God help us all: Chick flicks of the '80s
Because sometimes I even use an online dictionary ... "CHICK FLICKS: Movies with melodramatic themes that appeal more to the stereotypical interests of females than males. Also commonly called romantic comedies, chick flicks often are tearjerkers with female characters, fairy tale storylines or tales of feminine bonding."
(What, so no Dragnet here?) I'm proud to say I own exactly two movies that would fall squarely in this category: When Harry Met Sally and Flashdance, though the Vegas Girlfriend tells me there is way too much T&A in Flashdance for it to be a chick flick. (As if!)
Which brings me to the point of today's item: In this week's Stuck in the '80s podcast, we're covering the Top 10 Chick Flicks of the '80s. We're still formulating the final list, so feel free to join in. There are obvious frontrunners -- Steel Magnolias, Beaches -- but also a ton of borderline picks like Say Anything, Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles.
Here are some others we're not sure about:
AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMEN (1982): Can a movie where Richard Gere gets kicked in the testicles really be a chick flick? That seems like a plot line that males and females can equally enjoy.
THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987): Inconceivable! Princess Buttercup goes all submissive when the Dread Pirate Roberts arrives.
HEATHERS (1989): Personally I don't buy this one as a chick flick, but I suspect I'll be outvoted by this week's guest co-hosts. How very.
THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN (1981): Umm, did anyone actually see this movie? For all I know, it's a war movie. (Which is the only way it'll find its way on the Netflix queue anytime soon.)
Feel free to add some other non-obvious picks.
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Are you kidding me? "Red Dawn" is like Spanish Fly to any respectable 80s chick!
Posted by: Spears | January 05, 2009 at 02:07 PM
So if the definition of chick flix is movies men can't stand, do we call films that only appeal to guys (and women hate being dragged to) Pr*ck Flix? Well, hello Rambo.
Posted by: Sharon | January 05, 2009 at 01:59 PM
I like all your choices, Steve, but can't remember Steel Magnolias or The French Lieutenant's Woman. I barely remember seeing Beaches. Those 3 are probably all "chick flicks". Eh, I like a good romance now and then, but there has to be blood in there somewhere. A good explosion or two helps as well...
As for The Princess Bride, I don't care what you classify that as because it was damn funny. Loved it.
Posted by: John | January 04, 2009 at 09:45 PM
Terms of Endearment- Definitely must be on the list.
Dirty Dancing- also- one of the best erotic scenes in a non porn movie and without nudity!
Posted by: Karen | January 04, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Yes! Mystic Pizza! Who doesn't love Annabeth Gish in anything she does! And Satisfaction is also great and ties back to Shag through Scott Coffey.
Posted by: | January 04, 2009 at 11:10 AM
Guys, I asked my wife last night what would be in her top 80's chick flicks and the first movie she said was Top Gun. I kid you not.
How about a couple that I have not seen mentioned:
The Man From Snowy River
Return To Snowy River
Both are excellent movies. I also believe that if you have anything to do with horses that it is required that you watch these movies.
Dirty Dancing, Steel Magnolias (which has some really good quotes in it), The Bodyguard (though it did not come out until '92), When Harry Met Sally (your New Years movie) and Working Girl. All definitely Chick Flicks.
Posted by: Rock Fields | January 04, 2009 at 11:04 AM
oops, misunderstood tara's comments about the bodyguard. i thought she was saying it was a whitney houston movie, with kevin costner as a co-star. as in, she got top billing. as for it being a chick flick, i don't know. i guess being that costner is my absolute fav actor might be clouding my judgement, but i never thought it was a chick flick. to me, not every movie with a romantic side, doesn't make it a chick flick. i mean, c'mon, guys have romantic sides as well. the bodyguard was originally intended for steve mcqueen, but got held up for years in development.
Posted by: CHAD | January 04, 2009 at 03:14 AM
Yes, I would think Shag and Mystic Pizza would be good additions. What about Satisfaction? Not a very good film, but a definite chick flick in my book. And another forgotten early Julia Roberts movie like Mystic Pizza.
Posted by: Eric S | January 03, 2009 at 08:24 PM
Shag is a great addition! Thanks, Candice.
Posted by: Michelle | January 03, 2009 at 11:13 AM
So glad Candice mentioned Shag. Great chick flick, and one I watched at many a slumber party. And I'm kinda surprised no one's nominated Mystic Pizza yet.
Posted by: PBJB | January 03, 2009 at 07:56 AM
Back away from the remote....THE PRINCESS BRIDE? That is not a chick flick. When a guy brings that movie to a dinner date and laughs thru the whole movie, sounds like it is more a GUY flick. Worst date of my life!!
Posted by: DJ Wave | January 03, 2009 at 06:03 AM
I can't believe that Top Gun and Rocky are mentioned as chick flicks?! Come on now. They may have some homoerotic stuff in them, but that doesn't make them chick flicks.
