This month's 15 on 15 topic is Chick Flicks (or Date Movies), ostensibly in honor of the hallmark holiday known as Valentine's Day. I chose to go with chick flicks rather than the more generic "date movies" because I figured it would be a bit easier to restrict myself to fifteen items. But this led to the inevitable question, what qualifies as a "chick flick?"
Searching the internets, yielded a number of different definitions. (For example, check Wikipedia and WordSpy.) Generally speaking, chick flicks are movies that appeal more to women than to men. From there, the genre has several subcategories: those involving romance, those involving a group of female friends, and those with a strong female lead. Now as you might expect, these subcategories are not mutually exclusive. But the inclusion of the last subcategory can lead to some strange chick flick picks; I certainly don't consider movies like Aliens and Tomb Raider to be chick flicks. But apparently some lists have included them. (See some example lists here and here.) So I decided to focus more on the first two subcategories when creating my list, especially since they seem more in keeping with the V-day sentiment. I've also decided not to resort to any "classic movies" - while there are a number of old movies that would make a good date movie, and which probably have a somewhat greater appeal to women than men (e.g., Casablanca, Roman Holiday, Sabrina), I don't really think of them as chick flicks.
And now, my list:
15. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
- A fun little movie. The premise is admittedly contrived, but the ever escalating attempts of Andie (Kate Hudson) to drive off Ben (Matthew McConaughey) are fun to watch. Two final words: Princess Sophia.
14. Legally Blonde
- This movie gets bonus points for being about law school, which was enough to put this movie on my list. Completely unbelievable, but also completely hilarious.
13. Dirty Dancing
- Yes, it's an 80s movie set in the 60s. True, Jennifer Grey really never did anything after starring in this movie. But it's still a pretty watchable movie, with some catchy tunes. Bonus: Lenny Briscoe co-stars as the dad.
12. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
- The characters are delightfully kooky, but the plot doesn't feel quite as contrived as many romcoms. Plus, you'll learn of the magical analgesic properties of Windex.
11. Clueless
- I have concerns about how well this movie will (has?) age(d?), but it's still enjoyable.
10. Meet Joe Black
- Okay, this movie may or may not actually qualify as a chick flick. But there's a love story in there and you've got Brad Pitt, so I say it counts. It's a little long, but the movie is built on an interesting premise and Claire Forlani is pretty easy on the eyes.
9. Bridget Jones's Diary
- In general, I'm not a huge Renee Zellweger fan, but it's hard not to like her character in this movie. Hugh Grant and Colin Firth are both very good and give the film a nice British flavor. Which makes some sense, as it's a loose adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. There's even a Mr. Darcy, played by Firth who was Darcy in the BBC miniseries of Pride & Prejudice.
8. The Joy Luck Club
- This movie chronicles the lives of four Asian women and their relationships - with each other, with men, and with their mothers. The movie is broken down into four flashback vignettes that are all interwoven to form a very interesting tale.
7. Pretty Woman
- This is a classic 80s movie that explores the "hooker with a heart of gold" concept. While I probably prefer the fthe Roy Orbison song that inspired the movie's title, this is still an enjoyable and amusing movie.
6. Shakespeare in Love
- This may be the sappiest movie on my list. But it's still a good movie and an interesting imagining of how Shakespeare was inspired to write Romeo and Juliette. It has its fair share of laughs too.
5. Chocolat
- Women love chocolate, Johnny Depp, and the French countryside. For the guys, Juliette Binoche is hot. Chocolat has it all. Also, the music is great - very lively.
4. My Best Friend's Wedding
- Another fun romcom that probably has wider male appeal than many other chick flicks. The music is pretty good too.
3. Nine Months
- Hugh Grant's character tries to come to terms with impending fatherhood in a romcom that emphasizes the comedy. There's humor to spare here, with Robin Williams and Tom Arnold in the supporting cast.
2. Shall We Dance?
- I prefer the Japanese version (maybe just because I saw it first), but the recent remake (starring Richard Gere and JLo) is actually pretty good too. It's a romantic movie with some ballroom dancing in there as well.
1. When Harry Met Sally
- A great movie. This movie covered some of the most interesting relationship topics of our time: being high maintenance, whether men and women can be just friends, and faking orgasms. In restaurants. (I'll have what she's having.)
Notable chick flicks that are not on my list because I really don't care for them (and thus would probably fall on my list of Bottom 15 chick Flicks)*: Jerry Maguire, Say Anything, Sleepless in Seattle, Titanic
*Yes, I fully expect to take some flak for not liking these movies.
