20 chick flicks that make me feel like a man.

[lovejuice]

haven't been a while since i start a list. (i know i fail the Astaire & Roger, but that one's still going on ever slowly.) since i always consider myself a connoisseur of this overlooked and underrated genre, i will take a stab and present match-cutters, 20 chick flicks that make lovejuice feel like a man. unlike porn or super-hero, chick flick is an ill-defined genre. basically i'm talking rom com with ladies as targeted audiences. some negative-defying rules:

* no musicals. since i am even a bigger fan of that genre. always a fine line between chick flick and musical, and a number of entries will walk that line.

* no oldies. weird rule, but i am not that well versed in old rom com. back then those movies weren't made specifically for ladies anyway. also we don't want to see audrey hepburn populating most of the list, do we?

* no girl empowerment actioner.

you may ask why chick flick? desson thomson says it best:

"At its best, a romantic comedy celebrates one of humanity's greatest yearnings: to give and to find the love of a lifetime."

can't promise this'll be entertaining, but i'll try my best.

[lovejuice]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/graphics/2006/10/20/bfmarie.jpg

20. Marie Antoinette (2006)

not by any standard will i consider it a good movie -- on a second thought, this phrase probably will be used a lot -- it's just irresistible. an ultimate female fantasy, both of the director and its main star. who doesn't want to live in an 18th century french palace before the nastiness of guillotine and the revolution? a movie so proud of its gender it doesn't shy away from...sucking a little bit (or a lot, depend).

http://www.ufmg.br/online/arquivos/amelie-poulain04.jpg

19. Amelie (2001)

it's here on a merit of being good than being liked. most people have an easier time that i do finding its "heart." still jeunet's my favorite director, and eventually its whim wins me over. a rare chick flick that has an appeal to both genders. personally i prefer a very long engagement with its insufferable weakness. amelie is however a safer choice, and even i can't deny its charm.

[Grouchy]

I deny the charms of both these movies. In fact, I can't decide which one I dislike the most.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I LOVE yoru first two choices, and I'm satisfied that this will be an interesting list.

[Raiders]

I don't know how they make you "feel like a man," but for chick flicks, two of the best for me are While You Were Sleeping and The Lake House.

[lovejuice]

I don't know how they make you "feel like a man," but for chick flicks, two of the best for me are While You Were Sleeping and The Lake House.

i like WYWS and have a fond memory of Il mare, though never checked out The Lake House.

[Sycophant]

I don't know how they make you "feel like a man," but for chick flicks, two of the best for me are While You Were Sleeping and The Lake House.
As a big fan of While You Were Sleeping, this just convinced me to finally check out The Lake House.

[Pop Trash]

Interesting! This is probably the most maligned genre of them all by the mostly male oriented critics and interweb poters. My GF was trying to get me to admit to liking some romantic comedies from recent years and I told her I liked these:

-Say Anything
-When Harry Met Sally
-The Princess Bride
-Joe Vs. The Volcano
-Singles
-Chasing Amy
-The Wedding Singer
-High Fidelity
-Lost in Translation
-Most things Judd Apatow related (but these are sort of rom-coms for dudes)

[megladon8]

I don't know how they make you "feel like a man," but for chick flicks, two of the best for me are While You Were Sleeping and The Lake House.


Which version of the latter?

[lovejuice]

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/060216/143425__ledger_l.jpg

18. 10 Things I Hate about You (1999)

*look at the above picture. :cry:* back in the days stiles made movie with integrity. let's hope her involvement with borne's franchise put the girl on the right track. i have never been a fan of high-school rom com except weirdly enough shakespeare adaptations (including byrne's the twelfth night). Still this early ledger's vehicle is the best. i would like to say RIP, but you are due to appear on this list one more time.

http://www.aolcdn.com/red_galleries/drew-barrymore-ever-after-4.jpg

17. Ever After (1998)

more girl empowerment than romantic comedy. Its mix and match of fairy tale and costume drama is right on spot. i like how they change the character of one stepsister, putting her on the same side as cinderella. i confess to not having watched it for so long, but back then -- almost ten years! time flies -- it's among DVDs i pop in most often.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Ever After? Really? Man, I hated that movie.

