You’ll be delighted to watch these alone, with your partner, girlfriends, a pet, mom, sister – depending on the title and its best matching situation. It would be inappropriate to play a rom-com to a friend who recently divorced or broke up, but a movie on girl power and self-confidence will definitely be a useful treat which will help her get over it and move on. The motivating one-liners will pop up in her mind when most needed to bust the blues.
Still, most chick flicks serve just for fun, either for a girls’ night in, or as a clubbing warm up. They help us relax after work and we really shouldn’t expect huge artistic value but simply enjoy putting on the pink glasses. I’m listing the top 10 chick flicks of all time in chronological order, as they were created.
1. Gone With the Wind
The great thing about this 1939 classic is your granny and your mom know all about it so you should watch it as well, not only to be able to understand the conversational references made to it, but to find out why it has become an important part of global female culture.
You can’t but fall in love with the iconic character Scarlett O’Hara and her epic love and life story set in the Old South. This is one of those films you can watch over and over again. You’ll want to make sure your daughters and grand daughters watch it some day too as a legacy.
2. The Wizard of Oz
Another 1939 classic is perfect for a quiet cuddled up evening with your kids, but also if you feel sentimental and simply need a whiff of your own childhood. The touching story of Dorothy and her dog whirled up in a tornado can teach your kids right human values through adventures of the unlikely gang Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow who believe they need the almighty Wizard of Oz to gain the lacking qualities.
The Wicked Witch of the West is a villain who is likely to inspire your next Halloween outfit. Make a large batch of popcorn and have fun watching it as a grown up allegorical story of maturing process. Don’t forget to follow your own yellow brick path.
3. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Perfect time to watch it: a rainy day in, either alone or cuddled up with your partner. This 1961 classic made Audrey Hepburn a timeless style icon. She inspired countless fashion designers, hair stylists and make up artists to make women look as graceful and classy as her.
The funny East Side story about emotionally immature Holly Golightly is full of memorable punch-lines like: “A girl can’t read that sort of thing without her lipstick.” You’ll be tweeting and sharing them as the movie runs.
Some are perfect for topical quoting in different situations, namely: “Promise me one thing: don’t take me home until I’m drunk – very drunk indeed.” It’s fun to notice how they still kick in fifty years after they were written. Two most epic scenes worth of playing over and over again are Paul Varjak’s preaching and the Cat saving rainy street scene. Prepare your tissues for some happy tears.
4. You’ve Got Mail
“A Meg Ryan movie” has become somewhat of a subcategory in its own right, an idiom which stands for light and cute fun for whole family. Stock up with popcorn and ice cream to make out the most of watching it. For more active times, watch it over working out on the treadmill or even on your lap top while commuting and travelling.
As much as it is difficult to decide on the best one, “You’ve Got Mail” is the most representative Meg Ryan chick flick. Not only it brings back Meg and Tom Hanks as the couple who enchanted us in “Sleepless in Seattle”, but it features a charming storyline about anonymous online dating and professional conflict. It’s such fun to revisit times when the internet and e-mailing were still a fresh concept.
5. He’s Just Not That Into You
Every one of us becomes more or less like Gigi after the first date, staring into our mobile’s display as if it’ll make him call sooner. When he doesn’t, endless consultations with friends start, and we tend to make a science out of the situation instead of facing a simple truth – the title of this movie. The fact that most viewers can identify with some of the characters has made this chick flick one of the most recommended one among women world wide. It’s smart, funny, healing and features a brilliant cast.
The stunning Scarlet Johansson showed once again what a genuine Hollywood diva is all about, while Jennifer Aniston enacted a universal girl trauma when a long-term boyfriend just isn’t proposing yet. Ben Affleck is her stereotype counterpart portraying a guy afraid of marital committing. Drew Barrymore points out the modern day dating complications caused by all the advanced communication technologies we use. How to watch it? With the girls! Keep the boyfriends and husbands away.
6. Girl, Interrupted
Graceful Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie at her most hypnotic tell a touching story about female bonding in a setting less than usual for a chick flick. This girl movie with a twist is set in an upscale private mental clinic where Winona’s sixties’ teenage character Daisy willingly ends up after gulping down huge amounts of alcohol and aspirin. When should you watch it?
Plan a winter evening with the girls, because the characters and their unpredictable actions cause a lot of comments revealing who your friends identify with. Need more reasons to watch it? Whoopi Goldberg, Brittany Murphy and Vanessa Redgrave top off the legendary star cast.
7. Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2
Your man has just broke up with you, or even worse, you found out he’s been cheating on you. Hold it! Don’t act out just yet. Take a deep breath, click the play button and enjoy an evening of Quentin Tarantino’s medicine. Yes, it’s just what you need: a two-part brutal masterpiece which will help you let the steam out. Right from the start, the opening proverbial quote: “Revenge is a dish best served cold” will set the mood and suck you into the bloody plot.
Fabulous Uma Thurman’s rendition of the Bride character empowers women, showing the importance of permanent practice and die-hard persistence. I’m not suggesting you should hurt your ex, but to play Kill Bill 1&2 over and over again whenever you feel down to get pumped up with the adrenaline and muster the self-confidence needed to move on.
In real life, to forget the jerk who hurt you is to Kill Bill. Watching mode: all alone. Bonus: get the soundtrack, you’ll be jogging or even practicing martial arts to it for years to come.
8. Sex and the City Vol. 1 & 2
Another popular movie-marathon tip. This one’s obviously best enjoyed with the girls and your gay friends. It serves great as an unwinding therapy after work when you’re just too exhausted to think about real life issues. Samantha, Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda are as fun as ever, going through impossible situations and sweet Abu Dhabi escape in the sequel. You’ll love the witty remarks, the costumes and of course, the shoes. Not to mention Mr. Big and reappearing Aidan. Recommended watching mode: cocktails and high heels.
9. Pretty Woman
There’s something irresistibly charming in Julia Robert’s portrayal of a prostitute gone Cinderella character Vivian who made this early nineties blockbuster a classic. Chances are you know at least someone who keeps the famous Roy Orbison’s song as their cell ring tone. It’s always fun to revisit the fairytale-ending plot while enjoying Vivian’s snappy remarks at the same time. “Pretty Woman” is so much more than just another memorable chick flick. If you watch it in a group of friends, debating on the message the movie conveys becomes inevitable. Degrading for women or not, it remains as popular as ever.
10. Lost in Translation
Another Scarlett Johansson’s stunning performance dealing with one of the general life clichés, male middle-age crisis, generation gap and a girl falling for a married man. Still, the story is not that banal, it’s intelligent and subtle. It’s not as much about cheating as about the painful reality of growing apart from one’s partner and entering the dangerous zone of seeing other people instead of working on your own relationship.
You’re welcome to share your own chick flick favorites in the comment section. It’s great to compare lists as our sensibilities differ, and you may have seen an awesome movie others have no idea about.
Cover photo: www.whatsonwilmington.com
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