I'm a Woman Who Hates Chick Flicks

"If a movie is described as a romantic comedy you can usually find me next door playing pinball". This George Carlin quote is among my favorites, because it describes my lack of interest in the genre commonly known as "chick flicks". Being a fan of movies and filmmaking in general, I can appreciate a great story when I see one, and I do enjoy seeing talented actors carry out that story. Still, nine times out of ten, movies that can be classified as tearjerkers don't interest me in the slightest.

On the website Esparagon.com, the section devoted to such films (titled "Crème de la Crème: Feel Good Movies") describes these sort of movies as ones that leave the viewer with a "warm fuzzy feeling in your heart". While the pages list movies I do enjoy, such as "Bringing Up Baby", "Clueless", "Forrest Gump", "Groundhog Day", "It's a Wonderful Life", "Love Actually", and others, my absolute film favorites do not make the list.

"Pulp Fiction" is far too violent, "Schinder's List" is too serious, "A Hard Day's Night" focuses on four young men, "Laurence of Arabia" is devoid of women, and "Amadeus" concentrates more on Mozart's eccentric genius and Salieri's jealousy.

The movies mentioned on Esparagon.com's site seem more geared toward an audience wanting to feel good, leaving the webmaster with a "smile on [her] face". Everyone can appreciate a feel-good movie after a bad day or during a difficult time, but I'd rather put on something funny rather than heartwarming. I know Monty Python, Dave Chappelle, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force can cheer me up better than "Steel Magnolias", and that a ridiculous spoof like "Airplane!" or "Naked Gun" will make me smile, while "What Women Want" will make me cringe.