Matt Shea
RubySoho
Morgan Bell
Cibbuano
David O'Connell
Mountain Fog
Taking chick-flicks back!
September 2nd 2008 23:14
This week, Anne Bilson wrote an interesting piece on the Guardian Film Blog, questioning why the term 'chick-flick' has come to represent the lowest common denominator of predictable romantic comedies.
I strongly agree with Bilson - after all, we don't call terribly written, poorly-acted action movies as 'dude-flicks', even though the audience is mostly male.
Why, then, do we have to associate romantic comedies -especially the nauseating ones put out by Hollywood- as 'chick-flicks'?
Back in 1939, men probably got all huffy and puffy about "The Women", a film based on a play by Clare Boothe Luce, which depicts a group of upper class socialites, lounging around, talking about men who are never shown. I have not seen this film, unfortunately, but it has been preserved by the US Film Registry as 'culturally significant'.
Here are a collection of one-liners from the movie:
The motivation for Bilsons article on the sad nature of the 'chick-flick' is the trailer for the 2008 remake of "The Women". Bilson writes:
"The trailer for The Women has been filling me with dread. Shopping, nail varnish, having a baby, sassy girlfriends spouting brassy one-liners and the art of finding, keeping or standing by your man - all the usual chick-flick boxes are well and truly ticked. It's like Sex and the City all over again."
The trailer for "The Women (2008)":
While I haven't seen either movie, the original play suggests, from Wikipedia:
"The play is an acidic commentary on the pampered lives and power struggles of various wealthy Manhattan socialites and up-and-comers and the gossip that propels and damages their relationships."
From the trailer, it looks like the 2008 remake strips the play of the social commentary, leaving just the wealth, glamour and gossip.
I sympathize with Bilson, if this is the type of movie that she's expected to like, merely because she's a woman.
Furthermore, I *hate* the word 'chick-flick' for this reason. By linking romantic comedies with the word 'chick', we've simultaneously debased the female audience AND made the movie inaccessible for men.
I don't mind - I enjoy romantic comedies, too. Films like "Some Like it Hot" and "Annie Hall" could both be considered romantic comedies, but they're both two of my favourite movies.
Instead of resorting to anger, Bilson has taken the route that has disarmed many other offensive words: she's re-appropriating it to mean something else.
"Isn't it time we expanded the definition of "chick-flick" to include more exciting elements?"
*this image is from Steer Forth blog.
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Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
I don't think that all we read or watch needs to be serious and/or informative, there are times when all I want to do is have a good laugh and some escapism.
Tracy
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Looks like a chick-flick to me.
But it's got Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the lead.
So I think I'll join her.
Cibby, I see you're changing your banner on a weekly basis now? Are they your own "rotoscopes"?
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Bryn, Make It Happen? I'm not familiar with that one...
don't know if I'll change them on a weekly basis, thought I'd get up a Lebowski in honour of the 10 year anniversary of the Dude.
ok,ok categories...
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
I think I might have me a White Russian at work tonight
Comment by MrMan
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Malena is on because, though I wouldn't consider it a chick flick either, a lot of men would denigrate it by calling it a chick-flick, especially since it has subtitles...
Bryn, enjoy your movie and your White Russian...!
Comment by Miswanderlust
Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy
Great points. Thanks for the link to the Guardian post.
Mis