[lovejuice]

Ever After? Really? Man, I hated that movie.

you are not manly enough. ;):P

[Scar]

you are not manly enough. ;):P

I, uh, sorta liked that one.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I'm on board with all of your other choices, though you failed to list #18, so I must be fairly manly. But boy, I'm not with you on Ever After. Not at all.

[DavidSeven]

I don't know how they make you "feel like a man," but for chick flicks, two of the best for me are While You Were Sleeping and The Lake House.

Too much Sandra Bullock love for a single sentence.

[number8]

Steel Magnolias, man.

The movie doesn't make anyone feel like a man, but listen to that title. STEEL MAGNOLIAS. That's like a cyborg PTA. That's manly.

[balmakboor]

I hope Return to Me is on here somewhere. That's a perfect chick flick -- by your definition -- if there ever was one.

[Ezee E]

This will be the only time I ever see Ever After considered better than Amelie.

But do continue.

[SpaceOddity]

* no oldies. weird rule, but i am not that well versed in old rom com. back then those movies weren't made specifically for ladies anyway. also we don't want to see audrey hepburn populating most of the list, do we?


Yay for the Audrey deficit.

*approves*

[Ezee E]

Marie Antoinette is such a chick flick. It can blab on and on and on, and gets pretty annoying, but yet, I like it because of how lovely it looks.

[lovejuice]

I hope Return to Me is on here somewhere. That's a perfect chick flick -- by your definition -- if there ever was one.

it's not, but i remember watching and loving it back then. haven't had a chance to revisit it since though.

[lovejuice]

http://www.lasplash.com/uploads/1/shopgirl_steve_and_claire.jpg

16. Shopgirl (2005)

i was in love with claire danes, but that's not the only reason. many critics unjustly bashes the movie for encouraging licentious behavior between old rich guys and young girls. i say, they either lack brain, heart, or simply didn't see the movie. it might not be a paragon of romantic drama; the whole affair is flawed, but all are forgiven once steve martin's soliloquy rolls in before the credit:

"As Ray Porter watched his Mirabelle walk away he feels a loss. How is it possible - he thinks - to miss a woman whom he kept at a distance so that when she was gone he would not miss her. Only then did he realise how wanting part of her and not all of her had hurt them both, and how he cannot justify his actions except that...well...it was life."

One of or even the most soul-searching quotations i have heard in movies.

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/071127/enchanted_l.jpg

16. Enchanted (2007)

aaahhh....amy adams.

this movie crosses the no-musical rule, but the songs kinda suck anyway. in fact the whole film's rather weak. except for the female lead. i don't usually grant movies merit based on a single performance, but this girl sparks, fizzles, and whatever weird verb in every single frame. i agree with what one reviewer says, it's like seeing audrey hepburn for the first time in roman holiday. i heart adams so much i start to worry about her career. hope the girl has a good enough agent.

[NickGlass]

::crosses fingers for Bridget Jones' Diary being in the Top 3::

[Benny Profane]

Liked Shopgirl. That scene between Schwartzmann and Pete Sampras' wife had me rolling.

I'd rather kill myself than see Enchanted.

[lovejuice]

::crosses fingers for Bridget Jones' Diary being in the Top 3::

damn! thank, now i have to put it as a tie somewhere.

[NickGlass]

damn! thank, now i have to put it as a tie somewhere.

::whispers::

...Tie for #1...

[Sycophant]

Really like Shopgirl. Considering not coming back to this thread because of even the slightest praise for Enchanted. But it's okay, because Bridget Jones's Diary will apparently be making some appearance.

[origami_mustache]

Shopgirl was pretty meh, but not a bad film at least.

[lovejuice]

warm reception to shopgirl makes me giddy with joy. :)

[Mara]

I'm surprised by how many people like While You Were Sleeping. I thought it was extremely silly.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I'm surprised by how many people like While You Were Sleeping. I thought it was extremely silly.

I'm with you.

[number8]

I'm with you.

I hate that movie AND Sleepless in Seattle.

[Qrazy]

I feel like Moonstruck might make an appearance.

[Sycophant]

I hate that movie AND Sleepless in Seattle.If Sleepless in Seattle gets a mention on this list, I will post a very large frowny face. Consider yourself warned, lovejuice.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I kinda like Sleepless in Seattle. Not sure how manly it makes me feel. To be honest, I've kind of lost my sexual identity with all these Match Cut lists lately.

[Watashi]

I'm hoping for Love, Actually and The Wedding Singer.

