# Why no Harlequin Romance type movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 15, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871 "2012-02-15T01:03:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/1 "2012-02-15T01:03:55Z")
Every bookstore is overflowing with trashy looking romance novels. How come this stuff never made an impact on cinema? If the market can support ten million movies about tough guys with guns, surely it can support the same kind trashy stuff for the female audience. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/2 "2012-02-15T01:08:33Z")
The movies are absolutely stuffed with Harlequin-type movies. The latest on being The Vow. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/3 "2012-02-15T01:29:49Z")
Because Hollywood doesn’t want to portray all that explicit sex. I’m serious. Most romance novels today are not what the stereotypes might be. I was reading a few of them and by chapter two there was already a sex scene. And the characters were always thinking of more sex and are only prevented by circumstances from fucking like minks (and even then, the author finds ways to have them imagining it happen). The only real difference between them and porn is that the language is less blunt. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/4 "2012-02-15T01:37:21Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Because Hollywood doesn’t want to portray all that explicit sex. > > I’m serious. Most romance novels today are not what the stereotypes might be. I was reading a few of them and by chapter two there was already a sex scene. And the characters were always thinking of more sex and are only prevented by circumstances from fucking like minks (and even then, the author finds ways to have them imagining it happen). The only real difference between them and porn is that the language is less blunt. What kind of sexless movies are you going to? Have you seen Friends With Benefits? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/5 "2012-02-15T02:06:28Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > What kind of sexless movies are you going to? Have you seen Friends With Benefits? You really didn’t understand what he was saying? He didn’t say sexless. Sure there are sex scenes in movies. But with few notable exceptions they don’t have them back to back to back and as explicit as there are in the books. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/6 "2012-02-15T02:09:09Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > You really didn’t understand what he was saying? He didn’t say sexless. Sure there are sex scenes in movies. But with few notable exceptions they don’t have them back to back to back and as explicit as there are in the books. Well then, he’s never read a Harlequin then because that’s not how it happens. Single title romances, sure. But not Harlequins. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/7 "2012-02-15T02:14:37Z")
Perhaps you all are not acquainted with the Harelquin series of series romance. These are their lines: Harlequin American Romance Harlequin Blaze Harlequin Desire Harlequin Heartwarming Harlequin Historical Harlequin Intrigue Harlequin Medical Romance Harlequin NASCAR Harlequin Nocturne Harlequin Presents Harlequin Romance Harlequin Romantic Suspense Harlequin Special Edition Harlequin Special Releases Harlequin Superromance The Blaze and Desire lines are pretty sex heavy. Even when not doing it, they’re thinking about doing it. But it isn’t at all as much as the two of you are making it seem. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/8 "2012-02-15T02:22:01Z")
Your average rom-com cover the milder ones; man+woman + obstacle separates them + obstacle overcome by action or fate= happiness! and your classier porn covers the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/9 "2012-02-15T02:29:25Z")
Harlequin NASCAR? ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/10 "2012-02-15T02:42:10Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Harlequin NASCAR? I know! I LOLed at that, thinking how clever and funny Biggirl was, and then I googled it. And laughed again. Yes, harlequin NASCAR. Awesome. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/11 "2012-02-15T02:47:03Z")
Forget I said “Harlequin”. I just meant “HOT HOT HOT” looking romance novels. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/12 "2012-02-15T02:47:46Z")
> [@LC\_Strawhouse](#): > > Forget I said “Harlequin”. I just meant “HOT HOT HOT” looking romance novels. Oh. Probably because too much sex. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/13 "2012-02-15T02:52:48Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Harlequin NASCAR? Damn. I remember the old days when my grandmother read Harlequins and there was nothing beyond kissing (and melting) in them. Most of them ended with the engagement. A few had marriages of convenience or duty and ended just before the consummation. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/14 "2012-02-15T02:56:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Harlequin NASCAR In COLOR! I’m glad to see there isn’t a Harlequin Science Fiction line. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/15 "2012-02-15T02:59:43Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > In COLOR! > > I’m glad to see there isn’t a Harlequin Science Fiction line. There are time travel series romances but not Harlequin. I believe Nocturne is vampires and werewolves. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/16 "2012-02-15T03:18:08Z")
Go watch the Hallmark channel, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, WE and Oxygen sometime. Those networks are stuffed chock-full of bad romantic movies that are pretty much trashy romantic novels minus the sex. Stuff like [Montana Sky](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0860467/), and [The Santa Suit](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1714827/) is pretty much par for the course on those channels. That’s as close to Harlequin romance novels as you’re likely to get on TV. Montana Sky’s even based on a Nora Roberts (queen of romance novels) book. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/17 "2012-02-15T06:18:12Z")
They show up as “made for TV movies” as well. Hallmark Channel, ABC Family, and Lifetime (when women aren’t in peril, they’re having wacky hijinks while falling in love) show harlequin novel-like movies. I’ve even seen adaptations of Harlequin novels on those channels. (Yes, I read romance novels and watch bad tv.) ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/18 "2012-02-15T06:29:40Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > In COLOR! > > I’m glad to see there isn’t a Harlequin Science Fiction line. The LUNA imprint is fantasy. [books](http://www.harlequin.com/store.html?cid=309) [writing guidelines](http://www.harlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=698&chapter=0) ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/19 "2012-02-15T13:35:57Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Harlequin NASCAR? NA$CAR will tell you that more than 40% of their fans are women.[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/13/sunday/main2795460.shtml](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/13/sunday/main2795460.shtml) NASCAR will do and sell anything to make a buck and since they and Harlequin feel that some even know how to read, voila, a line of romance novel books centered on NASCAR. It has been speculated that women can relate to NASCAR because the cars look like everyday vehicles (they even have decals to look like headlights), unlike other series like IndyCar and Le Mans sports cars. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871/20 "2012-02-15T14:24:14Z")
“Harlequin Superromance”? Please tell me this involves super heroes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-harlequin-romance-type-movies/612871.md?page=2)