Feminist Chick Flicks

There are numerous chick flicks that make women look dumb.  They focus on average women’s mindsets or at least in their stereotypical form.  These films can be a great cheat sheet for men who want to understand women’s feelings.  On the flipside, bromances are the male counterpart of chick flicks.  They highlight men’s feelings in romantic situations, often in an exaggerated fashion.  The macho action films that used to star Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone were later headed with names like Kate Beckensale, Angelina Jolie, and of course Gal Gadot.

Aside from gender comparisons, there are classic films that not associated with the popcorny genre, chick-flick.  However, the following films have some attributes in common with chick-flick that deserve consideration.  Chick flicks are stereotyped to be shallow and romance focused, but some classics are romances starring women, or they bring out a heroine’s best qualities.  Here are my lists to debunk the callow perception of chick-flicks, and also to suggest some good movies you may not have seen yet.

Serious, Smart Chick Flicks

1.  Gone with the Wind (1939) – This timeless classic involves the ongoing love obsession of the main character.  In the midst of the Civil War, all Scarlet cares about is a man she can not have.  Despite Scarlet O’Hara’s anti-social qualities, it’s identifiable for someone to be centered in chaos and for unrequited love to still feel worse.

2.  The King and I (1956) – A woman brings peace between two nations and teaches children.

3.  The Sound of Music (1965) – A singing nun helps a family escape the Nazis, and touches the hearts of everyone.

4.  Titanic (1997) – A woman rejects an arranged marriage to a wealthy man, and ventures into the sinking ship to save her true love.  Unfortunately, she could not save him twice.

5.  Love Actually (2003) – Romantic and comical at times, this film merges the narratives of various people in different backgrounds, displaying love in its different forms.

6.  The Silence of the Lambs (1991) – An FBI agent interviews an incarcerated cannibal to help crack the case of a serial killer who preys on women.

7.  Penelope (2006) – The protagonist is a physically deformed woman, seeking love but also freedom.

8.  Hidden Figures (2016) – Three awesome black women work for NASA!

9.  Serendipity (2001) – It’s a love story involving chance, and love doesn’t happen immediately, only if the couple meets again.

10.  Amelie (2001) – It’s an artsy film about a woman lives life to understand what drives her, and wants to help others around her.  She seeks to return an item belonging to a previous tenant in her apartment unit.

11.  Persepolis (2007) – This film is based on an autobiographical comic book about a woman who lived through the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

12.  Ever After (1998) – It’s a Cinderella story taking place in the French Renaissance.  Drew Barrymore’s character wins the prince with her intelligence, and she doesn’t need to be rescued from the lecherous secondary villain.

Non-Romance Chick Flicks – or just not romance-centered.  Premises involve aspirations, friendship, womanly strength, fighting injustice, or shoes – with love being kept warm on the backburner.

1.  Tank Girl (1995) – A woman in a near-apocalyptic world seeks to overthrow a ruthless tyrant and saves a woman from her sexually harassing boss.  The duo and a pack of mutant kangaroos team up to stop the unjust government hoarding the world’s water supply.

2.  Bend it Like Beckham (2002) – Female soccer players aspire to win a championship while dealing with parental issues.

3.  Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) – Four friends with different personalities pass on an equally fitting pair of jeans throughout the summer.  Each girl leaves memoirs of their summer vacation on the jeans.

4.  Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997) – Two best friends who design their own clothes prepare for their high school reunion and dealing with their bullies.

5.  Nine to Five (1980) – Three female office employees exact vengeance on their male chauvinistic boss who is habitually rude and commits sexual harassment daily.

6.  View from the Top (2003) A woman aspires to leave her trailer park background behind to become a flight attendant and see the world.

7.  Miss Congeniality (2000) – An FBI Agent saves women by infiltrating a beauty pageant.

8.  Girl, Interrupted (1999) – The story surrounds a group of female psychiatric patients with varying disorders.

9.  G.I. Jane (1997) – A woman trains to pass the first step of becoming a Navy Seal in order for women to be integrated into the program.  Despite expectations of failure, she insists on meeting the men’s requirements.

10.  Sucker Punch (2011) – Seeing through the main character’s wild imagination, a group of female psychiatric patients empower each other, but their adventure ultimately leads to self-sacrifice.  This is more action; a chick-flick-kick film.

11.  She-Devil (1989) – This is the opposite of romance.  A woman gets revenge on her ex-husband, like a modern Medea.

12.  The Wizard of Oz (1939) – Referring to the meme’s caption:  Two chicks are fighting over shoes!  Enough said.

Originally a Facebook Note posted: October 23, 2017
Updated for Blogger: February 28, 2020