"Valentine's Day" is out in theaters, Valentine's Day is around the corner, and the chick flick has never been more relevant. No matter what your go-to fuzzy-feelings inducer might be: "The Notebook," "Pride & Prejudice" or "Gone With The Wind," we have a certain set of guidelines to determining what the best chick flicks out there are.
But first, the type of film we are trying to identify needs to be cleared up. A quick glance at Urban Dictionary's definitions of "chick flick" leads us to become more and more disappointed. From "A film that has a happy, fuzzy, ridiculously unrealistic ending" to "A movie that embodies all that is wrong with the world," these definitions don't seem to capture the side of chick flicks that makes us love them.
Yes, there is no denying that some do indeed embody all that is wrong with the world (we won't even get started on "The Proposal"…okay, maybe we will), but there needs to be a clarification that not all chick flicks are created equal.
To start off with: the more unrealistic the story, the worse the film. A chick flick is an indulgence, an escape, and needs to be a believable outlet for the female in the audience to project themselves into. If the woman is too shrewish or obnoxious for the female to want to relate to (oh, hey Sandra Bullock in "The Proposal") or if it makes no sense why the couple ended up getting together (why did Ryan Reynolds end up liking her again?), then why would anyone want to see themselves as a part of that? The goal of a chick flick is to be the perfect love story without being perfect.
Which gets us to our next point: there doesn't have to be a happily ever after, as long as there was a great happily. Case in point: "Titanic," "Casablanca" and "(500) Days of Summer." Sure, the draw to each of those films varies — the first celebrates an epic love story that last for generations, the second the sacrifice a man makes for the sake of love and the third analyzes the various aspects of love — but the lesson remains the same. Sometimes it's the sacrifices that are made for love that are more important than actually having the couple end the film together.
What's more important is that the film tugs on the heart strings. It needs to be earnest, it needs to be honest, and it needs to be something anyone (even you, men) would want to be a part of. Filmmakers can't just throw two stars who seem like they'd be good enough together with a script that works on paper and expect magic to happen. Look at the past few months alone, with the terrible romantic films like "Leap Year," "When In Rome" and "Dear John." What is there to makes us care in those films? Then compare them to "An Officer and a Gentleman," "Breakfast At Tiffany's" and "The Notebook" and think about how the films are different.
Unfortunately, there is no one film that is perfect for everyone as we all have our tastes and preferences, which is why there was a wonderful creation called an ensemble romantic comedy. The granddaddy of this year's "Valentine's Day" was 2003's "Love Actually," which brought many prestigious British actors together to tell a variety of different stories about love. While "Love Actually" is best served piping hot at Christmas, it has lead to a trend including "Valentine's Day" and last year's "He's Just Not That Into You" that have a little something for everybody, and tend to be pretty good.
So when it comes time for the guys to bite the bullet and settle down to watch that movie their lady loves so much, they should remember that not all romances are made equally, and hopefully their girlfriend, spouse or "just friend" has found one that is palatable for male tastes (you might even like it and, even if you don't, she probably sat through "Highlander" or "Freddy Got Fingered" for you).
It can even be a learning experience for all of us. After all, what is it about that certain film that tugs your (or their) heart strings. Ah, the time of love is upon us.
What's your favorite chick flick of all time? What is the worst one you've ever seen? Will your guy sit through your favorite with you on Valentine's Day? Share your thoughts below or on Twitter @hollywoodcrush!
** Hollywood Crush Twitter