I don't think any of the John Hughes movies (directed or involved in) can be considered chick flicks. Sixteen Candles-no way. Some Kind of Wonderful-no no no. I could be swayed with Pretty in Pink. Because the title itself could be construed as chick flick material and it is more female oriented than Sixteen Candles or Breakfast Club or Some Kind of Wonderful.
Flashdance-no no no. I think female nudity discounts a movie automatically from chick flickdom.
About Last Night is so far away from a chick flick it isn't even funny. Great film.
Beaches Terms of Endearment and Steel Magnolias are definitely chick flicks. Beaches should actually be called the Queen of all chick flicks. Dirty Dancing is a chick flick.
Lucas a chick flick?! No no no.
I guess Ever After could be a chick flick. I did like the movie and don't feel bad about it either. Working Girl is another good choice as a chick flick. That is another film that I did enjoy.
Would have to agree with Tara on The Bodyguard. That is a chick flick. Sure Kevin Costner does have more screen time than Whitney, but that movie was aimed primarily at females. Thus making it a chick flick.
I think the ending of Officer and a Gentleman puts it in the chick flick category. A guy in uniform sweeps the woman away from a bad job. The whole Price Charming theme.
Some good posts. I do agree that romantic comedies don't necessarily have to be chick flicks. I don't think they have to be dramas though. I didn't see Sex and the City but I would think that is a chick flick and a romantic comedy as well.
Posted by: Eric S | January 03, 2009 at 03:49 AM
Heathers contained too much killing and too much of Christian Slater' s bad Jack Nicholson impersonation to be considered a chick flick. Terms of Endearment (which oddly enough had the real Jack Nicholson) and Steel Magnolias are definitely chick flicks. Grandfather in Fried Green Tomatoes. Sophie's Choice is a major chick flick, and Dirty Dancing must make the list.
Posted by: Bassnote | January 02, 2009 at 11:59 PM
Not that I actually watch any of these movies:
Sophie's Choice - Ok, I've seen this one.
Moonstruck - This one too.
Agnes of God - Yep, saw this one also.
The Color Purple - A couple of times.
Out of Africa - Couldn't pay me to...
Lucas - Umm. yeah. Seen it.
Dream A Little Dream (Both Corey's in one movie, yea!) - Actually saw this on a date. Boring. The movie and the date.
Posted by: Kevy Metal | January 02, 2009 at 11:59 PM
WORKING GIRL
Perhaps I'm the only one who'd consider this a chick flick. Hot men, big hair, outlandish make-up and a seemingly dingy chick takes control and gets the great job and Harrison Ford packing her a lunch by movies' end. Chicky enough for me!
Posted by: Marissa | January 02, 2009 at 09:51 PM
I totally agree that Flashdance in NOT a chick flick. I'm a chick and it does NOTHING for me.
Posted by: 80sfan | January 02, 2009 at 08:24 PM
so there will be a podcast tomorrow, WOO WHO.
Posted by: CHAD | January 02, 2009 at 08:10 PM
ok tara, not to be mean or anything like that, but the bodyguard is defenitely a kevin costner movie. yes, she's in it, but he is the star. she merely has a co-starring role. i agree with ian, a rom com isn't always a chick flick. i also wouldn't place top gun, or rocky as a chick flick. especially rocky, who would think it's a chick flick. other than field of dreams, i can't think of another movie that grown men cry when watching.
Posted by: CHAD | January 02, 2009 at 08:10 PM
Not only is my Shag my favorite Chick Flick from the 80s, it is my favorite Chick Flick of all time. It's the movie I choose to bring to a desert island, or more likely, the slumber party where we all choose our most favorite feel good/guilty pleasure movies to share with the others.
And I know you guys have some Pheobe Cates love!
Posted by: Candice | January 02, 2009 at 06:25 PM
Rob - Beaches was 1988
Posted by: Debra | January 02, 2009 at 05:33 PM
friggin typepad messed my reply up again. anyway, some kind of wonderful, can't buy me love and cocktail deal with love but are not chick flicks. the first 2 are about a guy figuring out who he is and what is important in life so by definition they are not chick flicks. cocktail is more about the relationship between 2 male friends and less so about the romance so it too is not a chick flick. just because there is romance and love does not mean it's a chick flick. my original post said it better.
Posted by: don in tulsa | January 02, 2009 at 05:28 PM
Did "Beaches" come out in 1989 or 1990? Either way, it should be grandfathered in, because many of the flashbacks took place in the 80's, right?
That movie definitely comes to mind when I hear the word, "Chick Flick" (I liked it though...)
Posted by: Rob Bass from Chicago | January 02, 2009 at 04:49 PM
My father likes "chick flicks" but hates that term. I personally prefer a good action adventure or sci fi movie. A good chick flick - Whitney Houston's The Bodyguard. An Officer and a Gentleman. Terms of Endearment.
