“Chick-Flick” – noun, slang

A film mainly dealing with female characters, designed to appeal to a

female target audience. "Chick flick" is typically used in reference to films

that are heavy with emotion or contain relationship-based themes.

In 1995, a woman called ‘Now and Then’ a “funny, touching story where we can see a bit of ourselves and our friends in the characters.“

This seems a good formula for the chick-flick genre; however far-fetched the character or story may seem, the filmmakers ought to intend for an audience to identify with the film, whether positively or negatively

In this Power Point I shall examine the trends of the chick-flick genre by looking at successful examples

‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’

While the term ‘Chick Flick’ wasn’t established until the 1990s, many think of Blake Edward’s 1961 classic ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ as one of the original ‘chick-flicks’

As with numerous other chick-flicks, the Oscar-nominated screenplay was adapted from a text; ‘In Cold Blood’ writer and friend of Harper Lee, Truman Capote’s novella

This film is more often called a ‘romantic-comedy’ rather than a chick flick, as the protagonist Holly Golightly is a grown woman

‘Heathers’

The 1989 dark comedy starring Winona Ryder follows a much more modern chick-flick formula, dealing with the problem of popularity which, in older and more mainstream chick flicks, is usually perceived as a state of contentment

This film seems to be the first successful example that sets the precedent for a film about a popular clique, as opposed to the typical ‘outcast’ in most high school set films

‘Clueless’

Amy Heckerling’s 1995 comedy is, like other films of the genre, based on a classic novel; in this case, Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’

The film stays true to the book by using a wealthy, happy protagonist – the majority of pop culture narratives include a protagonist with a significant problem to overcome, and I find the chick-flick genre is one of the few to deal with more vacuous issues, quite successfully

‘Bring It On’

The 2001 cheerleading film starring Kirsten Dunst is another classic; it explores the world-famous ideology behind an ‘American Cheer Squad’, as well as the position they hold in High School society

Despite the protagonists all being wealthy, popular and athletic, the audience could successfully identify and sympathise with the characters

‘Mean Girls’

2004 cult chick-flick Mean Girls also features popular characters. As most chick-flicks are set in wealthy areas of America (California is a prime example), the protagonists and antagonists are also predictably wealthy

This film is often considered the ultimate modern chick-flick, offering a true-to-life insight into ‘Girl-World’. As with other films, it is based on non-fiction book ‘Queen Bees and Wannabes’

In Conclusion

Despite the assumption that an audience must be able to identify themselves within the protagonist(s), the trend appears to be that even films portraying wealthy and popular characters are successful, perhaps largely due to their dissection of the concept of popularity and the downfalls of having it all. The films I’ve looked at all stand out in the genre, often not focussing on romance, and instead having a narrative based mainly on friendships