Knowing of two men who cried at the film Atonement, starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, I think it's about time the British Board of Film Classification brought in a weepie rating.

I can see it working quite happily alongside the current 18 (blood-letting, sex and violence) to U (feel-good movies you could take your gran to see) guidelines.

It would be a godsend to those men who don't necessarily want to reveal their feminine side by getting all bleary of eye and wobbly of bottom lip in public, especially those who may be out on a date.

Imagine the scenario - it gets to a really emotional point in the story and the man starts fumbling about a bit, not because he's plucking up the courage to reach over and hold his date's hand, but because he's digging about in his pockets trying to find a tissue in which to smother his sobs.

With my proposed weepie rating such embarrassing moments could be avoided.

Being female it's culturally acceptable for me to cry at films, but I feel a right prawn when I do and will fight that throat-tightening, eye-prickling, can't-get-my-breath moment for all I'm worth.

It's the way they can catch you unawares. Films I didn't expect to find myself booing over include Million Dollar Baby, Cold Mountain, House of Sand and Fog and Finding Neverland.

I won't say any more, in case you haven't seen them, but just take my advice: you'll need tissues.

Films I know to avoid from experience include The Railway Children, Gladiator, The Deer Hunter, The Bridges of Madison County and anything made in the 1970s with a Fonda or an O'Neal in it.

The Railway Children is bearable for most of the way through, until the moment the girls have to whip off their red flannel petticoats - after that it's full steam ahead to emotional overload.

There is an antidote to all the misery if you do find yourself unexpectedly caught up in a heart-wrenching storyline you weren't prepared for - just stick Borat in your DVD player.