Happy Valentine’s Day, boys and girls! Let’s slam some chick flicks!
This girl loves love. Most of my books have pink covers, I seek out TV shows with good ships, and my favorite author is Jane Austen. Yeah. I’m one of those girls.
The one thing you are going to notice about this list of, in my opinion, overrated chick flicks is that I don’t like my romances to be bogged down with drama. Isn’t love supposed to be happy and fun? I realize that there are sometimes complications, but come on, people.
With that, let’s dive in.
5. Notting Hill – I like this one, I do. But… “I’m also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” It ruins it for me. It really does. The mood will often strike where I can overlook it, but not as often as it does for others. Try this instead: Love Actually. Always Love Actually. Or Muriel’s Wedding, from across a different pond.
4. Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Let it be widely known: I love Audrey Hepburn. She does an amazing job and I do enjoy this movie. I just feel like it gets more attention than it is due because Holly Golightly is such an iconic character. In my opinion, Audrey has done better in better movies. Try this instead: Roman Holiday or Sabrina. Superior performances and love stories without the weird racist stuff.
3. Steel Magnolias – Ugh, why do we always have to resort to cancer? It happens and it is sad, I get it. Believe me. There is a lot to love here: Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, etc. I just don’t enjoy being emotionally manipulated in a blatant manner. Does this make me a bad person? I don’t really care. Try this instead: Fried Green Tomatoes
2. Dirty Dancing – I know what you’re going to say. “Nobody puts baby, and therefore Dirty Dancing, in a corner.” Well, I just did. This is coming from the girl who listened to the soundtrack on repeat from the age of 11 to 13. This movie needs more “Stay” and “Be My Baby” and less abortion, sickness, and misogyny. I am a sucker for climatic dance routines, though. Try this instead: Strictly Ballroom and/or American Graffiti. The dancing and soundtrack in two movies that are more palatable.
1. The Notebook – Here’s the big one. I get it, everyone. You love this movie. My history with The Notebook is as follows: I never saw it in theatres and then it was a solid five years before I got around to seeing it on DVD. Everyone always made SUCH a huge deal when they heard I hadn’t seen it. “YOU, of all people haven’t seen The Notebook?” You don’t know my life! Maybe I went in with the wrong attitude, but I just didn’t get what everyone was getting all in a tizzy about. The sex scene is hot, I’ll grant you that, but there are other movies to see a shirtless Ryan Gosling. Try this instead: The Painted Veil or Cocoon.
Agree? Disagree? Did I grossly offend you with any of my picks? Because that’s kind of what I was going for. Let me know in the comments.
– Ellen
Fangirly 
I’m not much of a romcom girl, but I just have to share my notebook experience. I didn’t see it for who knows how long and for the most part I didn’t care. Finally one of my then best friends sat me down and said something along the lines of, “We are watching this movie, and if you don’t cry you are a heartless bitch.” I didn’t cry. I still don’t know what the big deal is about that movie, but we are no longer friends. There were other reasons, though I’m sure not seeing eye to eye on movies didn’t help.
SAME! I’m still friends with the people who made me watch it, but they kept saying “Oh, you’re going to cry. You are so going to cry.” I cry in movies a lot, do it wasn’t completely unwarranted, but I didn’t cry.
First of all, I agree with you on all of these especially The Notebook. I thought it was smarmy hooha. I do have an error correction for you: the illness in Steel Magnolias was complications with diabetes not cancer.
What else is smarmy hooha, mom? When I hug you? when I tell you I love you? How about the day I was born? Was that a bunch of smarmy hooha too?
Oh, that’s right. It’s been a while since I have seen it (obviously), but terminal diseases meld together.
I agree with you that Strictly Ballroom is fab, “We had the chance but we were scared. We walked away. WE LIVED OUR LIVES IN FEAR!” Go on, Doug! It is one of my all time favourites. It doesn’t seem to be that well known unlike Muriel’s Wedding or The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (all 3 of which starred the ruddy marvellous Bill Hunter – R.I.P).
I probably am the only person on the planet who hasn’t seen Breakfast at Tiffany’s or The Notebook. My bad.