Yes, I am confident enough in my heterosexuality that I can admit, without shame, that I love really girly “Chick Flicks”. Unlike many men (if the posts here and elsewhere are any indication), I don’t have to be dragged to a “Chick Flick”, or trade off viewing one of mine for one of hers. It helps that my wife loves Hong Kong action films, loved Kill Bill and Grindhouse. There is virtually no film that I’ll want to see that she won’t, or vise-versa (the exception is what I call “soul crushers” like Precious - heavy, depressing dramas).
I’ll happily watch a film like Love Actually that supposedly will make by testicles completely disappear.
So, who’s with me? What manly men here are manly enough to admit they’ll watch any damn film they want?
Bridget Jones - saw the first, not the second. Pretty entertaining.
Notting Hill - fine, mostly for the secondary character roles, who were genuinely funny.
4 Weddings and a Funeral - splendid. Same schtick with the character roles as Notting Hill and Bridget Jones.
My Best Friend’s Wedding - some great scenes - Rupert Everett leading the restaurant in I say a little prayer for you. But the unlikely complications in the plot device of Julia Roberts trying to sabotage the wedding got a little meh. Still watch it on TV, though.
When Harry Met Sally - Yeah, I’d watch it on TV reruns.
Working Girl - Cinderella plot a little too bleh for mine.
Sleepless in Seattle - probably a little too chicky for mine. The Meg Ryan character was too sappy and stalkery for me.
You’ve Got Mail - apart from the lead cast, can’t remember much about it, so it can’t have grabbed me that much.
That’s not an exhaustive list of course, but it’s pretty representative of the spectrum.
On the whole, they’re fine. Fun to watch with Her Indoors, who loves them. Life doesn’t have to be all Dirty Dozen, Guns of Navarone and Patton.
Yeah me too. I wouldn’t say “love”, but “enjoy”. I went to the cinema with some lady friends to see Sex And The City when it came out (didn’t think it was as good as the series, of which I’ve seen most episodes). I presume I was taken for their GBF. I’ve watched Love Actually about six times - I think that’s a chick flick made with guys in mind, to be honest - Four Weddings, When Harry Met Sally, and Bridget Jones 1 & 2 a couple of times, as well as one viewing each of Notting Hill, He’s Just Not That Into You - in fact I have seen all the movies Noel Prosequi lists. I enjoyed them all to varying degrees. Not ashamed.
It depends. If it’s a romantic comedy, sure. If it’s one of those shows on Lifetime that make you feel good, sure. The problem I have with movies is if they have too much interpersonal drama, especially if that drama is brought about by people not communicating.
I also really don’t like when they beat up on some poor person, even if, unlike Precious, they undo all of it at the end. I find myself getting too angry at the bad people to enjoy the rest of the movie.
I’d list specifics, but I’m horribly bad at remembering the names of things, and I’d have to be doing a lot of googling.
I’ve never seen any of the others you mention, or particularly wanted to, but ‘Love Actually’ is a film I watch every Christmas/New Year. It’s a film I associate with happy memories, and I happen to think it’s well-made and entertaining.
I like a good romantic comedy. Anyone who can’t appreciate something like Love Actually leads a very sad and empty life.
It’s like any other genre – there are good examples and bad ones. The ones I don’t like are those where the story is just too contrived, or worse, when it’s a third rate remake of a film that was done better twice before (e.g., You’ve Got Mail).
Taking Meg Ryan flicks – probably the ultimate romantic comedy actress, the good ones include When Harry Met Sally, Prelude to a Kiss, I.Q. and Kate and Leopold. The stinkers include You’ve Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle (which only has going for it the fact that this better than the dreary original).
Love Actually is a great movie, but very far from a typical “chick flick” in my opinion. The thing that bugs me about much of the genre (and here I’m thinking “romantic comedy”, perhaps “chick flick” is more broad) is just how formulaic so many of them are. Couple meets . . . at first it seems like they hate each other . . . then Big Surprise! they’re in love . . . then Oh no! some sort of silly misunderstanding causes things to fall apart . . . then Even Bigger Surprise! they get back together and live happily ever after.
Although, in fairness, adding a “twist ending” where they don’t get back together and instead live miserably ever after wouldn’t exactly increase my enjoyment of the movie.
I’ll happily watch chick flicks that have humor – I’m a big fan of Love Actually, Notting Hill, and Four Weddings and a Funeral, for example – but I tend not to like the overly serious ones (I’m looking at you, The Notebook).
Generally, though, I just like good movies, regardless of genre.
I dig chick flicks. Often the cheesier the better, but when it comes to chick flicks I tend to hold production value against them, meaning I can’t really get into Lifetime / Hallmark original movies. But if it’s an actual Hollywood production, I will generally like it. As a general rule, if it’s a big budget production with a major star and terrible reviews, I’m excited to see it.
Formulaic is a good thing. Chick flicks are the cinema equivalent of comfort food for women, much like action flicks are comfort food for men. Both genres are steeped in formula.
Two of my favorites: “Say Anything” and “500 Days of Summer.” I am also a big “Jerry MaGuire” fan but I don’t know if that qualifies as a chick flick.
Roger Ebert has a habit of suggesting that what makes a good movie is not what its about, but how its about what its about. With that in mind, any genre can have great flicks!
It looks like people are conflating “romantic comedy” with “chick flick”, when in fact, there’s a whole other important genre of CF: the romantic melodrama, and given that Frank Borzage and Douglas Sirk were (a) among the best American directors ever, and (b) specialized in romantic melodramas, I’ll proudly stand by my appreciation of great chick flicks, especially the brilliant Man’s Castle (not yet available on DVD :() and All That Heaven Allows (which has a glorious Criterion transfer).
In fairness, most of the films disparaged as “chick flicks” are romantic comedies. But I’ve seen and enjoyed Dear John, A Single Man, Crazy Heart, The Young Victoria and The Yellow Handkerchief…about as “chicky” as a flick can get.