Diksha Sundriyal
A “chick flick” is a film where the central characters include women dealing with issues that may or may not be exclusive to the gender. With the emergence of online streaming services, nowadays, people prefer watching movies sitting in the comforts of their homes. Netflix, of course, has the lion’s share of eyeballs, it seems, but Amazon Prime is not far behind. So, if you are planning to watch a chick flick with a bunch of your female friends (or male friends), you don’t need to go to a theater. You can just invite them to your house and have a great time binge-watching these great heartwarming films here.
23. Sliding Doors (1998)
Directed by Peter Howitt, this rom-com centers on a woman named Helen Quilley (Gwyneth Paltrow) and follows her in two timelines, one in which she boards a train and another in which she misses it. How different yet similar these two timelines are is what makes for the rest of the movie. While there isn’t much to the plot, the movie does manage to show how different things can turn out to be as a result of a single action. Alongside Paltrow, the cast includes John Hannah, Peter Howitt, John Lynch, and Jeanne Tripplehorn. You can watch ‘Sliding Doors’ here.
22. Book of Love (2022)
Directed by Analeine Cal y Mayor, ‘Book of Love’ is a British romantic comedy predominantly filmed in England and Mexico. The plot revolves around Henry Copper (Sam Claflin), an archetypical, reserved, struggling English author whose book hasn’t sold anywhere except in Mexico. Surprised and bemused by what has transpired, Henry agrees to visit Mexico to meet his readers. He soon learns that the surprising popularity of his book in the North American nation is not entirely his doing; the very talented translator, Maria (Verónica Echegui), also has a part in it. She not only translated the book from English to Spanish but also completely rewrote it, turning it into a steamy romance novel. Even though Henry is disturbed by the idea, he eventually comes to accept that Maria’s contribution made the book better. With his publisher demanding the next book from him in 10 weeks, Henry has no choice but to work with Maria. Inevitably, their collaboration gives way to romance. You can watch the movie here to see how that works out.
21. His Girl Friday (1940)
A Howard Hawks directorial venture, ‘His Girl Friday’ is widely regarded as one of the greatest comedies of all time and was listed in the 19th place on The American Film Institute’s ‘100 Years … 100 Laughs’ ranking. In 1993, the film was chosen to be preserved in the United States National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. The plot revolves around Hildegard “Hildy” Johnson (Rosalind Russell), the star reporter at The Morning Post. She is set to marry insurance man Bruce Baldwin, but her former husband and editor Walter Burns (Cary Grant) refuses to let her go and asks her to interview Earl Williams, a bookkeeper soon to be executed for allegedly killing a policeman. To explore this classic further, you may watch the film here.
20. I Want You Back (2022)
‘I Want You Back’ revolves around Peter (Charlie Day) and Emma (Jenny Slate), whose respective romantic partners break up with them at the start of the film. After quickly becoming friends following their first encounter, Peter and Emma decide that they will help each other by breaking up their exes’ current relationship. So, Emma plans to seduce Logan, the boyfriend of Peter’s ex, while Peter becomes friends with Noah, Emma’s ex. As they do this, Emma and Peter inevitably grow close. The film was directed by Jason Orley from a script by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger. Feel free to check it out here.
19. Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)
‘Brittany Runs a Marathon’ tells the story of the eponymous character, Brittany Forgler (Jillian Bell), who works as a greeter at an off-Broadway theater. She and her roommate, Gretchen, love to party and often use drugs. However, after she is diagnosed as overweight, Brittany decides to bring drastic changes to her lifestyle. She tries to join a gym but discovers she can’t afford it. So, she starts running and tries to achieve small goals that she sets for herself. As life changes for Brittany, she has a falling out with Gretchen because they no longer have that many things in common. But Brittany continues her journey, making new friends and even finding love. You can watch ‘Brittany Runs a Marathon’ here.
