What do you think of "chick flicks?"

Contributor: Timaree Timaree
Are they Fun escapism?
Do they reinforce stereotypes and unrealistic expectations?
Are they revealing about the differences between the sexes?
How about being under-valued because they are directed towards women?
08/06/2010
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Contributor: Gunsmoke Gunsmoke
My wife loves them - I can't be bothered. I guess that's how they get their name!
08/06/2010
Contributor: Envy Envy
I find them real boring.
08/06/2010
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by Timaree
Are they Fun escapism?
Do they reinforce stereotypes and unrealistic expectations?
Are they revealing about the differences between the sexes?
How about being under-valued because they are directed towards women?
It depends on the movie. Some reinforce horrible stereotypes and can cause some women to have unrealistic expectations of HOW men act and put many "shoulds" in their relationships.
"But, he didn't give me the Fairy Tale. He should have." Please.

IMO, one of the most dangerous movies ever made was "Pretty Woman." It gave us the stereotype that it's FUN to be a streetwalker, gave us NO insight into the STDs, diseases, abuse from pimps and Johns, drug addiction, etc that many, but not all street workers often have to deal with. It also gave women the stupid impression that there IS a "Fairy Tale" (which there isn't) and that ANYBODY can get any rich, successful man, when in reality, those men are nearly always "snatched up" by the daughters of other rich successful men. Men like this don't go slumming for wives.

Not as an offense to street walkers, but in most cases one would have about as much luck in marrying a rich, kind, successful businessman, as I would have marrying Johnny Depp. And, if it did happen, you don't think her past wouldn't be thrown in her face EVERY TIME they had an argument?

I just hate ANY romantic movies, I guess. I liked "Fried Green Tomatoes" (Although it was completely different than the book and the book was better) and "How to Sew an American Quilt" but IMO, "romance movies" are silly, a waste of time, and give one false hope of riches, wealth, and Prince Charmings, no matter what our OWN frailties might be.

I'd rather watch shit blowing up. Looking forward to "The Expendables." Much better fantasies of the guys in this movie than some simpering, pasty "nice guy" in most chick flicks, for my taste. Either that or some Art House movie. Sid and Nancy was the last "romance" movie I liked.
08/06/2010
Contributor: kinky girlfriend kinky girlfriend
Quote:
Originally posted by Timaree
Are they Fun escapism?
Do they reinforce stereotypes and unrealistic expectations?
Are they revealing about the differences between the sexes?
How about being under-valued because they are directed towards women?
Only thing I really care about if I like a movie or not. I don't care if its labeled chick flick. I like it or not Mean girls or Ever After are some I like and their labeld chick flicks, a guy can enjoy the movies too but they are called chick flixs probly because more girls watch them or some are love storys. Alot of guys just aren't interested in those movies. Some just watch them because it's wat the other people their with wanted to watch. I don't believe the things in movies and they don't give me certain expectations. They are a nice escape I enjoy them. like twilight love those.
08/06/2010
Contributor: El-Jaro El-Jaro
Some are ok. I think a lot of them do reinforce unrealistic expectations, but I'm not going to list examples.

There are some I do like though: Bridget Jones' Diary, Buz Luhrman's take on Romeo and Juliet, and Frida.

I'm also not a big fan of mainstream comedies. British Comedies are funny as hell though.
08/06/2010
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by El-Jaro
Some are ok. I think a lot of them do reinforce unrealistic expectations, but I'm not going to list examples.

There are some I do like though: Bridget Jones' Diary, Buz Luhrman's take on Romeo and Juliet, and Frida. ... more
The Bridget Jones books were hilarious. I laughed out loud. The movies, eh, not so much. But, they were certainly better than the "romantic" type.
08/06/2010
Contributor: kck kck
Where's the dislike button?
08/06/2010
Contributor: gone77 gone77
I don't like most chick flicks, but I enjoyed Pretty Woman. I think it was mostly because of Julia Robert's performance and the chemistry she had with Gere. One chick flick I adore is Steel Magnolias. It featured strong and funny women who were great characters. Now that I'm older I find what I perceive to be flaws with Julia Robert's character's choices, but I still like the movie. Shirley McLaine and Olympia Dukakis are hilarious in the movie.

