We said last month that we would tackle a Ten Favorite Chick Flicks list. I think it's worth defining, albeit loosely, what qualifies as a Chick Flick. There should be a female lead with a problem of some sort. The problem is usually romantic, so romantic comedies qualify as Chick Flicks. Much as I'd like to say the female lead should solve the problem herself, that leaves out far too many good movies saddled with a knight in shining armor. There may be more than one female lead, or even a whole passel of females.
I've not seen many of the movies that are traditionally thought to be the best Chick Flicks. Beaches is one, I've never seen it.
Anyway, to get us started, in no particular order, here are ten of my favorite Chick Flicks:
- Enchanted April (one of my all time favorites movies)
- Turtle Diary (another favorite)
- Groundhog Day
- Legally Blonde (Miss Congeniality or Bring It On might be a swap here)
- You've Got Mail (imo, the best of the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan collaborations)
- House of Flying Daggers
- Bridget Jones's Diary (or Love Actually, or Notting Hill)
- The Virgin Suicides (or Lost In Translation)
- Smile
- Nina Takes a Lover
I'm leaving so many off my list, like Thelma and Louise, Mystic Pizza, countless classics like The Philadelphia Story and Breakfast at Tiffany's, and some stunning foreign films like Hero, but it can't be helped. And tomorrow I could probably come up with a whole new list.
How To Make an American Quilt
ReplyDeleteYa Ya Sisterhood
Nine To Five
Mermaids
Shirley Valentine
COULD WE INCLUDE - tee hee...
To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar?
and call me crazy but I just LOVE Teri Garr.... isn't she in something we could call Chick Flick?
Witches of Eastwick?
ReplyDeleteI doubted that I'd want to participate in this genre but with the first draft already posted it's triggered a few notions of my own.
ReplyDeleteFor me, American romances are way too "sweet" for my palate, but empowerment films like Thelma and Louise definitely belong in my Top Ten. I was taken aback slightly by the inclusion of Lost in Translation. But it certainly belongs and is also one of my top-of-the list favorites. I'd offer for your consideration Betty Davis' All about Eve as a viable chick empowerment candidate. I'm interested to see how real "chicks" feel about it.
More Classics -
ReplyDeleteMildred Pierce
Scarlet Street
Queen Christina
All About Eve, definitely. What about the Alien franchise? Ripley kicked ass. Or maybe ass-kicking CFs are a category of their own?
ReplyDeleteOf Key Dear's additions, I've only seen Nine To Five, which makes a good pair with Working Girl. I love Terri Garr, too, but can't think of anything she's done that qualifies as a CF. I considered The Witches of Eastwick, but it made me think of The Shining, which is getting off-list. Compromise on Practical Magic?
I bet Queenee would have Reds on her list, and maybe Dr. Zhivago (there's another one I've never seen all the way through).
I don't know how I missed Much Ado About Nothing. Or Funny Girl, which can be in line with Moonstruck. More that didn't make my list: Love Story, The Goodbye Girl, and The Way We Were. When Harry Met Sally has one of the all-time great CF lines: "...And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." Doesn't everyone want to hear someone say that? Or be clever enough to say it to someone? That whole monologue is good. If we were doing quotable CFs, WHMS would probably be at the top of my list. "I'll have what she's having." Brilliant.
Wong Foo and its inspiration Priscilla, Queen of the Desert are in a slightly different category, I think. Maybe Funny Girl belongs with them.
You guys are losing me. I'm confused. How about we try to define a Chick Flick, just to limit its scope. It's sounding pretty widely inclusive at this point.
ReplyDeleteI'll try to start on subject.
ReplyDeleteSliding Doors, Accidental Tourist, Truly,Madly,Deeply, High Fidelity (Say Anything).
Some might still enjoy Annie Hall or Manhattan.
Romeo and Juliet (1968)
With Groundhog Day, add Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Working Girl, sure, Alien(s), oh yeah. Maybe Million Dollar Baby. What about Domino, Nikita and Femme Fatale?
For Teri Garr, would you consider Tootsie (After Hours, The Conversation, Young Frankenstein)?
Foreign films? A Very Long Engagement (& Amelie), The Double Life of Veronique, Sophie Scholl, Map of the Human Heart?
Relationships in crisis? The Squid and the Whale, We Don't Live Here Any More, Eyes Wide Shut.
Offbeat? Transamerica, Anatomy of Hell, Leaving Las Vegas.
I'm out of breath, but, . . . somehow, I don't think I belong in this conversation.
I definately wasn't thinking when I put Witches of Eastwick... I did mean Practical Magic. I think it should be on the list. Catagories aside, Pricilla Queen of the Dessert and/or Wong Foo should be too, The guys did a great job of being sensitive/funny women.
ReplyDeleteWe could broaden our horizens and then all vote on the top ten? Everyone try to watch some you haven't seen before and in a couple weeks get back on the finals?
Under the Tuscan Sun was Chick Flickish but so many men liked it, I'm of the thought that Shirley Valentine nailed it on that type of movie. Sistah... The Color Purple moved everyone...
Like Water for Chocolate... Bridges of Madison County... Fried Green Tomatoes..
some books are better than the movie..
Wayne I've seen your foreign film catagories. They are all good choices.. ie: it is tough with films like Map of the Human Heart, which I LOVED.. but not a story of just the female lead.. so would a film like that be a chick flick? It's emotional/love story all that..
If a movie brings out the pangs of sensitivity and we all seem to be on the same page about it.. Girl or Guy point of view, it isn't what most men die to see on a date. OMG, she might think he's reaching for a ring and putting up a picket fence! We'll narrow it down by the end of the month..
OH, and yes to Thelma and Louise, yes, yes, yes.
I think Anhaga has a point, though, we need to narrow our scope, or come up with multiple lists.
ReplyDeleteAction Chick Flicks
Romantic Chick Flicks
Classic Chick Flicks
Foreign Chick Flicks
It's a justifiable way of cheating that allows us to include many more movies than a broad top ten list will. Whaddya think?
The list the Peas came up with is good, and mostly of one type of movie, unlike the rest of us who are all over the board.
ReplyDeleteAction Chick Flicks
Romantic Chick Flicks
Classic Chick Flicks
Foreign Chick Flicks
Light Chick Flicks
Heavy Chick Flicks
I'm thinking most of the movies the girls have would be Light CF, which is a list most people would recognize as CFs. Something like Nina Takes A Lover, or Truly Madly Deeply would be Heavy CFs. Make sense?
One more category for consideration, Fantasy Chick Flicks. Those would be movies like Dragonfly which are completely unbelievable, but still a three-hanky weeper.
ReplyDeleteAction Chick Flicks
Romantic Chick Flicks
Classic Chick Flicks
Foreign Chick Flicks
Light Chick Flicks
Heavy Chick Flicks
Fantasy Chick Flicks
Good Morning again, I haven't seen anyone post the funny Banger Sisters... not list worthy I guess.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the French film Amelie, I think the WP's could see it now. (Yes, it's subtitled girls, but it's so good) The opening credit scene has stuck with me forever reminding me of being a little chick, this movie I really related to! I bought it as soon as it came out on DVD and will mail it up to Wabbit along with YaYa. Thanks Wayne for making me look through the closets for that one, I'll watch it again tonight!
50 First Dates - I thought this was a really sweet movie, can't believe I left it off my list.
ReplyDeleteOne of these days I'll put a form together and we'll come up with a top twenty (ten just isn't enough).