18. Life Itself (2018)
Equipped with an ensemble cast and multi-layered narrative, ‘Life Itself’ encompasses two generations and many continents. Although the film has its flaws, it doesn’t deserve the poor rating it has gotten. The film begins with a narrative where a man named Henry is the main character, and Samuel L. Jackson is the narrator before the story shifts. Then, the real narrator (Lorenza Izzo) and the initial protagonist, Will Dempsey (Oscar Isaac), emerge. Will’s pregnant wife, Abby (Olivia Wilde), dies after a bus hits her, but not before the doctors have managed to save her daughter, Dylan. As Will dies by suicide shortly after, Dylan is brought up by her grandparents. Meanwhile, in Spain, Rodrigo González grows up playing in the olive plantation his father works at, not realizing that his destiny is connected to a girl a thousand miles away. You may watch the movie here.
17. The Big Sick (2017)
Based on the relationship between Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, who wrote the script together, ‘The Big Sick’ follows Pakistani-origin struggling stand-up comedian Kumail, who drives for Uber to make ends meet. He meets Emily, a graduate student at the University of Chicago, and they grow close despite the mutual assertion to keep things casual and the relentless attempts by his family to get him married to a Pakistani girl. When Emily learns he often meets women his family selects for an arranged marriage, she ends their relationship. However, Kumail soon discovers that Emily is hospitalized and is later convinced by the doctors to have her in a medically induced coma. When Emily’s parents arrive from Iowa, they are angry at Kumail because they know how things ended between him and their daughter. However, their opinion of Kumail changes as he remains by Emily’s side. To find out how things unravel, you may watch ‘The Big Sick’ here.
16. The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021)
In ‘The Map of Tiny Perfect Things,’ the story initially follows a teenage boy named Mark. Stuck in a time loop, his attempts to escape have failed several times. Mark visits the community pool during every loop to save a girl from being knocked into the pool by a beach ball. One time, however, a second girl interrupts him. As a surprised Mark chases after the girl and catches up to her, he discovers that her name is Margaret, and she is also stuck in the time loop. The two teenagers grow close, stuck in their unique predicament, and learn about each other’s hopes and dreams. Mark later realizes that Margaret might not be as inclined to get out of the time loop as him. You can stream the film here.
15. Shotgun Wedding (2022)
As Darcy (Jennifer Lopez) and Tom (Josh Duhamel) get ready to have their dream destination wedding on a private island in the Philippines, troubles start to brew with the arrival of a group of pirates, who take the wedding party hostage and demand 45 million dollars from Darcy’s wealthy father. It is later revealed that the entire thing has been orchestrated by Sean (Lenny Kravitz), Darcy’s former fiancé. After his plans become clear to everyone, Sean seemingly abducts Harriet, Robert’s girlfriend, but she is later revealed to be working with Sean. While the film garnered a mixed response from the critics, it received a considerably more positive response from the fans. You can stream it here and form your own opinion about it.
14. Congrats My Ex! (2023)
Directed by Prueksa Amaruji, this is a Thai-Indian movie that follows Risa (Ranee Campen), a wedding planner whose latest assignment involves a grand Indian wedding. While the clients are paying a lot of money, the catch is that the wedding is of Risa’s ex, Arun (Mahir Pandhi). To make things more complex, the wedding photographer also turns out to be Tim (Vachirawit Chivaaree), who is the ex whom Risa ghosted. How she, assisted by her friends/business partners Jan (Passakorn Ponlaboon) and Aoffy (Thongchai Thongkanthom), tries to pull off the biggest assignment of her career yet while coping with the mixed emotions of working with one ex on the wedding of another is what makes ‘Congrats My Ex!’ a roller-coaster ride. You can watch the film here.
13. About Fate (2022)
The plot of ‘About Fate’ revolves around Margot Hayes (Emma Roberts) and Griffin Reed (Thomas Mann), who reside in very similar-looking but different homes. She is a realtor, while he is a lawyer. She hopes to get a proposal from her boyfriend, Kip, before heading to her sister’s wedding. However, after proposing to his social media influencer girlfriend, he is told he must do it again in front of the camera. Margot and Griffin meet after the latter mistakenly ends up at the former’s home in a drunken stupor. With Kip not going with her to the wedding, Margot convinces Griffin to come along with her. ‘About Fate’ is the English remake of the 1975 Soviet television film ‘The Irony of Fate,’ with Margot being based on Nadya Shevelyova and Griffin on Zhenya Lukashin. You can stream it here.
