I like watching romantic movies. The only problem is that I usually see movies by myself. It's kind of weird to go to a "date" movie by yourself, as I feel a bit bad about not having a girlfriend. But I really enjoy these type of movies, and they make me feel great aftewards, so I continue going.

Boys and Girls is basically a movie about two people: Ryan and Jennifer, played by Freddie Prinze Jr and Claire Forlani. Ryan is the geek, wearing glasses and being a bit socially inept at the start of the movie. He believes that love is a serious thing that must be worked on by both parties to maintain. Jennifer is a free spirit who thinks that eternal love is a fiction, and this is at the age of 13.

They first meet on a plane ride and take an instant dislike to each other. Mostly it's because Jennifer keeps making fun of Ryan's beliefs. Four years later they meet once again. Jennifer is the Homecoming Queen and Ryan is the opposing school mascot, and once again the meeting goes badly.

Skip a couple of years. Now Ryan is starting classes at UC Berkeley and he has his high-school sweetheart, Betty (Alyson Hannigan), who is going to Washington for college. Once again he happens to meet Jennifer, who is a Sophomore. He's majoring in Structural Engineering, she in Latin.

We meet Hunter (Jason Biggs), Ryan's roommate for the four years of college that they attend. Strangely enough, Ryan and Hunter are rooming in Ehrman Hall, where I stayed my Freshman year, although their room looks more like something that would be found in Clark Kerr. We also eventually meet Amy (Amanda Detmer), Jennifer's best friend and soon to be roommate for the rest of the movie.

In case I haven't expressed it clearly enough, Boys and Girls tends to skip forward a lot, as Ryan and Jennifer bump into each other over the years. They eventually become friends, the kind that talk to each other and encourage each other to give love a chance. Naturally, it's only near the end of the movie that they both realize that the perfect person that they're looking for was right there all along.

I love the scenery in this movie. Lots of shots of the UC Berkeley campus, Berkeley itself, and San Francisco. They even shoot in buildings that I recognize, like Sproul Hall and the Main Library. We get a good shot of Sproul Plaza, with all the organizations that you can join or sign petitions for. Lots of students too, so it must have been during regular (or summer) classes when they were filming. There's also the Golden Gate Bridge, the park where the SF Exploratorium resides, Ghirardelli Square, Lombard Street, China Town, Fisherman's Wharf. These guys went everywhere.

I like Freddie Prinze Jr. He does seem to play a lot of likable guys in romantic comedies, so it's hard to tell if he'd be good in other roles. But he's got this particular role down cold. Claire Forlani also does a fine job in this movie. A lot of talking, a lot of psychoanalysis, with some liberal ideas to boot, and a big smile. Jason Biggs and Amanda Detmer play the comic relief for the most part. Hunter is always trying to get the babes and has a problem with telling the truth. Amy is a sort of ditsy blond who has a therapist and has trouble coping with the world.

Can I recommend this movie? Heartily, yes. It's a good movie, and I don't see any other romantic comedies out there right now. Especially if you went to UC Berkeley, this'll bring back some old memories. The characters are good, and the relationship has a nice feeling to it. The movie doesn't have any other plot to get in the way: no bet to date the ugly duckling, or assignment to infiltrate a high school, or throw two people together because they have to complete a class project. It's all about these two and their relationships.