Chick Flick Picks

  With the three day weekend upon us I always make it a priority to sit back, relax, and watch a good chick flick.  . I think most of us define a chick flick as a movie our husbands/boyfriends have no interest in watching...well, unless they are trying to earn some "brownie points"...right??  They enjoy watching our sappy chick flicks about as much as we enjoy the bro show. However, there are so many out there it's hard to choose.So here is my list of favorites and they are in no particular order.

Pretty Woman

When it comes to chick flicks, Julia Roberts is practically the living embodiment estrogen-filled rom-coms. This movie has unique subject matter making it different than any other out there. Watching Pretty Woman is also essentially an exercise in denial for both sexes: women are willing to look passed the fact that Richard Gere is really a pervert patrolling for hookers, while men look past the fact that Julia Roberts is a dirty prostitute. One interesting side note is that Pretty Woman was originally written by J.F. Lawton as a dark drama about prostitution on the streets of Los Angeles, but once Disney snagged the rights, Roberts and Gere were cast and it mutated into a lovable romantic comedy.

 While You Were Sleeping

It’s one of those movies that seems almost preternaturally stupid, yet if you were to take a poll, dollars to donuts at least half the female population of North America has seen this movie at some point and enjoyed it. I love this movie because it’s funny, smart and actually surprisingly well-written. It’s also enjoyable because it features the prototypical, handsome and successful douche-bag getting run over by a train and tossed into a coma so his older (and far more relate-able) brother can get together with the girl ( the always adorable and talented Sandra Bullock).

Letters to Juliet

 

 The plot is rather unrealistic, but as the same time it is so dream like, so romantic that you soon forget the unrealistic aspects of the film and are quickly thrown in the overdose of romance that it supplies. Even better still, this film has not one but two love stories entwined into the plot. It is like Amanda Seyfried’s character says in the film, you would not believe this is true unless it was in a film. Who can resist a feel good film full of love, humor, heart-break and lets not forget the attractive actors, the idealistic endings. It is the formula for every girls dream. So no wonder they are so popular, the small guilty pleasure of a chick flick is shared with all women.

Valentines Day

 

 This is a perfect valentines day film for all the women out there, the plots short interconnecting stories all add up to one great film. Not to forget the more than star-studded cast including everyone you can think of and want in a romantic comedy. You could even watch this one with your boyfriend, between Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel and Jennifer Garner I am sure there will be enough to keep him entertained.

 A League of Their Own 

 

 This movie is about more than just baseball. It’s the story of a group of  different women coming together to kick ass and show the world that they’ve got some talent. It’s about the relationships between them — like that of sisters Dottie and Kitt, or best friends Mae and Doris . It’s about fathers and daughters, poor women and rich, ugly and pretty, men and women coming together to break through the strict boundaries that existed in the 1940s. It’s about using stereotypes to break through them, about using your talents to outdo expectations. It’s about Tom Hanks as the drunken loser of a team manager who created one of the best tag lines in a movie “Are you crying? ARE YOU CRYING?! THERE’S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!”

 My Girl

Vada Sultenfuss. Eleven years old, obsessed with death, dealing with dead bodies in her house, a tuba-playing dad who’s more comfortable with corpses than living beings, a crush on her dreamy poetry teacher, a chicken bone stuck in her throat, and Thomas J., her best friend. What makes this movie so special is that it captures that age when childhood is slipping away in a very organic way, showing the confusion, denial, hilarity, pain, and finally the acceptance that your life is changing and you’re never going back to that time when kissing a boy was odd and not romantic. Oh, and if you don’t cry with the line “he can’t see without his glasses!” then you need to return your ovaries.

 

Overboard

Somewhat of a cult comedy classic, Overboard features the comedic talents of true-life married couple Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell on full display. With an unusual plot, but a tried and true romantic device, Overboard remains an interesting and entertaining movie. If you like watching movies for fun, and not for symbolism or to find something that 'speaks' to you, then Overboard will fit in nicely with your plans.

 

When Harry Met Sally

This movie is undoubtedly one of the most engaging and entertaining chick flicks out there, even if — like Ryan herself — it is starting to show its age. It  asks the question many of us have had at one time or another: can two people sleep together and still be friends?The original friends with benefits movie. Directed by legendary meat head Rob Reiner, with a screenplay from Nora Ephron, When Harry Met Sally is one of those rare chick flicks that some men might even publicly admit to enjoying. But more importantly, it introduced men everywhere to spotting the now all too familiar signs of women faking the Big O.