Those are my weak spots.

[Boner M]

Yeah, Love, Actually is pretty great. Though I personally see it as a postmodern deconstruction of rom-com cliches, never sacrificing the generic catharses of the subgenre for straight-up meta-ness. Almost Godard-ian, in a way.

And, like, it totally warms my heart and stuff.

[transmogrifier]

I hate that movie AND Sleepless in Seattle.

It boggles the mind anyone could like either. Just goes to show how creatively barren the romantic comedy genre really is that these two can be considered semi-canon.

[transmogrifier]

Yeah, Love, Actually is pretty great. Though I personally see it as a postmodern deconstruction of rom-com cliches, never sacrificing the generic catharses of the subgenre for straight-up meta-ness. Almost Godard-ian, in a way.

And, like, it totally warms my heart and stuff.

Love Actually is one of my most despised movies ever. In fact, it is so bad that it makes all other movies a little bit worse for being associated with it.

[transmogrifier]

So, recent chick flicks I actually like:

WHMS
About a Boy
Bridget Jones' Diary (NOT the pos sequel)
The Wedding Singer
Fried Green Tomatoes (haven't seen it in 15 years though)
Muriel's Wedding
Beautiful Girls
Jerry Maguire

It's been a barren last 7 years or so. Pretty much since Kate Hudson got into the chick flick business.

[lovejuice]

i like moonstruck very much, but not enough to put it on the list. both love actually and sleepless in seattle are absent. i recognize la as a good film, but it only speaks to my heart in some parts. i can't get into either sis or you got mail -- although meg ryan is soon to be presence.

[Mara]

I feel like Moonstruck might make an appearance.

This is actually a very good choice.

Not a Sleepless in Seattle fan.

It seems to me that good romcoms are ones that break the mold instead of adhering to it. The more "canon" something is, the worse. I'm not sure why-- there are very few genres that I feel that way about.

[lovejuice]

and here she is. meg ryan whose name is an anagram of "germany."

http://us.ent4.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/miramax_films/kate___leopold/_group_photos/hugh_jackman1.jpg

14. Kate & Leopold (2001)

this chick flick makes me feel like a homosexual. the day i turn gay, i'll start stalking hugh jackman. jackman as leopold is the personification of charm. the movie is gutsy enough to be -- scientifically speaking -- the most absurd time travel film ever. i like ryan's monologue about true love is like a santa clause, but really this film is hugh jackman.

http://www.johnmariani.com/archive/2006/060813/Harry-Met-Sally-01.jpg

13. When Harry Met Sally (1989)

what mara just said about the more mold breaking, the better a rom com is. made of honor, for example, is a movie which aspires to be nothing but a collection of cliches. is when harry met sally a mold breaker? back then people talked about how the romance is presented as friendship rather than courtship. is this the first? unlikely, but since then you can't deny ryan's and crystal's shadow over onscreen cross-gender friendship. besides this movie is the origin of the ever most ripped-off public fake orgasm.

[Sycophant]

Kind of hate Kate & Leopold. Never did see When Harry Met Sally. Unless there's something I don't know about it, your use of the word "orgy" for "orgasm" is pretty much the funniest thing I'm going to read today.

[lovejuice]

Unless there's something I don't know about it, your use of the word "orgy" for "orgasm" is pretty much the funniest thing I'm going to read today.

:lol::lol::lol: english is such a confusing language.

[Mara]

Hugh Jackman is hot. That I will give you.

I only say K&L once, but I will never forget one thing in it: when Meg Ryan travels back in time, her dress magically changes to be more time-period appropriate. If the film wasn't three minutes from ending, I would have walked out. It was obviously done on purpose. Do they think we're stupid?

[lovejuice]

Hugh Jackman is hot. That I will give you.

I only say K&L once, but I will never forget one thing in it: when Meg Ryan travels back in time, her dress magically changes to be more time-period appropriate. If the film wasn't three minutes from ending, I would have walked out. It was obviously done on purpose. Do they think we're stupid?

i'm pretty sure it has something to do with the wormhole effect that allows people to travel in time by jumping from the bridge. the clothes are actually a physical representation of meta-clothes which will adjust itself to suit a period meg ryan is in.

