What makes a chick flick?

[Astrakan]

Originally Posted by Astrakan

I haven't seen it either, but it's by American studios with an American director and an American writer adapting an American book.

I suppose it could still be all in Japanese...

Off to check.

KM

IMDb states that it's in both Japanese and English. The trailers have the characters speak only English. I suspect there's probably some sections Japanese with English subtitles, and then they switch over to all English. This is a pretty common way to set the mood.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397535/ and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397535/trailers

KM

[tomdkat]

Originally Posted by Astrakan

How is Memoirs of a Geisha a foreign film? Because it's set in another country? By that definition MI3 is mostly a foreign film too.

So is MI-2.

Peace...

[limacharliewhiskey]

I don't consider Memoirs of a Geisha to be a foreign film, despite the mostly foreign cast. I consider the studios that are funding the movie, the production company that is making the movie, and the original market that the movie is intended for. It was Dreamworks and Sony/Columbia funding the movie, with Amblin and Spyglass doing the production of the movie, and the movie was designed for the US market.

[Monterey Jack]

Memoirs is in no way, shape or form a "foreign" film. It's 100% in English (which was one of my major beefs with the film...it's set in Japan with virtually no English actors, yet they force Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li to learn stilted, broken English for the role? ), and it was financed with American money with an American director.

And for the record, I don't think of it as a "chick flick".

[ganthc]

Okay, okay!! i recanted on calling it a foreign film!!

but the english patient is definitely a chick flick.

[limacharliewhiskey]

Originally Posted by ganthc

Okay, okay!! i recanted on calling it a foreign film!!

but the english patient is definitely a chick flick.

With the English Patient, it doesn't feel like a chick flick to me because of its interesting use of the nonlinear narrative. Granted, we've seen this in most Tarantino films, and Soderbergh used it in Out of Sight, but its use in the English Patient, jumping between two storylines that are years apart from each other, prevents me from regarding the film as a regular chick flick, even though the main plot is a romantic love story at its core.

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by limacharliewhiskey

With the English Patient, it doesn't feel like a chick flick to me because of its interesting use of the nonlinear narrative. Granted, we've seen this in most Tarantino films, and Soderbergh used it in Out of Sight, but its use in the English Patient, jumping between two storylines that are years apart from each other, prevents me from regarding the film as a regular chick flick, even though the main plot is a romantic love story at its core.

come on!! the whole story is a love story, even the other two parts.

you have the juliette binoche story (hello, automatic chick flick with her in it!!), where she cares for ralph while still being attracted to the bomb guy, and you have the inner story of ralph and the blond chick and how he loved her so much. the whole thing stank of chick flick. i rest my case.

[limacharliewhiskey]

Originally Posted by ganthc

come on!! the whole story is a love story, even the other two parts.

you have the juliette binoche story (hello, automatic chick flick with her in it!!), where she cares for ralph while still being attracted to the bomb guy, and you have the inner story of ralph and the blond chick and how he loved her so much. the whole thing stank of chick flick. i rest my case.

I can certainly understand your argument. However, the added plot points of who Caravaggio is and why the Count is considered a traitor are important to the storyline, adding more complexity to the movie that is usually not indicative of chick flicks.

To me, most chick flicks that have a romantic story at its core tend to also have lots of comedic moments, like how most Kate Hudson/Diane Lane/Ashley Judd romantic movies have been recently.

While the English Patient has certain characteristics similar to your normal chick flick, it seems to me that there is much more to the movie than just being classified as a chick flick.

[ganthc]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick_flick

notice the movies for 1996. the english patient is listed with the first wives club!!! these are commonly referred to chick flicks. i'm not the only one who says they are.

[limacharliewhiskey]

Originally Posted by ganthc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick_flick

notice the movies for 1996. the english patient is listed with the first wives club!!! these are commonly referred to chick flicks. i'm not the only one who says they are.

According to that list, Robocop is a chick flick, too.

I'll agree with a lot of those on that list, but I will disagree with a few of the choices, like Titanic. That was another movie with chick-flickish qualities, but I don't consider the movie a chick flick. But hey, James Cameron made another chick flick called the Terminator, with Reese pining for Sarah Connor so much. Terminator 2 had a sappy mother-son story that had chick-flickish qualities. Only girls could like that sappy stuff.

Seriously, dude, we'll agree to disagree. I understand your perspective, and I respect it. I just see other qualities to the movies that make them more than just your standard chick flick.

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by limacharliewhiskey

According to that list, Robocop is a chick flick, too.

I'll agree with a lot of those on that list, but I will disagree with a few of the choices, like Titanic. That was another movie with chick-flickish qualities, but I don't consider the movie a chick flick. But hey, James Cameron made another chick flick called the Terminator, with Reese pining for Sarah Connor so much. Terminator 2 had a sappy mother-son story that had chick-flickish qualities. Only girls could like that sappy stuff.

Seriously, dude, we'll agree to disagree. I understand your perspective, and I respect it. I just see other qualities to the movies that make them more than just your standard chick flick.

That MUST be a misprint!! no way robocop could be a chick flick. too much gore, and robocop kicks ass. yeah, i guess the list has been discredited with that inclusion. *sigh*

[tomdkat]

Originally Posted by ganthc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick_flick

Biter.

Peace...

[ganthc]

i noticed that later, but kept it in there to just refresh memories.