amongst the menfolk, "chick flicks" have a bad reputation. this is an undisputable fact. although there are genres like the "romantic comedy" that two different movies may fall into, one of them is a chick flick and the other is not. a good example would be The Wedding Singer contrasted with My Best Friend's Wedding: the former is a comedy with romantic elements attached in an attempt to win the female vote; the latter is a romantic movie with comedy elements attached in a weak attempt to entertain the males who are duped into viewing it by the females, who ironically enough, they are romancing. the term "romantic comedy" is a murky one indeed, hiding sharp rocks that will cut you to the sole beneath its shallow waters, or the soft, silty sand that so nicely sifts betwixt the toes. however, not all chick flicks are bad. some of them have a realistic plot, witty by-lines, and good actors and actresses spouting off well-written dialogue. this may shock you and cause me to lose a little man cred, but i am a fan of several chick flicks. my favorite? 
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
don't let the name fool you: there is not a single pair of ya-yas in the movie. but guys males, before you discount it as another chick flick, i've got to tell you about some of its redeeming qualities. it had a different plot than Fried Green Tomatoes (another arguably-chick flick that really is superb) but the same feel to it: realistic enough to be engaging, sharp enough to be witty, and romantic enough to be good but not sappy. i wouldn't put this on my favorite movies list, but if my wife and i decide to pop in a dvd and this is one that is selected, i won't argue at all. in fact, mood pending, i'll probably enjoy it. but yesterday evening we saw a movie in theaters that typified the "chick flick" genre. i couldn't tell you by name those who starred in it, but i knew who at least the lead actor was (by look). it was a movie that i went into with low expectations that really weren't met. we watched Made of Honor, a movie which contained a lovely pun in the title, substituting 'maid' with 'made'. this works - kind of - since the MOH is a male in this gritty movie. usually action movies are described as gritty, but i think it's an appropriate adjective to use in this context. its caustic dialogue and unrealistic settings are like sandpaper to the senses. you know those scenes in early nineties family sitcoms where some soft, treble clef only piano music would play as those starring in the episode learned whatever lesson it was that the particular episode was about? the entire movie played like that. it tried to be funny (and succeeded a few times), but whenever something occurred that flirted with the conceptual romance movie ideal, that music started - not only making the movie unbearably predictable, but made the lines feel like they came from a nineties sitcom star with nineties sitcom salary: not McDreamy-McIsHeEvenIrish earning big screen salary. i gave it a C-, and my wife gave it a B- for a cumulative score of 75% - a good, solid C. so if mediocre romance movies are your thing, this might be right up your alley. but if you're looking for the more manly chick-flick, then definitely go with the Ya-Yas. now if you excuse me, i'm going to go eat some chocolate. word of the day:
subterfuge / sub tur fyooj / noun - an artiface used to evade a rule or consequence, or hide something | 
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