Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past who-knows-how-long, you must have (at the very least), heard of the term “chick flick”. If you’re a girl then you know what this is all about, and if you’re a guy – you’re probably scratching your head and wondering what this genre is all about.
Chick flicks is obviously the term used for films that appeal to women and these do not necessarily have to be all about love and romance. Chick flicks deal with a whole gamut of emotions such as loss and grief, female empowerment, friendship and ageing – to name a few. A better way to define the genre would be to say that chick flicks are relationship-based and usually touch on one’s emotions.
There are a lot of films that fall under the “Chick Flick” category – it is impossible to name or even rank them all. This list, instead, just identifies 10 classic chick flicks.
Dirty Dancing
A coming of age romantic film that involves a lot of dancing, an iconic lift at the end of the film, and of course, a dreamy Patrick Swayze (he made dancing look sexy).
Pretty Woman
This is the film that catapulted Julia Roberts to stardom. It’s Cinderella with a twist – a hooker with a heart of gold finds love in the arms of a business tycoon played by the very dapper Richard Gere.
While You Were Sleeping
Sandra Bullock looks so sweet in this rom-com about falling in love with the wrong brother.
Sleepless in Seattle
Long before online dating became the trend – there was Sleepless in Seattle. A story about two people who fall in love through the air-waves.
Beaches
Chick-flick sans romance. This film is all about the life-long friendship of entertainer C.C. Bloom (Bette Midler) and heiress Hillary Whitney (Barbara Hershey). The ending will leave you in tears.
Thelma and Louise
Another chick-flick that does not revolve around love and romance. Thelma and Louise is about the friendship and misadventures of two women as their 2-day driving holiday goes awry. Brad Pitt makes a cameo in this film.
Jerry Maguire
Huh? How can a film starring Tom Cruise be a chick flick? Well, it’s about relationships. Tom Cruise’s relationship with his client (Cuba Gooding), and with his reluctant assistant, Renee Zellweger.
Love Actually
If you want a film that revolves around relationships, you’ve got to watch this chick flick! It’s a film showing vignettes of the lives of different people who, for some reason or another, are connected to each other. It’s one of those chick flicks that won’t make you cry.
The Notebook
This is the film to watch if you want to bawl your eyes out. The Notebook is based on Nicholas Sparks’ book of the same title and is about … well … the love shared between Noah and Allie – how theirs wasn’t supposed to last, but did. Not as great as the book, but worth watching just the same.
Ghost
Patrick Swayze shirtless (check), Demi Moore looking amazing in her pixie haircut (check), Comic relief provided by Whoopi Goldberg (check), saying “ditto” (check), “Unchained Melody” (check). All you need is a tub of ice cream and your night’s complete.
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