Who cares if the critics call it "formulaic"-- maybe I like the formula! |
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Looking ahead to DVDs to be released soon -- JUNO on Tuesday and 27 DRESSES the following Tuesday, it occurs to me that I never saw 27 DRESSES, and don't know when (or if) I will. It's not that I don't like Katherine Heigl (oh, but I do) and it's not that I have a problem with chick flicks—to the contrary, sometimes, there's nothing I enjoy more than a good chick flick, a glass of wine, and a cat on my lap. It's all part of the girliness I embrace. I'm even going to learn to crochet and sew, and find out what a flatiron is for.
The problem is time, or rather, my lack of time, to watch chick flicks and apply seaweed masks.
I work full time and teach two nights a week, so I don't go out many weeknights. And for two years now, I've had a significant other, which means most weekends are spent with him and also his son every other weekend, and the occurrence of us all wanting to see the same movie doesn't happen very often (in fact, the last time it happened was JUNO, and the s.o. didn't really want to see it, come to think of it). I neglect my friends, but most of them have their own significant others, anyway. When I was on my own, I'd see movies in the theater alone if no girlfriend was available, and that was fine with me. Two and a half years ago, saying I had a missed seeing a movie like 27 DRESSES--why, that would have been crazy talk. But here I am, happy to have adequate employment (money is good), happy to have an s.o. (romance and companionship are nice), but still lamenting some of those freedoms, like the freedom to stay out late on a school night, see whatever movie I want and not have to justify it to anyone or convince anyone else to see it with me. Call them guilty pleasures, call them chick flicks, say whatever you want. Here are some of my ____ (fill in the blank).
LOVE STORY (1970)
What can I add, really, to the discussion about the movie that created one of the most famous, 
If all else fails: frump up with pearls and pumps. |
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trite, and mocked taglines ever. This is a film that people watched, heck, continue to watch, even though the ending is given away in the first line. Not hinted at, not suggested, but told. Flat out. She dies. He tells us that, first thing. Before we even know what a dick his father is, we know the preppie is a widower. If ever a chick flick could be part of our national unconsciousness, LOVE STORY would be it.
THE BUTCHER'S WIFE (1991)
I love this adorable comedy about an isolated North Carolina clairvoyant named Marina (Demi Moore) who convinces a butcher named Leo to marry her after she misunderstands the prediction offered by a dream. (The butcher is played by George Dzundza, whom you might recognize from Grey's Anatomy). Marina's presence in the city affects many lives, including a shop owner (Frances McDormand), a choir singer (Mary Steenburgen) and a skeptical shrink, played by Jeff Daniels.
DOG PARK (1999)
I have not kept my crush on Bruce McColluch a secret, and this movie that he wrote and directed kicks ass. Several stories intertwine, revolving around sex, heartbreak, and dogs. Janeane Garofalo, Luke Wilson, Natasha Henstridge, Kathleen Robertson, and Mark McKinney round out the Canadian-heavy cast.
TORTILLA SOUP (2001)
A version of Ang Lee's EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN, this film is about Martin, a Mexican-American chef (Hector Elizando) and his three adult daughters . The daughters are all their own special brand of crazy but they each agree on one thing: that it's okay to humor their father and his traditional ways by having dinner together as a family. (And what dinners! This movie's like going to the grocery store when you're hungry!) As the daughters grow up, they learn that their father isn't nearly as old-school as they think he is.
THE SWEETEST THING (2002)
What happened to Nancy Pimental? She wrote THE SWEETEST THING, was a staff writer for South Park, and hosted 
Ouch! |
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Win Ben Stein's Money, but for about the last five years she's been AWOL. I don't get it; she certainly has the talent and cojones required for true staying power. I hope she didn't find religion only to spend her days repenting for all the vulgarity she's written, because her style of vulgarity is freakin' hilarious!
In THE SWEETEST THING, Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate, and Selma Blair are hysterical as roommates who embark on a road trip, first, to help Jane (Blair) find a diversion from her relationship woes, but morphs into a search for Christina's (Diaz) dream guy. This is my kind of road trip, where friends sing inappropriate songs in crowded restaurants, and there's always time for a movie montage.
THE HOURS (2003)
There are certain unwritten rules which apply to female English majors on both sides of the Pond: read Virginia Woolf, whether we like her or not, have at least one crush on a professor, based strictly on his or her mind, attitude, and publications while completely disregarding looks, and go through a bad hair and makeup phase. And at some point, many of us are forced to choose between Sarah McLachlan and Tori Amos. (When I was called upon to make said choice, in case you're curious, it was easy: I went with Tori).
Friends and family tend to give us so-called "literary" books suggested by Borders clerks, books like The Hours, and because we feel terribly guilty when we don't read the books we are given, we read The Hours. And then we see the movie, mainly to say how much better the book was. It's just what we do. But sometimes we're pleasantly surprised by the movie. Alex Kingston as MOLL FLANDERS is one example, THE HOURS is another.
Three women experience the story of Mrs. Dalloway in three different ways and three different settings. If you receive The Hours as a gift, pass it along to someone in your life who thinks that homosexuality is a 
Ah, the 70s, when all they needed was a piano to create a film score. |
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choice, as it shows what hip-slappin' fun it was to be a lesbian in 1923, 1951, and, to a lesser extent, 2001.
Now, if only I could force myself to start The Corrections, maybe some of this gift-book guilt will go away.
(On a related side note: While I think movies like CHASING AMY [1997] and 2002's KISSING JESSICA STEIN do the valuable service of exploring the complexity of female sexuality, I fear they do more damage overall as they depict lesbianism as a jacket that women try on, wear for maybe a season, and then get bored with. Very few of the lesbians in my life "turned" gay out of frustration with men and dating. Come to think of it . . . none of them did that. Having said that, I like Jennifer Westfeldt, I found KISSING JESSICA STEIN touching and funny, and was happy to see her on Notes From The Underbelly. She's adorable, frankly, and if I was going to try a lesbian handbag out this spring, I'd want it to match hers. Thanks for letting me go off on a tangent. These things sometimes happen).
IN HER SHOES (2005)
Based on the chick lit novel of the same name by Jennifer Weiner, IN HER SHOES is the quintessential chick flick. It's got everything: sisters who are opposites but still love each other, an evil stepmother, a couple of deep, dark family secrets, fabulous shoes, and romance. Oh, I almost forgot about the cliché underdog stuff we love about a good chick flick: the prettier, thinner sister actually learns how to read and work and the uglier, fatter sister loses weight, gains some self-esteem, and lands herself a great man. See! It's got it all.
27 DRESSES
What can I say? It's going on the queue, and maybe I'll love it so much I'll have to buy it.
Happy Earth Day, girls, and remember: Love means never having to say you're sorry. So quit apologizing for shit that's not your fault.
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Semi-wholesome Midwestern girl and certified Geek Magnet offers her suggestions - often new, sometimes classic - for DVDs that are definitely queue-worthy.
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