As for chick flicks being unrealistic and reinforcing stereotypes, they must tap into something with female audiences because a lot do so well. I think people tend to forget that movies are meant to escapism and to be taken with a grain of salt. Anyone who bases their lives on what they see in the movies are in for a big surprise, and are incredibly naive. They call it suspension of disbelief for a reason.

But, yanno, a lot of chick flicks suck, suspension of disbelief or no.
08/06/2010
Contributor: Blinker Blinker
I haaaaaate them. Hate. Loathe. They disgust me with their "Omg I HATE this guy but we're gonna get into some romance and then a problem will happen and I'll fall in lurve with him!"...BAH! It's insulting! No wonder men think most women are insane!
08/06/2010
Contributor: Chilipepper Chilipepper
They're usually about people that would have tormented me in high school, so I have no sympathy for such characters. I'd rather watch 'Legend' or 'Princess Bride' if I want a fairy tale romance.
08/06/2010
Contributor: Sammi Sammi
I really don't watch them - not enough blood and explosions for me . There's just something about them that doesn't appeal to me, and they aren't something my husband would watch.
08/06/2010
Contributor: FAM4LIFE FAM4LIFE
Yeah, I can't stand them. I can hardly stand a romantic comedy, let alone a full-on chick flick!
08/07/2010
Contributor: El-Jaro El-Jaro
Quote:
Originally posted by Chilipepper
They're usually about people that would have tormented me in high school, so I have no sympathy for such characters. I'd rather watch 'Legend' or 'Princess Bride' if I want a fairy tale romance.
Legend rocks for so many reasons and The Princess Bride is even better.
08/07/2010
Contributor: Dusk Dusk
I definitely think they reinforce gender stereotypes and the idea of everyone fitting into their prescribed gender roles, but I still enjoy watching them. I think it's important to be educated (and educate others) on the unconscious effect these films can have on those watching them, but I think if we're conscious of the misconceptions and such then they can still be enjoyable. For example, I'm certainly going to let my kids watch Disney movies, but I'll also be teaching them about gender roles and how the media is twisting them into necessity

Also, my favourite movie is Ever After ^^
08/08/2010
Contributor: Alicia Alicia
Quote:
Originally posted by Timaree
Are they Fun escapism?
Do they reinforce stereotypes and unrealistic expectations?
Are they revealing about the differences between the sexes?
How about being under-valued because they are directed towards women?
I think a lot depends on why you're watching the movie and what you want to get out of it.

I don't think they reinforce stereotypes and unreal expectations because I think of them as a MOVIE, they're not real..so I don't expect things to be like that in real life or people to act the way that the people in movies do.

Are they revealing about differences between the sexes? Well I think that depends on the writer and the director really..since you're not seeing people's real emotions you're seeing actors playing a part that was created for them. It's all just a vision that is being portrayed, not reality.

I don't think that they are under-valued because they're directed towards women. Plenty of men like "chick flicks" too. My husband watches them with me and while we both agree that they all follow the same basic plot.that doesn't mean that the movie won't be interesting or funny along the way..it just means we can call the ending before we even see it.
08/08/2010
Contributor: Alicia Alicia
Quote:
Originally posted by El-Jaro
Legend rocks for so many reasons and The Princess Bride is even better.
I just watched Princess Bride again last night with my 5 year old, we now have a new Princess Bride fan in the house..he LOVED it. His only complaint though was "I think they should have gotten that giant man a bigger horse, I think he's gonna break that horse's back and that's not cool". LOL
08/08/2010
Contributor: NymphetamineKiss NymphetamineKiss
It depends on the film for me - there are many that I can't stand but I love SATC and a few others. I think it helps to take them with a giant truckload of salt (a pinch would never do!) and watch them for mindless, almost switched-off entertainment.
08/08/2010
Contributor: Wayne Kerr Wayne Kerr
As long as we're bashing chick flicks, can we please bash the hell out of the lifetime channel?

Movies geared toward women are fine with me as long as I'm not expected to watch them. (Unless they're full of witty banter and strong, intelligent characters). I don't expect my wife to watch some of the stuff that interests me, either.

