Chick Flicks

It's Tuesday again... and time to tell Janet over at The Art of Getting By! This week, she wants to know about chick flicks. Those films we keep to ourselves or make our men watch against their will. Guaranteed laughs and/or tears... I've got my top 10 plus a couple more.

1. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY
I will probably watch this movie until I die. Great cast - how can you go wrong with Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher? And who can forget one of the best lines ever? "I'll have what she's having."

I also want to give an "honorable mention" to CITY SLICKERS. While not exactly a chick flick, this one ranks up there with me. Another terrific cast, again including Bruno Kirby, who sadly died this past week of complications from leukemia.


2. GONE WITH THE WIND
A classic. Perfect for a sick day when no one else is around. This has been a favorite ever since I first laid eyes on it!


3. LA STORY
My love affair with Steve Martin continues. It all began with "The Jerk", which I saw shortly after seeing him in person for the first time at Tully Gym. He was still making balloon animals and living in a "condo made of stona". In this movie, he's the "Wacky Weatherman" who hates his life, his girlfriend, the commute and yet loves living in LA. One day a traffic sign changes his life. Toss in some of the most beautiful Celtic music by Enya during key scenes and I get chills every time. The good kind.

4. MISS CONGENIALITY
I loved this movie. Laughed all the way through it. How can you miss? The amazing Sandra Bullock, who is adored by men and women alike; Benjamin Bratt as eye-candy FBI; Michael Caine who just left me rolling on the floor; Candace Bergman, bitchy as ever; and of course, the unforgettable William Shatner, whose career will continue long after where no man has gone before. This is one chick flick my husband really enjoys (I credit Sandra Bullock for this one!).

5. SOMEONE LIKE YOU
Mmmmm... Hugh Jackman. In his underwear. The scene in the kitchen where Ashley Judd and Hugh Jackman start hitting it off is a classic. Especially the cheer - and the interruption. Greg Kinnear is great as the wishy-washy lothario who just can't make up his mind between Ashley Judd and Ellen Barkin (and you actually end up rooting for them both).

6. KEEPING THE FAITH
The God Squad...Ben Stiller. Ed Norton. Jenna Elfman. Anne Bancroft. Put them all together and the faithful never had it so good. This movie was a surprise for me and I absolutely loved the triangle between Catholic priest, Jewish rabbi and modern business woman. All friends as kids with unexpected results when they reunite as adults. This movie did not get the attention it deserved when it came out, but it remains one of my favorite chick flicks of all time.

7. TITANIC
Yes... It's predictable. And this one will go into the all-time chick flick lists just like GONE WITH THE WIND. Both are big stories, epic you might say. Big plantation, big boat. Big war, big hole. But oddly enough, my favorite bits are with Old Rose, not Young Rose. I love the old lady dredging up memories for the callow youth on board the research ship. And they are absolutely captivated... as are we.

8. BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING
What can I say? John Corbett. The reason I got hooked on "Northern Exposure" and "Sex in the City". It's like watching my husband up there on the screen. His personality on screen is what attracted me (and he's handsome too!), and my husband's personality is much like Chris on "Northern Exposure". And I can definitely see me as the Greek girl Tula - even though I am as far from Greek as you can get. My family must have seemed just as daunting to my husband - and he thought it was worthwhile too.

9. JUST LIKE HEAVEN

A recent favorite. Starring Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon. Boy meets dead girl who doesn't know she's dead. Goofy story unfolds. We all know what's going to happen in the end, but getting there is half the fun. In addition to Ruffalo and Witherspoon, Jon Heder of Napoleon-fame is outstanding as a psychic bookstore owner. "UF-ology... like that's a real science..." cracks me up everytime.

Also, the gal who played Witherspoon's sister was terrific... especially in the phone scene. On the dvd are the outtakes of this one. Don't miss it.


I also loved LEGALLY BLONDE (both of them). Another hilarious movie poking fun at society's attitudes about blonde hair. But you know it's not really the blonde - it's the Californian Valley Girl that's so funny!


10. LAST HOLIDAY
I am now a Queen Latifah fan for life. Working girl finds out she is going to die soon, so she spends the rest of her life doing exactly what she wants to do - trying out all those things she was afraid of before learning her days are numbered. Marvelous appearance by my favorite sexy-ugly Frenchman Gerard Depardeau. Of course, she's not going to die, but now she has completely changed her life, so you could say that who she used to be died. Great, Great Chick Flick. And the guys might like it too!

So there you have it - my top 10 guilty pleasures in the DVD player. I think I'll go fold some laundry and go on KEEPING THE FAITH.