I love romantic comedies so much. I also really love chick flicks, but the definition of a chick flick is just so vague. Logically I know it’s just movies that are not only geared towards women, but are loved by women of all ages, but what really makes a chick flick? While there is a huge overlap between romantic comedies and chick flicks, I feel as though people think chick flicks are all just sappy love stories (which, once again, are the backbone of our society and I have no ill will towards them). If we are going to insist on calling movies geared towards women “chick flicks” we need to emphasize the CHICKS! Not every entertaining movie has to be centered around a woman falling for a man that any rational person would hate if they knew them in real life. These are some of my favorite chick-not Chuck-flicks.
- Mean girls
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A classic. Everytime I watch this movie I get empowered by the fact that Tina Fey wrote such a wonderful film and makes me feel like I can do anything. I also can’t help but idolize the Plastics which probably means the point just went right over my head. This is a classic chick flick that doesn’t center men at all because who actually cares about Cady and Aaron ending up together? I do not. The cycle of toxic friendships that many teenage girls go through is depicted perfectly. Though all of the characters are arguably flawed people (not Karen), there’s a lot more than what meets the eye for each character. You can definitely tell Tina Fey wrote Mean Girls based on how real it feels, how the characters are so much more than just a mean girl stereotype, and how funny and quotable it still is. It’s no wonder this movie is still iconic among young women.
Lorne Michaels Productions - the Devil wears prada
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I’m in the minority where I think the boyfriend in this movie wasn’t *that* bad but also I don’t care enough about him to pay attention to their relationship. I really think the movie would’ve been even better if it just focused on the career aspect but whatever. Anyways, as someone who is obsessed with Vogue and the culture behind the magazine, watching this movie is literally a cinematic experience for me every single time. I love how it exposes the flaws of the fashion industry without blaming individual women who fall trap to the predatory toxic aspects. It also does a good job portraying fashion as a legitimate art rather than just a pointless interest for girls (and I enjoy how Andrea learns to respect the industry over time).
- Freaky friday (2003)
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Lady Bird if Lady Bird was set two years later and also made 15 years prior to it. Just kidding. One of the highlights of this movie is that both the mom and the daughter are the heroines of the movie. Seeing a strong young woman and a strong female role model who get through their challenges by living in the other person’s shoes for a bit mixed with comedy and the right amount of sentimentalism made it one of the most comforting movies of my childhood. Also the soundtrack slaps and I did feel like a rockstar singing “Take Me Away” and “Ultimate.” It features *some* romance, but it’s not really important to the movie in my opinion other than the fact that the love interest is Chad Michael Murray and features the ugliest haircut he has ever had.
- Booksmart
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As someone who loves loves loves Superbad, this movie seemed just like the girl version of Superbad, but it is so much more than that (ignore the fact that Beanie Feldstein is quite literally Jonah Hill’s little sister). It’s one of the most accurate depictions of high school that I’ve ever seen and portrays such a healthy and adorable friendship between the two main characters. There’s no petty drama between any of the characters, but manages to be interesting throughout the whole movie. It’s also really really funny and every character is super likable and the two main girls are portrayed as equals, which is something you don’t see a lot. One of them isn’t portrayed as smarter, prettier or funnier over the other. I will say though that what I liked about a lot of these chick flicks from the early 2000s is that they really launched careers of actresses that weren’t in a lot of films prior, and they would always do really well and still be considered culturally important, whereas now I feel like most actresses have to be in some really big budget action movie or else they haven’t “made it,” but that’s a conversation for a different day.
- Legally blonde
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I literally always forget that Elle ends up with a guy in this movie because literally I do not care whatsoever. This is one of the most iconic movies purely for Elle Woods and Elle Woods alone. Fun fact, the book the movie was based on was written by Stanford alum Amanda Brown who based Elle Woods on herself and the fact that she read Elle Magazine. I love that. We love a well-rounded social queen who beats stereotypes. This movie is all about empowering women. Even though at first she’s portrayed as a potential villain, the friendship between Vivian and Elle (even while Vivian was still with Elle’s ex) is admirable. Honestly they should have ended up together but whatever. This is probably because I love Jennifer Coolidge, but my favorite scenes will always be any scene with Elle and Paulette. She. Took. The. Damn. Dog.
MGM - Mamma mia
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Everything about this movie is perfection and it has Colin Firth in it so. I know technically it’s supposed to be a rom com but actually I think it’s about pretty people singing Abba songs that vaguely relate to their life. Also it’s about the best mom in the world and a daughter who is actually an angel and everyone can sing except not really Pierce Brosnan but that’s fine. Unpopular opinion: I think the sequel is as good as the original and has better songs. Lily James can SING.
- John tucker must die
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This is actually cheating/me not following the assignment but I like this movie so I get a pass, but honestly this is a pretty toxic movie and not even in the intentional way like Mean Girls. I think that devoting that much energy into messing with a man’s life (even if he’s a jerk) is just giving him what he wanted, which is attention, but I do think the friendship between the girls John Tucker screwed over was cute. I also think as toxic and unhealthy as this whole premise is, I support Women’s Wrongs, and if Ashanti and Sophia Bush are committing said wrong things, well then that is simply their business.
- Bring it on
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I was a dancer so Bring It On has always been a really comforting movie for me, and as I got older, I realized it was much more than just a movie about a cheerleader’s love life (in fact, while I don’t mind Cliff and Torrance together, I felt that Torrance dumping Aaron was way more important). I think the original Bring It On was the most important culturally and the best film out of the whole franchise but what I have always loved about these movies is the emphasis on intersectionality and accountability across all the movies (or at least the first three). Though Torrance wasn’t personally responsible for the Toros stealing routines from the Clovers, it was necessary for her to acknowledge that and actively change her behavior. ESPECIALLY because the Toros were a predominantly white, upper-class cheer squad. (Remember how Charli D’Amelio got all that attention for the Renegade dance that Jalaiah Harmon created, despite Charli not even being the one to claim that she created the dance? Exactly why proper credit and appreciation matters.) What I love about this movie as well is that it avoided the white savior trope, even though Torrance wanted her dad to pay for the Clovers so that they could go to the championship, the Clovers found aid through their own community purely because of THEIR talent. Even though that was never her intention, my favorite exchange in this whole movie is when Isis says Torrance did good and Torrance says “thanks! you did better” because like duh? The Clovers WERE better.
