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You know how chick flicks go. Girl meets boy, boy meets girl. Two situations occur. First, they hate each other. Second, one likes the other more but the other just wants to be friends. Romance gets its climax when they look into each other’s eyes and realize they were right for each other all along. Cue a happy ending, usually manifested in a wedding ceremony.
According to ReelzChannel, chick flicks are “problematic” as they imply “shallow frivolity, artlessness, and utter commercialism.” It’s easy to understand why. The typical chick flick can become formulaic and thus, predictable.
Now there’s nothing wrong with chick flicks. Sometimes however, the female audience needs some fresh stories still with that dose of romance. Sure, boy and girl can still end up together in the end. Perhaps how they get to the end of the movie (i.e. the beginning of their relationship) could be a bit more interesting. Or maybe, they don’t end up together at all but the film still gives us romantic moments that make our insides tingle.
Here’s a list of ten movies that do just that. They’re mostly targeted for female audiences, hence can technically be called chick flicks. However, they’re out-of-the-box chick flicks, meaning they’re not of your typical plots and predictable storylines, yet still deliver the loving, engaging romance we desire.
Reality Bites (1994)
What is life like after college for Generation X? Lelaina (Winona Ryder) is the valedictorian of her class, but finds it difficult to achieve that same high when thrown into the real world. She exercises her creativity through creating a documentary centered on her friends’ lives. There’s the vivacious Vickie (Janeane Garofalo), a manager at the Gap who has a string of one-night stands which she later reveals could be a sign of her fear of rejection. There’s Sammy (Steve Zahn), who has problems with his homosexuality mainly because of his apprehension of coming out to his old-fashioned parents. Finally, there’s Troy (Ethan Hawke), Lelaina’s best friend who is a coffee-house guitarist and all-around slacker. Lelaina later meets Michael (Ben Stiller), an MTV executive who takes an interest in her documentary and in Lelaina herself. She ends up having to choose between the corporate Michael and the laid-back Troy. Which guy does she want to move forward with? While Reality Bites is a romantic comedy, it takes some of the angst and issues of Generation X and packages it into a relevant, relatable and memorable film.
Before Sunrise (1995)
Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) meet on a train. Celine is on her way back to France, Jesse to the U.S. Their train stops over in Vienna, and so they decide to spend the night walking around the city and continuing the magnetic conversation they shared aboard the train. When the night comes to a close, it is palpable that they are attracted to each other. They both know they only have one night together. tWill heir one-day connection, no matter how strong, go any further? Most of the film shows Celine and Jesse walking around the city and talking about anything, from reincarnation to soulmates. Even without the chick-flick formula, we’re drawn into the thoughtful romance forming between Jesse and Celine. If this flick leaves you squealing because you’re heartbroken or happy for the duo, Jesse and Celine’s story continues in the 2004 sequel, Before Sunset.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is an actor on assignment in Japan. There he meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a recent university graduate who has accompanied her photographer husband. The two are drawn to each other and develop a unique friendship. Bob shares his emptiness and Charlotte the neglect she feels in her marriage. As Bob’s assignment comes to completion and Charlotte’s visit comes to an end, what happens next between them? Should their friendship go any further or is it purely their alienation that drew them together? While the romance plot figures prominently in the story, the film also talks about loneliness, truth and finding one's place in this world.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) and Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) don’t seem to have anything in common, but are drawn to each other anyway. After their relationship goes sour, Clementine decides to undergo a procedure that erases Joel from her memory. Upon finding this out, Joel decides to do the same. As the procedure comes to a close, he realizes he still loves her. Will a second chance at love give their story a different ending? This romantic fantasy is thought-provoking and will definitely make you want to watch it again. In 2004, the film won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
500 Days of Summer (2009)
Is this movie a love story? The narrator says it isn’t. Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel) doesn’t believe in true love, but Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) does. The story follows Tom’s reflections on the 500 days he came to know Summer and fall in love with her. The romantic comedy is presented in a non-linear narrative, jumping from one day to another within the 500 days Tom and Summer are (and aren’t) together.
Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)
Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” never was funnier! Before the term BFF was in place, there already were Romy and Michele. Romy (Mira Sorvino) and Michele (Lisa Kudrow) have been best friends since high school. When their ten-year reunion comes up, they panic when they realize they’re not as successful as they would want to be. Fun continues to roll on when they decide to go, only to claim fake but hilarious success stories. It’s a funny kind of Thelma and Louise.
My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
Of all the movies on the list, this is probably the closest to a formulaic chick flick. The only difference however is that (spoiler alert!) it doesn’t end the way usual chick flicks do. Julianne (Julia Roberts) and Michael (Dermot Mulroney) are best friends. When Julianne learns that Michael is engaged, she is shocked and jealous, which leads her to plot a wedding sabotage. She pretends to befriend Michael’s fiancé (played by Cameron Diaz), while her gay best friend (Rupert Everett) acts as her boyfriend. This film, while dealing with romantic love, is also centered on that deep love that is present in a solid friendship.
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008)
This movie was once called the Before Sunrise of this generation. How does one infinite Manhattan night move forward for Nick and Norah? Nick O’Leary (Michael Cera) isn’t over his girlfriend Tris. But when Norah Silverberg (Kat Dennings) asks him to be her boyfriend for five minutes, a night of club-hopping, dealing with exes, adventures in a Yugo and discovering musical soulmates opens up to them. It’s essentially a teenage romance, but it’s smart and sweet at the same time.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
This story about two cowboys who develop a complicated relationship is powerful and yes, romantic. Ennis (Heath Ledger) is a ranch hand and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a rodeo cowboy. They meet when they take on a sheepherding job together, and form a romantic and sexual relationship which they keep secret from the rest of the world. While clandestine, their relationship prevails over the twenty years of their relationship, and perhaps even longer. The film is heartbreaking, fascinating and just reinforces how love is really universal.
Juno (2007)
Combine a quirky teenage girl, PennySaver adoption ads, “one doodle that can’t be undid,” and you’ve got yourself the memorable comedy-drama that is Juno. Independent and nonchalant highschooler Juno (Ellen Page) finds herself pregnant and decides to keep the baby. Over the next nine months, she builds a relationship with the baby’s future adoptive parents Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) and tries to come to terms with her real feelings for Bleeker (Michael Cera), the father of her baby. Juno seemingly maintains her spunk and fearlessness as her due date comes closer, and one begins to wonder what happens next for the young teenage couple.
Romantic films don’t always need that typical chick flick formula to make the viewers feel the love. All it takes is good, solid storytelling and romance can take care of itself.
Photo: “nick_and_norah's_infinite_playlist” by Marco, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved
Toni Tiu is a big fan of romantic movies, but gets tired of the predictable ones. These ten films are among her top favorites. Visit her personal blog at WifelySteps.com.
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