, 2010, beginning with "Waitress," he watched one of the chick flicks each day with Nicci. That was part of the deal, says Waters, "So if I had questions or wanted to discuss things I saw, I not only had a woman's perspective, but I had my wife's perspective."

Some of the other titles included "Mamma Mia!," "Nights in Rodanthe," "27 Dresses," "Sex and the City," "Leap Year" and "Made of Honor." At least for some of the viewings, Waters had company. "We had watch parties for several of the films," says Waters. "It varied from one to two people, and for some we had up to 20 people, mixed gender."

It's hard to envy Waters for what he must have endured. ("Nights in Rodanthe"!) And we suspect that most guys won't be quick to follow his lead, although Waters encourages others to take the 30 Chick Flicks Challenge. But Waters says everyone has been supportive, "even the macho guys who said there's no way they'd do it."

The challenge wrapped up on Saturday, Feb. 13, when Waters and Nicci watched "He's Just Not That Into You."

So what does a man say after getting bludgeoned with romantic comedies, tearful embraces and estrogen? "Love is tender," says Waters, summing up what he took from the 30 films. "And any real relationship is based on forgiveness, compassion and vulnerability."

Waters tells us that people have suggested a corresponding challenge for Nicci. After what Waters just went through, we suggest that she begin watching action flicks with him, beginning tomorrow, starting with "Blade Runner."