What is a “chick flick”?
It’s a flick (movie) that is mainly of interest to chicks (females).
A movie that generally interests females. Lots of girl-talk, sappy love stuff, girl power, emotional highs and lows. Probably lots of crying. I’m sure there are plenty of guys who enjoy this kind of thing, but the stereotypical guy is into hard-core action stuff. Good examples of chick flicks are Dirty Dancing and Pretty Woman.
Imagine Conan or Rambo. But take away the guns, the knives, the blood, the senseless violence, the senseless deaths, the Austrian witicisms after a bad guy has died, and explosions of any kind. In other words, it is now the story of a well muscled man looking to rescue his long lost love. Since there aren’t any bad guys though, this task is quite easy. So there isn’t much left for him to do during the movie but to pick flowers and explore his feelings.
Add in pointless symbolism about long lost childhood dreams and a flashback to the guidance of his favorite uncle for bonus chick flick points.
This will likely depend on who you ask. Some guys would say if there are no shots fired, it’s a chick flick. Some are more lenient, possibly limiting chick flicks to movies based on Austen and Bronte novels and the like.
Of course, there are us guys who can rent Meet Joe Black and watch it alone, crying at the end. Not that I’m admitting to anything…
a chick flick is any movie with Gwyneth Paltrow or centered on a mother/daughter relationship.
The closest guy equivalent would be Field of Dreams.
Thanks. In other words, quality films which my wife usually selects and which are devoid of gratuitous sex and violence and which we both enjoy.
I first saw the term in an ad feauring Mike Ditka, who I guess is some kind of macho football icon or something. The ad was intended to sell macho guys on hairspray and entitled “Ditka’s rules” I saw a couple of different versions of the ad and the rules included “No hairdressers named Pierre”, “No chick flicks” and of course, “No girly hair spray”, whatever that is. Probably “girly hair spray” with a musky or outdoorsey scent in a container which focus groups have deemed to be appropriately macho.
I think male violence is a big problem in our culture (USA), and I think ads such as this only reinforce it. Incidentely, have you ever noticed that when crime is talked about, it is usually indicated that some ethnic groups, usually African-Americans, have a high rate of crime? That mistates the problem. Crime is mostly a male problem. White males have a higher crime rate than African-American females.
Have you seen the truck ad, with the guy building a fence, throwing posts from the bed of the truck? The voice over asks questions about the movie, You’ve Got Mail, and asks if you, the viewer, has seen the movie. Then says, “Well, this guy didn’t.”
So, Enderw23, is a chick flick at least allowed to have mindless robot zombies with electricuting claws? 
Depends…is Brad Pitt in the flick…shirtless…? 
Real men are allowed to go to chick flicks as long as they call it a “date movie.” And, they take a date.
ahem… allowed?..
dewt
I recently almost died at the hands of my wife over this very topic. She was discussing with me the movie Dolores Claiborn which I had never seen.
Me: Who are the two main characters?
She: Kathy Bates and Jenifer Jason Leah
Me: Chick flic.
She: {smack} Shut up, it is not.
Me: A movie where the two main characters are women? It’s a chick flic.
She: {smack} {smack}
Me: Honey, you know that really hurts.
You get the picture. I was just trying to get her going (although I really didn’t need another lump on my head) and Dolores Claiborn possibly is not a chick flic, but I stand by my original argument.
[sub]The above is a dramatization. My wife is much more intelligent and articulate than I have lead you to believe. And she hardly ever hits me.[/sub]
Chick flick: Sex is “making love”
Dick flick: Sex is F**king
If Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, Michelle Pfieffer, Winona Ryder or Sandra Bullock are in it, chances are it’s a chick flick.
If it’s billed as a “tear-jerker,” chances are it’s a chick flick.
If it’s “a sure-fire Oscar contender,” chances are it’s a chick flick.
If it’s a period piece, chances are it’s a chick flick.
Shakespeare? Probably a chick flick.
If you don’t want to see it but you go anyway because you’re girlfriend insists…CHICK FLICK!!!
There are notable exceptions to all of these (ie Winona Ryder in one of those Alien movies, The Patriot is a period piece, etc.).
Hope that helps.
Hmm… This is devolving into a Jeff Foxworthy routine…
If the movie’s title contains the words “love”, “caring”, “affection”, or “kiss”… it might be a chick flick.
If the movie stars the combination of Richard Gere and Julia Roberts or Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan… it might be a chick flick.
If the movie’s purpose is to explore the inner feelings and romances of a woman or a group of women… it might be a chick flick.
Hmm. I guess I’m more feminine than I thought.
Hey, any of you ladies out there want a really sensitive guy?
Great, pandering in General Questions. I’ve truly reached a new low.
Re the OP, I don’t see Shakespeare as a chick flick. But then, I’m a straight guy who has actually read “Gone With the Wind”, so you probably should disregard my opinion.
Quote from a female friend of mine while watching Dirty Dancing:
"I don’t understand this film. Where are the robots from the future?"
I fell in love at that moment…
Uh-oh, the Patriot is not a chick flick?
A good rule of thumb is this: any move in which a person’s head is splattered off his body by a cannon ball - you can be pretty sure its intended demographic is not swooning “chicks”.