by: Steve Andrews
Forget about infidelity and insensitivity – the leading cause of friction for couples is trying to decide which movie to watch. She wants a love story, he wants an action flick. As a guy, I’ve been forced to sit through a lot of saccharine-sweet chick flicks, as well as a few surprisingly engaging ones. So, in the spirit of compromise, I’d like to suggest some romantic movies that you girls out there are sure to love, and you guys might actually enjoy.
Year: 2003
Stars: Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Rowan Atkinson, Bill Nighy, Martine McCutcheon, Colin Firth (and that’s just a partial list)
Story: An ensemble piece with several intertwined stories of love, romance, and heartache in London during the lead-up to Christmas.
What makes it a chick flick: Well, the title, for starters. And everyone is either falling in or out of love.
What makes it guy-approved: Clever, funny, varied, avoids clichés, and Bill Nighy is excellent as an aging rock legend trying to promote his Christmas version of the classic hit “Love Is All Around”, which he himself described as a “festering turd of a record.” Did I mention that Keira Knightley’s in it?
Love Actually
Year: 2003
Stars: Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Rowan Atkinson, Bill Nighy, Martine McCutcheon, Colin Firth (and that’s just a partial list)
Story: An ensemble piece with several intertwined stories of love, romance, and heartache in London during the lead-up to Christmas.
What makes it a chick flick: Well, the title, for starters. And everyone is either falling in or out of love.
What makes it guy-approved: Clever, funny, varied, avoids clichés, and Bill Nighy is excellent as an aging rock legend trying to promote his Christmas version of the classic hit “Love Is All Around”, which he himself described as a “festering turd of a record.” Did I mention that Keira Knightley’s in it?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Year: 2004
Stars: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson, Elijah Wood
Story: After breaking up with his girlfriend, Jim Carrey’s character decides to undergo a new medical procedure that will erase all memory of the girl from his mind. During the procedure, however, he realizes he still loves her, and ends up in a cat-and-mouse game as he tries to hide his memories of her from the technicians performing the erasure.
What makes it a chick flick: The idea that love transcends even memory
What makes it guy-approved: The girlfriend is quirky and engaging, and there are subconscious chase scenes
Meet Joe Black
Year: 1998
Stars: Brad Pitt, Claire Forlani, Anthony Hopkins
Story: Death, in form of Brad Pitt, comes to claim a rich businessman, but first wants to learn more about life, and develops an interest in the businessman’s daughter.
What makes it a chick flick: Brad Pitt, plus the idea that even Death can fall in love
What makes it guy-approved: Claire Forlani, and another quirky performance from Brad Pitt
French Kiss
Year: 1995
Stars: Kevin Kline, Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton, Jean Reno
Story: A neurotic woman flies to France to confront her fiancé who dumped her for an exotic Frenchwoman. Along the way, she gets mixed up with a small-time local thief who may either be helping her or playing her for a patsy.
What makes it a chick flick: Watching the bickering slowly evolve into romantic interest
What makes it guy-approved: Snappy dialogue, and Kevin Kline is great as the loveable rogue. Plus, Meg Ryan plays a Canadian, with plenty of references to Toronto and Canadian culture.
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Year: 1994
Stars: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas
Story: An awkward Englishman, whose friends keep getting
married, falls in love with an American who marries someone else. Out
of desperation, and anxious for a family, he considers marrying a woman
he does not love.
What makes it a chick flick: The pursuit of true love. Plus, a romantic twist, and a heartbreaking eulogy.
What makes it guy-approved: Clever dialogue, unique characters, and swearing in sign language
Annie Hall
Year: 1977
Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts
Story: A neurotic comedian tries to make sense of his rocky relationship with a free spirited woman.
What makes it a chick flick: A moving but realistic look at the nature of relationships and love
What makes it guy-approved: Some of the funniest lines Woody A
lle
Movies to avoid like the plague
Beaches
The Notebook
Bridget Jones’ Diary (1 & 2)
P.S. I Love You
Terms of Endearment
Wimbledon
If you have any comment or suggestion to add to the list please have your say in the comments area!
monologue is a classic, as is the “a relationship is like a shark” speech.
