After HBO (and HBO Plus, especially) ran "Beaches" about a million times in the past year, I got to thinking, "What is the ultimate chick flick?" For me, it is neck and neck between "Beaches" and "Steel Magnolias," with "Thelma and Louise" a tight third. My sister recommends "Girl Interrupted," although I have not had a chance to see it yet. Please feel free to name any movie you feel qualifies, no matter how old.

"The Bridges of Madison County"

Any Jane Austen based movie.

Virtually any movie with a Friends Castmember in it.

Erin Brockovich.

Any movie in which a woman has a gay friend (Sad stereotype, ain't it?)

Any movie that mentions "Mr. Right"

Thief Of Hearts - a thief burgles an unmarried couple's apartment, steals her diary, reads her fantasies, falls in love & seduces her the way she wants to be seduced.

If any guy does watch this check your disbelief & gag reflex at the door. ;-)
(Yeah, men never have unbelievable fantasy women in films. *cough* Bond Girls *cough*)

"Terms of Endearment", a Chick Flick identical in structure to my first choice, "Beaches"-cheatin' man, fatal disease. I saw it in theatres in 1984, and said throughout its tedious 2 hours and 10 minutes "When does this get better?" It didn't. Jack Nicholson was far and away the best thing in this pic.

Other chick flicks:
"The Turning Point". As boring as "Terms of Endearment".
"Bad Girls"-Combo Western/Chick flick.
Any movie based on a novel by Terry McMillan.
"Indecent Proposal," "Titanic" (1997)

Also: "The Way We Were" (Columbia. 1973.) They tried to get a sequel off the ground for years, to no avail. (Thank heaven. I have avioded this pic like the plague.)

New Chick Flick (opens 4/13/01)- "Bridget Jones' Diary." From the people who brought you that other chick flick "Notting Hill".
To Spornan: Does that mean that "The Next Best Thing" is a chick flick? Actually, this was not as bad as it was made out to be. I saw it on Showtime and I am more forgiving of a pic I made minimal effort to view. Still, Madonna is 40 and looks it. Why do producers still give her roles? Almost all her movies tank big time, including this one.

How about Fried Green Tomatoes?

Any movie in which a woman has a gay friend

Like My Best Friend's Wedding?

Is Rupert Everett doomed to be stereotyped as the gay friend?

Re "Girl Interrupted": A distaff "Cuckoo's Nest" without the energy provided by Jack Nicholson, or the conflict brought on by Louise Fletcher.

Is Rupert Everett doomed to be stereotyped as the gay friend?

Yes, if for no other reason than the fact that he is gay in real life and known for that fact nearly as much as for his work.

"Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood" - Nothing on the universe, even Worf holding a bat-leth to my neck, could get me to see that.

I think we get the point, Adam... Perhaps the gentleman doth protest too much?

I liked Thelma and Louise and Waiting to Exhale.

My brother-in law, however refers to chick flicks as "two-hour douche commericals."

Callie Khouri, who wrote "Thelma and Louise", directed "Ya-Ya".
Forest Whitaker, who directed "Exhale", is set to host UPN's upcoming "Twilight Zone" revival in Fall, 2002.
MGM performed something almost sacreligious in "Thelma and Louise" - they trashed a 1966 Thunderbird convertible.
I like your brother-in-law's analogy, Luigi.

Latest chick flick, Warner's White Oleander, tanked this weekend at the box office.

Luigi, I *love* that analogy.

Me, I gotta have my sci-fi.

I'm a confirmed fan of "guy movies": anything with action (keep the romance out of half of them, for Christ's sake!), guns, bombs, fire (F-F-FFFF-FIRE! FIRE!!! FIRE!!!!!!), and **** blowing up.

I've seen very few chick flicks (on purpose). Same with 'teen' movies *gags self*. I did, however, love Clueless and Legally Blonde

No surprise. I've talked to people who've seen it, and they tell me to just stick to loving the book, cause with the exception of Renee Zellweger's performance as the doomed foster mother Claire Richards, most of the cast is too soap operatic. Despite that though, they've all said they'd like to see Zellwegger get a Best Supporting Actress nod come Oscar time.

I think its interesting that guys nominate chick movies! Can't girls decide that better?

And what exactly is meant by chick movie? Any movie a guy doesn't like? (it looks like that from the way the movies are described).