Posted by: Tara | January 02, 2009 at 04:17 PM
And "Princess Bride" is a fairy tale with true love winning out at the end.
Posted by: Michelle | January 02, 2009 at 12:29 PM
I'm going to make a less obvious pick:
Fatal Attraction.
It doesn't really have those touchy-feely, romantic, new-age themes (like Beaches or Steel Magnolias), but I remember stumbling out of the theater when it was over, casting shell-shocked glances at my date, who was sporting an eerily smug grin. I can't think of a movie that hit the genders so differently.
To quote Tom Hanks in "Sleepless in Seattle" (which would cetainly be on the late Bryan Adam's list of "Top Chick Flicks of the 90"s"):
"I saw it! And it scared the sh@t outta me! It scared the sh@t outta every man in America!"
Posted by: Jeff in Cuba | January 02, 2009 at 12:02 PM
The empowerment of "9 to 5" surely ranks as a chick flick. "Steel Magnolias" is a celebration of girlfriends, humor and tears. "Somewhere in Time" is a lovely romance with easy on the eyes Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour.
Posted by: Michelle | January 02, 2009 at 11:55 AM
Re: Neil
While I would agree (to a certain extent) on your point about Rocky, Top Gun, and Jerry McGuire, I would hardly put them into 'chick flick' status. I can see your point that the romantic stuff is front an center, but that doesn't make it a chick flick.
I think it is going to be difficult to agree on a standard definition of chick flick - so maybe that would be an interesting discussion to have in a podcast. I think a lot of people would equate rom-coms with chick flicks, but I (personally) would not. Even Wikipedia equates them as one genre (probably written by a woman). Personally, I think that there is a universal difference between chick flicks and rom-coms. I believe that chick flicks while occasionally funny, are dramas that focus on overly dramatic themes (love, loss, death, etc). Rom-Coms, while they can be dramatic at times, are comedies at heart that focus on the romance/love aspects of life while still remaining comedies. Harry/Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, Serendipidy, Notting Hill (IMO) are all Rom-Coms while I would consider films like Beaches, Terms of Endearment, Ever After, Steel Mags, and Pretty Woman chick flicks (although PW is VERY close to rom-com).
In any case, I think there is a fine line between the two genres (but there is a line).
Posted by: Ian | January 02, 2009 at 11:53 AM
"St. Elmo's Fire" anyone? What about "About Last Night" ?
Posted by: Debra | January 02, 2009 at 11:39 AM
Chick Flicks:
Dirty Dancing,Nine To Five,Terms of Endearment,Some Kind of Wonderful,Can`t Buy Me Love,Electric Dreams,Footloose,Mannequin,Cocktail,Top Gun,Blind Date.From the ones you mentioned i do think An Officer and a Gentleman and The Princess Bride(which i finally watched) are chick flicks.Heathers i don`t think so.
Posted by: Miguel | January 02, 2009 at 11:35 AM
This is for straight-forward chick flicks, and I doubt any John Hughes flicks will make the list.
We do have a few surprise picks in mind though.
Posted by: Spears | January 02, 2009 at 11:25 AM
noooooo .... 16 Candles is NOT a chick flick ... John Hughes movies are in a different category
Posted by: chase | January 02, 2009 at 11:04 AM
I can't believe that I'm the first one to mention Dirty Dancing. It is more of a teen chick flick, but still a chick flick.
Posted by: Dr. Dim | January 02, 2009 at 10:41 AM
There are certain movies that try to disguise themselves as a guy flick but will really be a chick flick. Rocky was one of those movies where it was a lot about the romance so Rocky is truly a chick flick with some boxing thrown in to appeal to the males. Also Jerry Maguire was one of those movies...and even Top Gun was more of a chick flick, yeah it had some really cool jet fighter scenes but who wants to see dudes with no shirts playing volley ball?
Posted by: Neil | January 02, 2009 at 10:32 AM
That is an excellent question, Ian. So what are you going for Spears? If it's the best Chick Flicks as picked by VGF and the FF, it may result in an almost unlistenable podcast!
Posted by: ian (in CT) | January 02, 2009 at 10:32 AM
I am not sure I am behind this poll. Are we going for the top ten chick flicks that also appeal to us men? Are we going for the simply the best movies that happen to be chick flicks? I am just not sure on the motivation behind all this. Personally (as a guy), I love When Harry Met Sally and I don't consider it a chick flick. The same can be said about Say Anything and Heathers (and even suggesting that Sixteen Candles is a chick flick is INSANE). While these movies have elements of chick flick movies, they are most certainly comedies that appear to both sexes. Whereas, Steel Magnolias and Beaches are sappy dramas should only appeal to the female species (and the occasional effeminate male).
Posted by: Ian | January 02, 2009 at 10:16 AM