"How to loose a guy in 10 days" or Why I HATE Chick Flicks!

[Setzer]

Why does Rolling Stone magazine write about health care policy? Why does Playboy have interviews with foreign ambassadors? I'm not going to defend this film in particular since I haven't seen it, but that seems like an odd thing to focus on.

It's just a pet peeve of mine. Out of everything I saw in that movie, that struck me as especially stupid.

I'd have to take objection to this viewpoint. Writing can be an incredibly competitive field, and the position at a fashion magazine might have been the only thing available to her. I don't know if you noticed, but she did seem to be rather young, and that likely means she doesn't have a huge resume to get her where she wants to be, but is rather putting her nose to the grindstone in the place she has to be. And how do you get to the place you really want to be in writing? Doing good work at the place you have to be and hoping it gets noticed by the right people.

Point taken about the writing business. But I still can't blame the girl's boss for insisting people buy fashion magazines to read about fashion. And if she can't even manage that one simple thing, what are the odds she'll amount to anything in the industry?

[Dark Flame]

Case in point: The Breakup ends with both characters actually breaking up at the end and moving on, and my wife fucking hated it just because of the ending, because this kind of movie is supposed to be uplifting and optimistic, not gritty and 'ard and realistic.

You just put into words something that's been grating on my soul since I saw The Breakup. I have no other explanation as to why it fucked with my mind and left me in a daze after watching it. I was utterly shocked that it didn't end the way I expected it to end, and it really bugged me for a while.

Most of us here like, or have at least seen, the Star Wars Trilogy. TESB is a great movie (and I would say the best of the six) because it didn't end in triumph, it was a great movie and it was a different movie. However, that doesn't mean ANH is shitty because Luke vanquishes the bad guy. Being formulaic shouldn't be an indictment of a movie, especially if it's made to be like that.

Also, I believe I've found a great method to tolerate unenjoyable films with partner-type people. Watch it once to appease them, then, on another day suggest watching it again. Shortly after it begins, you realize that you've already seen it so you might as well find something else more entertaining to do, like make out. Hitch is actually one of my favorite movies, but the reason I've seen it so much is because I know it well enough that even if I miss a few minutes with other activities, I still know what's going on.

[Losonti Tokash]

Dude, just chill out. I was convinced I was going to hate Glee or Bring It On when my ex wanted me to watch them with her. I wasn't happy about it but, once they actually came on, I tried to be open minded and now I have a favorite tv show and a guilty pleasure of a movie.

[Styphon]

Chick flicks in general I tend to revile for being utterly formulaic and I would challenge anyone out there to name one, especially the males, to name one they actually enjoyed.

Among many others that I can't remember at the drop of a hat... 10 Things I Hate About You and 2 Weeks Notice. No, they're not shockingly original works of storytelling (one is explicitly rehashed Shakespeare), but it really is all about quirky/funny dialogue and the likability of the leads.

[Liberty]

I also have some problems with Chick Flicks.

I just watched Wedding Planner. My gosh. It goes like this: wedding planner career girl gets rescued from an accident by dashing doctor, doctor turns out to be the groom in a wedding she's planning, wedding planner and doctor get ticked with each other while bride is clueless, wedding planner is set up with sweet awkward guy by her dad, agrees to marry him, both couples are to marry on the same day, at the last minute neither do, doctor goes after wedding planner on a motorcycle, and they all live happily ever after.

I mean, give me a break. The girl didn't even know the doctor, AT ALL. We're shown images of the doctor being sweet to the kids he works with (he's a pediatrician) and from that we're supposed to infer that he's a good guy. But then he acts like a jerk to his long time girlfriend and fiance, and suddenly "falls in love" with the wedding planner girl. Whom he knows NOTHING about!

Here is my problem with chick flicks: they have a totally unrealistic idea of love. The kind of love that they portray - happy flighty feelings - doesn't last if it's not replaced with something deeper. And yet, chick flicks always seem to have couples who know next to nothing about each other suddenly dumping their dreams (the wedding planner suddenly drops her chance to become a partner in her business) to marry each other. It just seems so contrived.

Now if you want to see chick flick done well, read Pride and Prejudice. That's my standard for a good chick flick, one that involves real character development and the characters actually getting to know each other, and romances that are anything but simple.

Anyway, there are my two cents.

[PeZook]

Again, summer romantic comedies are like action movies for women: it's not hard to find better, more artistic romance stories (I agree with your point on Pride And Prejudice, though it's not perfect by any stretch), and there are excellent action movies that avoid cliches, have an interesting intrigue and memorable characters...

But just as a man sometimes wants to see the protagonist just killfuck the bad guys and bring justice to the opressed using the universal language of extreme violence, a woman sometimes wants to see a world where love is simple and obvious and lasts a lifetime. And both for the same reason: because it's a pleasant fantasy. You don't need to remind the audience that 50% of marriages end up in divorce, or that high speed car chases with copious amounts of gunfire have a nasty habit of maiming and killing civilians in the process - they know that!

[LaCroix]

While I must admit to enjoy some of the chick flicks, I also liked "how to loose a guy in 10 days", although it made me pop a blood vessel while in cinema with my wife.

It really did. I was sitting there, watching the scene where she interrupted the poker game, and got so upset by the shit she pulled that a blood vessel on the outside of my left cheek. I had to run out of the theater, into the restrooms with blood flowing down my cheek to stem the flow. Took me 15 minutes.

And I was nice enough to tell my wife she should stay seated, and returned to watch the rest of the movie. With a completely blood-stained shit.