Does that mean we girls can call any movie we don't like a guy flick? (oh well, thats probably redundant, as 90% of the hollywood movies are aimed at guys - explosions, shooting, car chase. No characters, not talking, no good plot - that only turns guys of

constanze,

If you see a young woman and older woman talking about relationships it is a chick flick. If the men seem to be after thoughts and can be removed without affecting the plot it is a chick flick. If it has Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks it is a chick flick. If it is about independent women (who are the good guys) kicking the butts of sexist pig stereotype guys (who you think eat live puppies) it is a chick flick. If the plot is any variation of boy meets girl where boy and girl get together at the end it is a chick flick. (This means boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back, boy gives up girl for the sake of mankind [Casablanca] is not a chick flick. It also means that any boy gets girl, boy loses girl, girl and boy would get together but the sun explodes for no suffiecently explained reason is not a chick flick.) Any video that describes itself as "warm" or "heart warming" and is not a childs video is a chick flick.

This is not to say a chick flick can not be good. When Harry met Sally was funny, but was still a chick flick. (Well, OK, Billy Crystal was funny. Other than Meg's fake orgasm scene, well, she's a chick flick actress.)

constanze,

Does that mean we girls can call any movie we don't like a guy flick?

My friend's mother has an apt name for "guy flicks": dick flicks.

Actually, by saying that any movie that a large number of women don't like is a "guy flick" you lose out on some of the best movies ever made. For example, some women I know do not like The Marx Brothers and the movie "Duck Soup" which is the best anti-war movie ever made.

The same argument can be made for "chick-flicks." Men can be teased if seen watching these.

Hannah F., West Wing Moderator (Cynicalchick):I'm a confirmed fan of "guy movies": anything with action (keep the romance out of half of them, for Christ's sake!), guns, bombs, fire (F-F-FFFF-FIRE! FIRE!!! FIRE!!!!!!), and **** blowing up.

I've said it before and I'll say it agian why don't I ever meet girls like you in real life? AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Back when I worked at the teater we said the test of a chick flick is weather or not the guys on dates who were there came for the movie or becaues they wanted to get laid. For example if the woman picked Gladiator because of Russle Crowe the guys will still enjoy the movie because it's a macho tough guy flick. On the other hand if the man agreed to go to Here on Earth you'd better believe that guy is paying his dues and hopping he'll get repaid with some love'n. Interestingly after me and my buddy figured this whole thing out and he said the only way he'd go see Here on Earth was if it was with a girl he wanted a female co-worker asked him "Will you see Here on Earth with me when it comes out?"

Merat,

are you kidding? The Marx Brothers are wonderful, and none of their movies is a guys or chick flick, they are just wonderful comedies!!
I love the Marx Brothers movies!

But I like neither guy flicks (special effects, explosions, car chases, no plot, no characters) nor chick flicks (well, if I apply blue berrys faulted definition, or if you just generally count sickly romances with so much sweetness that they are forbidden for people with diabetes.)

But pretty woman, e.g., had a stereoptypical theme, but was well enough done to be funny, and julia roberts and gere made it believable.

Pretty Woman? That's a Guy flick if you ask me. The director and writer and producers were all men. I mena this is clearly MAN'S view of prostitution. yeah, cruise down Hollywood Blvd. one night and try to find a Julia Roberts look-a-like.

You know it's funny isn't it? How big wigs can decry the lack of strong roles for women in the smae breath that they greenlight Tootsie, Mrs. Doubtfire, and The Crying Game?

Berry: If the plot is any variation of boy meets girl where boy and girl get together at the end it is a chick flick.
Luigi Novi: Oh no, only if the movie is told from a female point of view. Otherwise, there are LOADS of boy-gets-girl flicks that are most certainly NOT "chick flicks." My Secret Admirer, Lost and Found, Can't Buy Me Love, Can't Hardly Wait, She's All That, Splash, etc., are certainly not chick flicks. (No way any film with Kelly Preston's exposed breasts can be considered a chick flick. It's a rule.)

Personally, I like my brother-in law's nickname for chick flicks: He calls them "two hour douche commericals."

She's All That, Splash, etc., are certainly not chick flicks.

She's All That is a chick flick (as are any non-horror films with Freddy Prince Jr.) even though it is a pretty good one.

(No way any film with Kelly Preston's exposed breasts can be considered a chick flick. It's a rule.)

What about Jerry Maguire

I didn't see any tit in that one Fitzie. I prefer Mischief for the perfect Kelly Preston nudie shot. :-)

Name any actress, I can probably any movie whewre they appeared naked.

Brian Webber,

Bea Aurthur. Katherine Hepburn. Roseanne Barr/Arnold/whatever...

*running around room holding head and screaming, attempting to get those mental pictures out of her head*

You just had to go there, didn't you, Berry?

My friend's mother has an apt name for "guy flicks": dick flicks.Daroga

Well, I dunno, Daroga, that would seem to impply that such movies are generally put together without any thought involved? Can you say that about such films as "Minority Report"?