[lovejuice]

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2005/07/02/bridgetjones_wideweb__430x280. jpg

12. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

sorry, fan, for placing this too low. i guess this movie will be as much hated and revered here. kinda like amelie, i consider it a film most people have stronger affection than i do. still it's somewhat a jane austen's, and the literature nerd in me want to give it a nod. (in case anyone ask, yes, i like lee's sense and sensibility.) true to mara's statement, bridget jones's diary is a fine example of deconstructing rom com, and that's where its charm lies.

http://users.ca.astound.net/~sourduck/sourduck/2006/01/blog-for-choice-day/brokeback-mountain.jpg

11. Brokeback Mountain (2005)

kinda funny that when you image-google "brokeback mountain." not a few results are something else like the badly photoshopped and obnoxious pictures of jessica alba, halle berry, and george w. bush. i figure, lee's gay cowboy movie is like snakes on a plane. agree with what ebert says, no matter who you are, your sexual preference, or your love life, anyone can relate to this basic story of broken dream. fine performance across the board especially from mr. Ledger. may he forever rest in peace and in our hearts.

[Sven]

My favorite thing about Bridget Jones, a film I find mostly interesting but don't really like, is the intertextuality of rom-com conventions, Grant's celebrity status, and Firth's notoriety as Mr. Darcy in A&E's P&P. Makes for a fun reading.

[Qrazy]

I'd prob. label Eternal Sunshine a chick fllick.

[lovejuice]

I'd prob. label Eternal Sunshine a chick fllick.

gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!! i don't understand how people keep track of this thing. another entry that's needed to be added somewhere.

[Sycophant]

gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!! i don't understand how people keep track of this thing. another entry that's needed to be added somewhere.

You can always go the bac0n route.

[megladon8]

I really enjoyed When Harry Met Sally as a kid. I should rewatch it sometime.

And I still haven't gotten around to seeing Brokeback Mountain. It's not one I'd actively seek out in a store, but maybe it'll be on TV sometime.

[lovejuice]

since i screw up, so here we have our first tie-up.

http://www.zetaminor.com/images/cult_tv/neverwhere/neverwhere_14b.jpg

10. Virtual Sexuality (1999)

a british comedy hardly known by anyone. in fact so hardly known that i cannot find one good image from the web. instead i post the picture of the lead, the gorgeous laura "a knight's tale" fraser. virtual sexuality is a sci-fi version of american pie. fraser is a chick who enters some sorta dating machine. she inputs the profiles of her dream boy, and instead of finding one for he, the machine turns her into that dream boy. complication ensues, and that's not even half the weird. the movie offers a fun and wacky approach to sexual perversion: gayism, lesbianism, narcissism; all in one scene! a philip k dick's teen/sex rom com.

http://chucksconnection.com/threesome/threesome05.jpg

10. Threesome (1994)

american pie is generally recognized as a trend setter, but back in 1994, there is this little but wonderful coming-of-age film regarding sex life in college. the movie is true to its name; the threesome consists of a girl, a straight, and one confused gay man. it is rude, rowdy, and graphic. (some version of it is rated NC-17.) sex not as a mean to violence or pleasure, but simply people fucking each other. 'till these days it's one of the most honest films about sex and teenagers. (in fact is there an honest film about the subject? definitely not that as-fake-as-it-can-get chasing amy.) its only main flaw, i think, is the forced climax.

[Raiders]

10. Threesome (1994)

coming-of-age film regarding sex life in college... the forced climax.

I would expect nothing less.

[lovejuice]

I would expect nothing less.

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

[Winston*]

Hey, I've actually seen Virtual Sexuality. Didn't like it, but I liked Laura Fraser in in. She should be in more movies.

[NickGlass]

14. Kate & Leopold (2001)

this chick flick makes me feel like a homosexual.

I'm highly offended.

[lovejuice]

http://www.webwombat.com.au/entertainment/movies/images/eternal-sunshine.JPG

9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

an irrelevant sidenote here, i'm a fan of gondry and an dissenter of kaufman. i consider this their best collaboration as well as their best film. i like the movie less than other people although there is a real potential for me to really really love it. my dream project is to master some sorta editing program and cut the last five or more minutes of the movie. the perfect ending imo is when carrey wakes up, and we realize the two will eventually meet and come together. is this supposed to be a twist? i take that it is during the first viewing, but some people claim we are supposed to realize all along the first few scenes are actually flash-forward. i know that will make for one incomplete movie, and as it is, the movie does a good job addressing the central issue.

and yet, that's where i like the movie to end. on the beach.