 

Step Mom

No one wants to believe they can be replaced, certainly by a step mom! Those of you who are in shared family situations know that it's not easy for everyone to get along all of the time. This movie shows one of the best possible outcomes. There is no room for selfishness or jealousy when the true concern is the children. So much of the time when conflict is involved, it's out of selfish behavior on the part of the adults. I can only say this because I'm guilty.

 

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

This movie is just funny, smart and quirky enough to be secretly entertaining to a lot of men. Sure, there’s the occasional bout of sappy dialogue and Nia Vardalos is the kind of actress who only appears sexy after you’ve had three of four shots of ouzo, but the film is entertaining none the less. In fact, My Big Fat Greek Wedding should really be required viewing for any man who has ever had to deal with psychotic in-laws or had a sudden craving for chicken souvlaki. Opa!

 

Bridget Jones Diary

A movie about  a lovable British frump (who is almost sexy despite herself). It’s one of those rare chick flicks that men secretly love, probably because it features a woman who seems almost attainable and is cursed with the same healthy neurosis and realistic body image of your average woman. It also helps that the film has some sharp dialogue, fine performances and is genuinely funny. Beyond all that though, Bridget Jones’s Diary is also an interesting exercise in how men and woman perceive the female form: women feel vindicated seeing a somewhat realistic heroine on screen.

 

Shirley valentine

Ever have one of those moments where you stop and say, “How did I get here? Where did the person I used to be go?” Shirley Valentine is having one of those moments. In the movie adaptation of the Tony-nominated play, Shirley, a much put-upon middle-aged wife and mother of two, has been stuck in a rut of suffocating domesticity. One day, a friend invites her to travel to Greece on holiday, and she accepts, despite objections from her husband and children. Once she reaches Mykonos, her friend disappears with a fellow traveler, and Shirley is left to fend for herself … until she meets a Greek tavern owner who shows her that it is not too late for her to find herself and start again. This movie has all the hallmarks of a chick flick — a smart, funny woman who has lost her way, a sassy friend, a life-changing romance. Valentine reminds us all that it’s never too late to be ourselves and embrace life.

The Cutting Edge

    This movie is one of my favorite movies of all time! I must have watched it every month in 1990.  It is a five-star movie I will never get sick of and will continue to pull out of my collection when I am in the mood for an inspiring love story.It is full of passion, both romantic and ambition driven, and witty remarks that make you feel, smile, and laugh.This movie is a great choice to put you in the mood to kick a little ass in this patriotic Olympic season! Toe Pick!

 Love actually

This story makes you feel heartache and bliss and everything in between. And isn't that what we all feel in love? It is a smart, funny and insightful movie. Its multiple stories have elements that almost every one of us can relate to whether it’s being cheated on, falling for an unobtainable suitor or simply trying to have good time. The movie is also brilliantly written, hilarious and has some great performances, all of which makes it one of the most enjoyable chick flicks men will ever be subjected to. Sure, Love Actually also gives women a completely unrealistic notion of love which no man can ever hope to achieve, but almost all good chick flicks do this as well.

Serendipity

This movie has a cute, impossible to believe plot and chemistry beyond compare? Yes, it has its sappy moments, but it's a romantic comedy! Cusack thinks he has met his soul mate and has to find her. Cusack is perfect and Piven is even better as the best friend who at first tells Cusack to give up the search but then catches the bug because his own marriage is stale. Cusack and Kate Beckinsdale meet as they grab for the same gloves at a Christmas sale and the spark is ignited as they try to explain to yet another prospective buyer of the gloves why they deserve the gloves. They realize that despite already having partners, they need this meeting to continue. But then Kate's character decides to let fate decide their destiny and years pass, Cusack is about to be married and is having second thoughts- about the woman he met years ago...I don't want to give to much away if you haven't seen this movie yet, but know it is a great story of true love, fate, and destiny not to be missed.

My husband would like to add a few comments:
Good chick flicks that guys can watch are defined by character development.  Having said that the best chick flicks for guys viewership often include the best actors.  This includes the star studded cast of Steel Magnolias,

 Shockingly my husband finds Steel Magnolias as the quintessential chick flick okay-ed by the male population.  The dynamic between Olympia Dukakis and Shirley MacLain provides that undying friendship that is shared between BFF's and Bro's alike.

Now of course, this is only a tiny fragment of the chick flicks I have seen, but these are the most memorable (in my humble opinion).

I would like your opinion as well, what are your favorite Chick Flicks?