Even more shocking are movies where certain actresses don't get naked!

How far off-topic are we now?

Luigi Novi: No way any film with Kelly Preston's exposed breasts can be considered a chick flick. It's a rule.

Brian Fitzgerald: What about Jerry Maguire?
Luigi Novi: Putting aside the fact that we only saw Preston and Cruise in profile or in "peekaboo" shots, Tom Cruise doesn't make chick flicks. He makes movies with broad appeal. Just because Jerry Maguire is a love story doesn't make it a chick flick, since the term usually refers to movies that supposedly only females would like, not films that men and women would enjoy equally.

Tom played a sports agent trying to get a football player signed in that movie. That is definitely NOT a chick flick's premise.

Jerry Magiure was 98% about the guys job and how it affects him personally. When you say "Jerry Maguire" and "relationship" I think of black receivers who want to see the money. In a chick flick any work is, if mentioned at all, extremely secondary.

By Brian Fitzgerald on Wednesday, October 16:

"She's All That" is a chick flick (as are any non-horror films with Freddy Prince Jr.)

By that rule, Scooby Doo counts as a chick flick.

That awful Bruckheimer Pearl Harbor film I complained about on other boards is a chick flick. Even my dad thinks so. I warned him not to watch it, but he did anyway just the other day, and his first comment was "That was a chick flick!" His second comment was "I'm glad I didn't pay money to see that!"
I then grumbled about the money I had paid to see it...

By that rule, Scooby Doo counts as a chick flick.

Unless I use the defense that Scooby Doo does have very light horror elements since all Scooby Doo stories are about mosters and people pretending to be mosters.

I think calling Pearl Harbor a chick flick is an insult to women. The so-called "love story" maybe be the focus for the first hour and a half, but it's a love story so superficial that no woman would be affected by it. It's just a lame 90 minute prelude to the explosions of the attack, which is simply vintage Bruckheimer guy stuff.

Unless I use the defense that Scooby Doo does have very light horror elements since all Scooby Doo stories are about mosters and people pretending to be mosters.

And you'd have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those meddling kids! (And the spelling errors!)

Luigi, I WAS affected by it!


...\0(It made me sick}

Luigi, I WAS affected by it!


...It made me sick

Yeah, it gave you that illness that causes you to double post! And I see you're still not cured!

Constanze - I think its interesting that guys nominate chick movies! Can't girls decide that better?
If I'm not mistaken the term Chick Flick began as a male insult of films that only seemed to appeal to women. (So does that make this whole thread an ad hominem attack?)

I remember many years ago a local female film critic was talking about a screening of a film she was at with other critics. She thought it was a good, intelligent, thoughtful film & one of the male critics dismissed it as a "Chick flick."

After reading Luigi's response to me about Pearl Harbor's superficial romance, I realized that that film actually did seem like two seperate films, both of them superficial!
Luigi's comments also caused me to wonder if this whole board could be considered an ad hominem attack, but KAM posted before I had the chance to say so. (See you all in the dump?)

So, is Top Gun considered a guy flick or a chick flick? I find it interesting that a lot of women I talk to about the film really like it, as do alot of men, though I've never reached a consensus on whether each gender likes the film for the same reasons. I do recall hearing from somewhere that the romantic elements of that film were made more prominent after some testing. (Of audience viewing of the film or reading the script? I've no idea.) I suspect it's both a guy- and chick-flick.
Not to fall into a pattern, but I personally think Top Gun is also a superficial film, and so far I seem to be the only person in North America who feels that way. Great action sequences, though! (Put me in the "It's a guy flick" category.)

One chick 'action' flick I love is "The Long Kiss Goodnight" with Geena Davis. It's an often overlooked film, but it's terrific fun. Maybe I enjoyed more because I remember how wonderful Geena was in "The Fly" (talk about a devoted woman in that one!) and in "Thelma and Louise".

I agree Long Kiss is a great film. I remember when it came out one critic said "The fall's best summer movie" and he was right.

One chick 'action' flick I love is "The Long Kiss Goodnight" with Geena Davis. It's an often overlooked film, but it's terrific fun. Maybe I enjoyed more because I remember how wonderful Geena was in "The Fly" (talk about a devoted woman in that one!) and in "Thelma and Louise".

"The Long Kiss Goodnight" is not a "chick flick". First of all, it co-stars Samuel L. Jackson. And according to Rule 23a of "chick flick" identification, any movie co-starring Samuel L. Jackson is most definitely not a "chick flick". Second, there's a lot of action and butt-kicking in this movie. These things are generally not features of "chick flicks".