Movies that merely illustrate (or even celebrate) dysfunction? I can't stand them and it makes me sad when a woman dear to me lets people in our house, through the TV, who we otherwise would never allow in our house.

I agree with everyone else who loves "The Princess Bride". Loved it as a teen, and my kids love it, too. I'd like to also suggest "The War", with Kevin Costner and Elijah Wood. It's not for really young kids, but it's one you and your teens can watch and laugh and cry together.

Wayne.
08/08/2010
Contributor: El-Jaro El-Jaro
Yeah, not a fan of Lifetime.

It seems that almost every one of their movies bashes men in some way, shape, or form. The ex-husband who won't pay child support, the creeper who's looking to rape a woman, the headstrong dominant male trying to keep the female lead character down...all negative. YET the positive male characters are very much in touch with their emotions. There's also a lot of product placement and glamorizing of the commercial consumer lifestyle.
08/08/2010
Contributor: Chilipepper Chilipepper
Quote:
Originally posted by El-Jaro
Yeah, not a fan of Lifetime.

It seems that almost every one of their movies bashes men in some way, shape, or form. The ex-husband who won't pay child support, the creeper who's looking to rape a woman, the headstrong dominant male ... more
LOL My mom and I call it TVC - The Victim Channel.
08/08/2010
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by Wayne Kerr
As long as we're bashing chick flicks, can we please bash the hell out of the lifetime channel?

Movies geared toward women are fine with me as long as I'm not expected to watch them. (Unless they're full of witty banter and ... more
HATE the Lifetime Channel. "Men are all rapists and wife beaters and cheaters and you are better off alone, with your female friends to commiserate." Staring Valerie Bertinelli, Farrah Fawcett etc.

I hate the Lifetime channel. More dangerous than "Pretty Woman" IMO.
08/08/2010
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by Chilipepper
LOL My mom and I call it TVC - The Victim Channel.
The Victim Channel. I love it. I have a new name for this hated network. Thank You!
08/08/2010
Contributor: El-Jaro El-Jaro
Quote:
Originally posted by P'Gell
The Victim Channel. I love it. I have a new name for this hated network. Thank You!
ditto
08/08/2010
Contributor: joja joja
I've never liked chick flicks, and could never wrap my mind around why other women liked them. I usually find the stereotypes and assumptions about what women want insulting.
08/09/2010
Contributor: Gary Gary
Quote:
Originally posted by Chilipepper
LOL My mom and I call it TVC - The Victim Channel.
Ha, nice. We always called the History channel the Hitler Channel. There are a lot of things on now but 15 years it was WWII documentaries 24/7.
08/09/2010
Contributor: Gary Gary
The bulk of movies in any genre usually suck, and then there are always a few exceptions. I happened to love the Bridges of Madison County, the Note Book, and Pretty Woman!
08/09/2010
Contributor: Annemarie Annemarie
Quote:
Originally posted by Timaree
Are they Fun escapism?
Do they reinforce stereotypes and unrealistic expectations?
Are they revealing about the differences between the sexes?
How about being under-valued because they are directed towards women?
I really don't care if they're "chick flicks" or "dude flicks" or whatever.

If I like it, I like it. If I don't, I don't. I like some chick flicks. I don't like some chick flicks. Meh.
08/09/2010
Contributor: AU AU
I get really upset when someone says, "You should watch this great movie, it's really cute". The only thing I want to watch that is really cute are kitties and puppies and bunnies and baby deer. Not movies about feelings and personal growth and sisterhood, or whatever chick flicks are about. I suppose I have seen some I liked OK, but it's not a genre I'm usually open to. I don't really like a lot of movies, though. I usually see maybe 5 a year. Usually they aren't very recent, they are often pretty old and fairly violent.
08/09/2010
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by Gary
Ha, nice. We always called the History channel the Hitler Channel. There are a lot of things on now but 15 years it was WWII documentaries 24/7.
Hahahaha. My Man and I call it The Hitler Channel too. As you said, they have expanded from almost exclusively WWII and Nazi things in the past 10 years or so.
08/10/2010