Ah yes, the ever-dreaded ‘chick flick.’ We all know it when we see it: sappy music, love stories, Katherine Heigl. Men avoid these movies like post-coital conversation, and most would assume that the straight males at the opening screening of Sex and the City were begrudgingly dragged their by their significant others. I mean hey, relationships are all about compromise right? I myself agreed to see the forgettable flick Resident Evil Extinction in return for having my hubby accompany me to see Milk (which he really enjoyed by the way, sort of a shitty give and take on my part.) If this has happened to you before, don’t fear. I’m here now to offer up my picks of 7 movies that appear to be ‘chick filcks’ but will be enjoyed by all.
500 Days Of Summer
The Story: Romantic 20-something Tom (Joesph Gordon Levitt) falls head over heels for Summer (Zooey Deschanel) a beautiful young lady that doesn’t believe in love.
A Chick Flick?: Damn that sounds like one boring romantic comedy doesn’t it? That just proves you should never put stuff on your Netflix queue after only reading one line of the synopsis (ahem, Dad.) On top of that bland synopsis, 500DOS can also be called “quirky, offbeat and indie” uh oh…
Universal Appeal: This film doesn’t really follow the same format that most rom coms go with. Right out of the gate, the movie let’s you know “This is not a love story.” From then on you are treated to some really funny dialouge, clever storytelling techniques, Zooey Deschanel eye candy, and the always impressive Joesph-Gordon Levitt.
The Princess Bride
The Story: A fairy tale of love. A dashing gentleman must rescue a beautiful princess who was kidnapped by an evil prince.
A Chick Flick?: Yeah, wow, that sounds like a Disney animated flick. Certainly this is kids stuff right?
Universal Appeal: Totally wrong. You might be living under a rock if you haven’t heard of The Princess Bride, but just in case you haven’t, it would be described as one of the most quotable comedies of all time. No doubt you’ve heard “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. ” The movie is just funny on all fronts, and a real success from director Rob Reiner.
Just Friends
The Story: This flick is essentially about an overweight Ryan Reynolds who is stuck in the “friend zone” with a girl he is secretly in love with (Amy Smart.) After she rejects him, he leaves his hometown and reinvents himself into a lean , successful womanizier.
A Chick Flick?: So of course Reynolds character, Chris Brander, reluctantly has to return home. He sees his old crush and all his feelings are reignited. Even though this is mainly a comedy, it’s all based around the idea of romantic gestures and dating techniques.
Universal Appeal: I kind of sing this movie’s praises a lot. But if your a fan of Reynolds’ dead pan delivery and Anna Faris’ (who plays a exaggerated, vapid pop star) comedic timing , I think you will find if as fun as I do. The film isn’t anything special but it holds some laugh out loud moments. Also, the chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Christ Marquette (who plays his younger brother Mike in the film) is absolutely hysterical.
Friends With Benefits
The Story: Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis decide they are both hot enough to sleep with each other and not have a relationship!
A Chick Flick?: The movie is basically a romantic comedy, that refuses to follow romantic comedy cliches, but actually follows romantic comedy cliches. Confused?
Universal Appeal: While I found the whole “we’re meta and we know it” theme a little bit unnerving, it doesn’t distract at all from the fact that this is a funny, smart and likable film. Kunis and Timberlake are really what make this movie work and it’s kind of impossible not to like them here. Kunis is stunning like always, but her character has issues, and they are legit issues, not like ‘she falls a lot.’ And Timberlake plays a character that is without question, charismatic, but corny enough to connect with most people on a level below face value.
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
The Story: This romantic comedy follows several different characters and displays how ‘love’ can affect everyone in various ways.
A Chick Flick?: How much ‘love’ talk can one person take?!
Universal Appeal: This is one of those perfect date movies. There might be plenty of shirtless Ryan Gosling, but it certainly serves a purpose in the story (I promise!) The movie is sweet but not saccharine, it’s very funny and sure to please everyone.
Mean Girls
The Story: A pretty new student (Lindsay Lohan) at a typical High School deals with the various cliques, mainly the super popular girls called The Plastics.
A Chick Flick?: The plot line basically shouts ABC Family shitfest.
Universal Appeal: Mean Girls is so much more than it’s plot line. The film gets a huge upgrade thanks to Tina Fey, who penned the screenplay (based on a book by Rosalind Wiseman.) The movie is so sharp and funny it became a classic high school film of recent years.
Jennifer’s Body
The Story: A popular cheerleader is turned into a bloodthirsty creature that preys on the boys of the high school.
A Chick Flick?: So this one doesn’t sound too chick flick out of the gate, but it definitely has that reputation going around. Maybe because it feature two female leads?
Universal Appeal: I am a big fan of Jennifer’s Body. I don’t think it’s a great film, but I think it is remarkably rewatchable. It’s very similar in vein to Heathers and Ginger Snaps, both dark teen comedies featuring female leads. Universal Appeal is a little misleading for this entry because I can tell you right now, this won’t win over everyone. But what JB has going for it is it’s campy cool dialogue (which will turn some people off instantly), fun/funny moments, satisfactory amounts of gore and really enjoyable performances.