[[ETM]]

Jackman is great in Kate and Leopold.

[Lasse]

Solid list. Amélie, Love Actually and [that movie one page back that I don't remember] are all great.

I hope What Women Want won't appear on this list.

[lovejuice]

there is few movie i hate more than what women want. :evil:

[lovejuice]

http://www.aolcdn.com/red_galleries/labyrinth-400ds0716.jpg

8. Labyrinth (1986)

about four or five months ago, i watched this in theatre, and it still kicks all kinda ass. even the out-dated effects are endearing. everyone either loves labyrinth or hasn't seen it. if you're belong to the latter group, what're you doing right now!! the question is, if 'tis a chick flick. i always consider labyrinth a sort of movie phantom of the opera should be if done right. bowie's jared is the picture perfect of eric the phantom. a spoiled prince of darkness with unlimited power and resource but whose only flaw is his falling for a flaky femme. i can't weigh if this movie has more appeal to which gender. guys love it for it has an illegal jennifer connelly. i always have a friendly, harmless crush on any girl who digs it for bowie's sake.

[Grouchy]

I love Labyrinth, but I dunno if it's a chick flick. I rank it more in the "little lost girl" sub-genre of fantasy, with The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland.

Jennifer Connelly is the greatest piece of jailbait in movie history. Goddamn, girl.

[Ezee E]

Every girl I know seems to love Labyrinth. Somehow, it is a chick flick.

[lovejuice]

http://www.lazydork.com/movies/princessbride.jpg

7. The Princess Bride (1987)

conceivably if there is any film from the 80s more universally liked than labyrinth, it's the princess bride. the movie's inconceivably such a cross-genre from fantasy to rom com. you know the mantra: if you try to be liked by everyone, you'll end up being liked by no one. the princess bride inconceivably break the rule. this movie has everything for everyone -- ok except musical montage, damn you, rob reiner!

and my favorite exchange.

Inigo: I admit it, you are better than I am.
Man in black: Then why are you smiling?
Inigo: Because I know something you don't know.
Man in black: And what is that?
Inigo: [switching hands] I am not left-handed!
[Inigo switches to his right hand, and appears to overwhelm the Man in black]
Man in black: You're amazing!
Inigo: I ought to be after twenty years.
Man in black: [struggling to keep Inigo away] There's something I ought to tell you.
Inigo: Tell me!
Man in black: I'm not left-handed either.

personal favorite monologue

Wesley: Wrong! Your ears you keep, and I'll tell you why; so that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness is yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman that cries out, 'dear god what is that thing!' will echo in your perfect ears. That is what to the pain means. It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever.

this can go on forever. :)

[Qrazy]

Jennifer Connelly is the greatest piece of jailbait in movie history. Goddamn, girl.

I'm looking at you Once Upon a Time in America.

[lovejuice]

i'm going away to france for a week. before that i want to leave you guys with two "honorable mentioned." i love these movies to death, but they're sorta stuffs no one on this board probably has ever heard of or will see.

http://www.theloveofsiam.com/news/11-10-50%20poster/4.jpg

H. Love of Siam (2008)

the best thing about this movie is the marketing ploy; from the one-sheet, trailer, released images, to what not, you will conclude its being standard asian rom dramedy. but it's not. it's a homosexual love story between two illegal boys. imagine a riot it created among the opening week audiences. the reaction on web boards (for and against) is raving madness. it's the event by itself. seeing this in theatre among unsuspected audiences' literally screaming is the experience i'll cherish to the end of days. the movie is also quite good; it wins best picture at thai academy award ceremony.

http://images.diaryis.com/i/ikkiuu/20070331.48.jpg

H. Wanee wa Junah (2001)

i don't understand korean fever, especially other asian countries' obsession with k-pop. (i can sorta understand k-art house. hong hang-soo is among new directors i have a lot of respect for.) never mention kwak jae-yong or jun ji-hyun in my presence, or i'll go :frustrated:. among countless korean romantic films, Wanee wa Junah is the only one i have an affection for. it's sweet, nuance and a bit perverted in an incestuous kinda way. and just like most asian films nowadays -- even the worse one -- the cinematography is top-notched, breath-taking.