<ol>
<li><p>There’s a subtle difference between chick flicks and “date movies” that we’re not acknowledging here. The latter usually involve compromises to make them more palatable to 18-32 year-old boys – like telling the story from the point-of-view of a male protagonist, especially if he does really manly things (like shooting people or sports), limiting the number of female characters (see below), having the women get naked . . . </p></li>
<li><p>It is shocking how many of the chick flicks nominated here would fail (or barely pass) the famous Bechdel Test (created by graphic artist Alison Bechdel):</p></li>
</ol>
<p>– Does a movie have two or more female characters whose names are clear?
– Do those women talk to one another?
– About something other than men?</p>
<p>While plenty of movies that appeal to women flunk the test, it’s equally upsetting that a movie that passes it is overwhelmingly likely to appeal primarily to women. And if you flipped the genders around . . . maybe 98% of movies would pass (but the ones that didn’t would definitely be chick flicks).</p>
<ol>
<li> My wife, who generally dislikes films with subtitles, but generally likes chick flicks, really loved a Lebanese film called Caramel, about the lives and loves of a bunch of women working in a beauty salon in Beirut.</li>
</ol>