I must admit that chick flicks are one of my favorite guilty pleasures. No self respecting movie critic would dare recommend one of those cheesy, tear-jerking, Meg Ryan flicks but me.

Having said this, I anticipated the release of Autumn in New York.

The trailer seemed to show the perfect formula for a classic chick flick: Richard Gere and Winona Ryder, in a May-December romance, during which she tragically becomes ill and he is by her side until the end.

So on its opening night, with my pockets stuffed with tissues, I went to the movies — only to be disappointed. Autumn lacked one of the most important components in any movie, especially a chick flick — heart.

The script never invited the audience into the characters' lives. So in the rather haphazard ending, the audience watched but didn't actually feel any of the emotions portrayed on screen.

The best part of the film by far was the cinematography.

Joan Chen, the 40-year-old actress turned director, has an eye for beauty.

Every camera angle and backdrop was picture-perfect.

So much so, one could forget that the movie took place in New York. The actors were picture-perfect as well. Richard Gere looked his best ever and Winona Ryder, with newly capped teeth, had grace and elegance, much different from her most recent movie role in Girl, Interrupted.

Autumn in New York, although not a horrendous movie, was poorly written but well filmed.