10 Reasons Chick Flicks Are Awesome
Posted by: Jessica Wakeman
Filed in:
entertainment
1:00PM, Wednesday July 29th 2009
It’s easy to trash chick flicks, like Marisa Meltzer did this week at The Daily Beast. They set false expectations for women. The actresses are capable of more serious work. Blah blah blah blah blah….
But formulaic as the genre is known to be, you’ll still find us front row at the latest “He’s Just Not That Into Your Confessions Of 27 Dresses Bride Wars In The City” release. Chick flicks—gasp!—have redeeming value and we’re not afraid to say it.
After the jump, 10 things we lurve about the lady flicks.
- Because not every movie has to be thought-provoking or depressing. Real life is serious enough!
- Because we feel better about our own nut-job bosses after seeing the she-bitch in “The Devil Wears Prada.”
- Because sometimes you need to go see a movie with your mom/grandma/little sister that you can be sure doesn’t involve a raunchy sex scene with a pie, a grisly murder, or a rape.
- Because, on rare occasions, chick-flick relationships are relatable, like Miranda and Steve’s breakup in “Sex & The City,” or Bridget’s blinding lust for the office cad in “Bridget Jones’ Diary.”
- Because the male leads are always hot: Hugh Dancy, Ben Affleck, Justin Long, McDreamy, Hugh Grant, James Marsden, etc.
- Because there are only so many “Transformers”/“G.I. Joe” d**k flicks a wife or girlfriend can take before she wants to strangle herself with Red Vines.
- Because female friendships do involve competition and jealousy, like in “Bride Wars,” lies by omission, like in “SATC,” and disappointment, like in “The Devil Wears Prada.”
- Because Meryl Streep has starred in more than a few chick flicks (“Devil,” “Julie & Julia,” “Mamma Mia!” “The Bridges Of Madison County,” “Out Of Africa”) and that woman is a genius.
- Because we love the clothes! “SATC,” “27 Dresses,” “Hitch,” and “Confessions Of A Shopaholic” probably put more money into the costume budget than they did the writing. (Besides, somebody has to keep Patricia Field in milk and cookies.)
- Because you can still be a feminist and enjoy guilty pleasures when you’re smart enough to know that messages like “Life is complete once you are married” are silly.
TheFrisky.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network
Justine
wrote on July 29 2009 @ 12:34 pm: [report]
My favorite reason is #5.
Raugiel
wrote on July 29 2009 @ 01:57 pm: [report]
After reading this, I feel like I should have to give back my girl card. There are very few films meantioned that I’d be willing to sit though.
LostInStars
wrote on July 29 2009 @ 02:22 pm: [report]
I’ll stick with my “dick flicks”, as you called them. Chick flicks just don’t compute with me. I sit and watch them with the best friend and the mom but I don’t get much enjoyment out of them. Call me bitter but the relationships showcased in most of these movies aren’t realistic at all, which normally wouldn’t bother me, but it’s the fact that they try so hard to achieve a level of reality and fail miserably. Come on, Hugh Grant would really go for frumpy Renée Zellweger in Bridget Jones? I’m guessing not.
I’d much rather watch these sexy male leads be action heroes or make me laugh in a comedy.
crimsonletter
wrote on July 29 2009 @ 03:19 pm: [report]
Generally hate chick-flicks. They make women seem one-track minded, generally, and too often hold to the same tired formulas. I don’t usually like what they say about men and women as people. There are a few exceptions, but…. not for me. I love romance portrayed well on screen, don’t get me wrong, but “chick-flicks” usually don’t do it so well.
Don’t really care for “dick flicks” either, although I guess I can enjoy a well-choreographed fight. But usually action movies are filled with pointless explosions, tired stereotypes, and also pretty typical formulaic plots.
I love movies though! Give me anything new and inventive, anything with smart realistic characters, or even just a well done musical, good indie flick, surreal mind-bender, or well-done sci-fi/fantasy movie. Classic great films are also wonderful.
That being said, I do think it is lame that certain “action movies” should be for everyone, but movies that star women and involve women’s issues are so commonly labeled to be movies just for women alone. Women watch movies about just men and men’s issues all the time, why can’t men find a movie about women interesting too?