My first Ten on Tuesday: Chick Flicks

I’m sure what exactly defines a “chick flick”, despite Wikipedia’s best attempts.  Most “chick flicks” are deliberately marketed to women and focus on stories of romantic love.  This site attempts to crowdsource whether or not a film meets the definition of “chick flick”.  I’ve seen seven of the top ten.

If you’ve ever glimpsed my Netflix queue, you’ll know that I don’t really watch chick flicks.  Or funny movies.  Or really anything other than gritty crime dramas, despite the fact that our queue is full of (very aspirational) Criterion editions and foreign films. That said, sometimes I just want to feel good – or cry – and not think for 90 minutes.

In no particular order, five “chick flicks” that I’ve enjoyed:

1. Sliding Doors – My go to feeling bad/good about love movie from college.
2. Love Actually – Reminds me of a fine Caturday Crafternoon with Jackie and Tina! Also just a fun ensemble comedy.
3. The Thomas Crown Affair – I feel like I could watch this every week and not get tired of it.
4. Strictly Ballroom – Love the movie, love the soundtrack, love that “Pam Short’s broken both her legs, and I wanna dance with you.”
5. Beaches – If you were an adolescent girl in the early 90s and didn’t sob over this at least once, well, I’m not sure what to say.
6. 10 Things I Hate About You – In college I had this roommate for whom time seemed to have stopped in 1995. Most of the movies that she watched could’ve been described as “chick flicks.” This is one of the few that I actually enjoyed watching with her.
7. Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist – I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this sweet romantic comedy.
8. Garden State – If you were a 20-something in a messy relationship in the early 00s, I can almost guarantee you identified with aspects of this movie. I saw it two days before a devastating break-up.
9. Amélie – Quirky, lovely, and optimistic.
10. Shakespeare in Love – Oscar-worthy? Eh. But definitely nice to look at.