Is romance dead?

Midnight strikes on New Years Eve and Sally tries to leave the party, distraught with watching everyone else have someone to see the New Year in with. Harry walks in and says one of the most beautiful lines ever said in a film:
"I came here tonight because when you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible".

In the 21st Century we are overwhelmed by rom-coms that lead us to believe that romance is well and truly alive, that the perfect man exists, that men can say the right things. That waiting for Mr Perfect is the right thing to do.

Call me a cynic, but I think times have changed. Rarely you meet a man that can express how he feels, let alone make a romantic gesture. Most men are looking for the airbrushed model with fake breasts that appear in GQ magazine and are called "Art". And then, when you do meet a man, he is a commitment-fobe, and is petrified that if he shows any sort of emotion that she will hear wedding bells and the pitter patter of tiny feet.

Whats more, its become all about the sex. Don't get me wrong, I love sex, and he has to be good at it (or at least teachable), but how did this determine whether you end up in a relationship or not? What happened to being with someone because you can make each other laugh? Or because you enjoy each others company or can talk until the early hours of the morning about anything? When someone says "I'm not looking for a relationship" what does that even mean? What happens if sparks fly?

And finally, (I'm aware this has turned into a bit of a rant) I have returned from holiday to find some unbelievable one-liners in my online dating inbox. "I luv ur tits" and "ever bin wid black" are hardly going to get me hitting the reply button are they boys?

The truth is, we all want it to be like it is in the films, we want our Mark Darcy's to tell us he "likes us just as we are", we want our Rhett to tell us that "we should be kissed, and often, by someone that knows how". Maybe I just haven't met my Mr Right yet, or maybe I've been burned too many times that I've given up hope. But i do believe that the happy endings of the classic fairytale and the beautiful black and white movies from the 1950's are most certainly a thing of the past.

One day, I hope I can find the strength and honesty that Anna did when she tells William:
"I am just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her". Maybe, just maybe, romance can make a comeback.