12. Love & Friendship (2016)
Developed from Jane Austen’s epistolary novel ‘Lady Susan,’ ‘Love & Friendship tells the story of Lady Susan (Kate Beckinsale), who becomes widowed at a young age. After she is forced to leave the Manwaring estate because of her secret relationship with the married Lord Manwaring, Lady Susan heads to Churchill, where her brother-in-law Charles resides with his family. Lady Susan’s goal is to find wealthy husbands for both herself and her daughter, Frederica. After arriving at Churchill, Lady Susan becomes interested in Reginald DeCourcy, Charles’ brother-in-law, through his wife. Things become complicated when Frederica arrives at Churchill and confides to Reginald that she has no desire to marry her wealthy but idiotic suitor, Sir James Martin. You can watch the movie here.
11. My Fake Boyfriend (2022)
This Canadian chick flick has been directed by Rose Troche. It follows Andrew (Keiynan Lonsdale), who can’t get over his toxic boyfriend Nico (Keiynan Lonsdale) even after the latter has dumped him. While he tries to cope with it in his own way, his friends Jake (Dylan Sprouse) and Kelly (Sarah Hyland) create for him a fake boyfriend named Cristiano who is perfect in every way, thanks to social media. However, things start getting complicated when Andrew finds a new guy, Rafi (Samer Salem), whom he likes a lot, while Cristiano’s popular online presence makes him too real to be deleted, especially for Jake, who built the personality from scratch. To find out how things eventually turn out for Andrew and Cristiano, you can watch ‘My Fake Boyfriend’ here.
10. Somebody I Used to Know (2023)
During a trip to her hometown, Ally (Alison Brie) meets her ex Sean (Jay Ellis) from 10 years ago. Memories come back as they catch up with each other and spend time together, only for Ally to find out that Sean is getting married. The girl, Cassidy (Kiersey Clemons), reminds her of herself from when she was Cassidy’s age. As Ally spends more time with Sean, Cassidy, and their family, she finds herself dealing with conflicting emotions. What’s it like to be around someone you once used to love, who is now getting married to another girl who is also gladly bonding with you? Good question, right? Well, to know the answer, you can watch ‘Somebody I Used to Know’ right here.
9. My Fault (2023)
From director Domingo González comes this Spanish romantic flick (Spanish: Culpa mía) that revolves around Noah, who arrives at the mansion of her mother’s new husband and locks horns with her step-brother Nick. However, as days pass and events occur, the two start growing feelings for each other, but this doesn’t stop fate from meddling as it keeps on bringing up one complication after another that involves their friends and Noah’s boyfriend, Dan. To find out the result, you can check out the movie here.
8. Sitting in Bars with Cake (2023)
Directed by Trish Sie, this movie is based on Audrey Shulman’s 2016 novel of the same name. It showcases the friendship of two young ladies, namely Jane (Yara Shahidi), who is shy and a master at baking cakes, and Corinne (Odessa A’zion), who is an extrovert and wants to make it big in the music industry. Realizing Jane’s potential, Corinne convinces her to try to put her talent to good use. They thus decide to go to different bars with Jane’s homemade cakes for a year. This will not only make her popular but also bring them to meet new men, an adventure in itself for the two chicks. However, when Corinne is diagnosed with a life-altering disease, things start to crumble. As the two girls face different kinds of obstacles and learn several truths of life, they realize that life is not ‘Sitting in Bars with Cake’ in the least. You can stream the movie here.
7. Cinderella (2021)
Based on the classic fairy tale, this musical flick has been directed by Kay Cannon and stars famed singer Camila Cabello as the titular character. The movie has many hit songs as well as many new ones. The rest of the cast includes Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Robert and Idina Menzel as Cinderella’s stepmom Vivian, along with Pierce Brosnan, Minnie Driver, and Billy Porter. It was 2021’s most-watched musical flick. You can stream it here.
6. Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)
Based on the 2019 LGBT romance novel of the same name by Casey McQuiston, this movie has been directed by Matthew López. This film proves big time that a chick flick doesn’t need to have girls in it because a chick flick is a feeling more than a so-called film genre. The movie showcases the romantic relationship between Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez), who is the son of the American President, and Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), who is a Prince belonging to the British Royalty. But considering their respective statuses, their relationship cannot be known to anyone. How tough can that be? But the more important question is, how long can it be a secret? To answer lies for you in ‘Red, White & Royal Blue.’ You can stream it here.
5. Priceless (2006)
Directed by Pierre Salvadori, ‘Priceless’ is a French rom-com (French: Hors de prix) that stars Audrey Tautou, Gad Elmaleh, Marie-Christine Adam, and Charlotte Vermeil. In the film, we meet gold digger Audrey Tatou, who spends her days spending the money of wealthy men in return for her companionship. But when she mistakes a barman for her next wealthy client, a mistake that another wealthy woman makes too, she realizes that Jean, who is already is already smitten by her, can put her skills to good use. So together they can make more money and maintain a posh lifestyle. But as the two get together, Audrey develops feelings for Jean, too. Will this affect their “business,” and if yes, how? To know, you may stream the film here.
4. Something from Tiffany’s (2022)
Directed by Daryl Wein, this film shows how a woman named Rachel (Zoey Deutch) accidentally finds a ring and mistakes it for the one her boyfriend Gary (Ray Nicholson) was supposedly going to give her and thus propose to her. The ring, in reality, belongs to another man, Ethan (Kendrick Sampson), who was tending to her boyfriend after the latter was hit by a car. This situation is what led to their belongings getting mixed up in the first place. The confusion leads to more unforeseen circumstances, and the movie makes us wonder what the result will be for Rachel and Ethan, who wanted to propose to his girlfriend Vanessa (Shay Mitchell) with the ring. If you want to know the answer, you can easily stream the movie here.
3. Licorice Pizza (2021)
This Paul Thomas Anderson directorial tanked at the box office but went on to receive multiple nominations at the 94th Academy Awards. Set in 1973, in San Fernando Valley, California, the film explores the ups and downs of life through the POV of platonic partners, 25-year-old Alana Kane, who is a photographer’s assistant, and 15-year-old Gary Valentine, who is a child actor. As the two try to figure out and “direct” their relationship and respective lives, we are given a taste of the 1970s Hollywood culture. The film stars Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Bradley Cooper, Sean Penn, and George DiCaprio. You can watch it here.
2. Sylvie’s Love (2020)
From director Eugene Ashe, ‘Sylvie’s Love’ stars Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha. Set in 1960s New York, it revolves around a young saxophonist, Robert, and Sylvie at whose father’s record store she meets Robert. While their meeting does spark a romance, Robert has to leave with his quartet for a different country for a huge offer but without Sylvie because she has her reasons to stay. Fast forward five years and the two meet again in New York. This time, Sylvia is a famous TV show producer’s assistant and is married to a well-to-do businessman while Robert is in town for work. However, a single exchange of glances makes it clear that the two still have the same feelings for each other. The only catch? Five years have passed, and a lot has happened. You can stream the film here to find out whether they get together at the end.
1. Charade (1963)
Starring the elegant Audrey Hepburn and the debonair Cary Grant in lead roles, this classic mystery rom-com drama is written by Peter Stone and Marc Behm and directed by Stanley Donen. It follows Regina Lampert (Hepburn), who is being chased, along with her new lover Peter Jushua, by three men who are after the money their friend/Regina’s recently murdered husband stole from them. If these complexities weren’t enough, it is soon revealed that Peter isn’t who he claims to be. In fact, ‘Peter’ is not even his real name. To get to the bottom of this mystery, we urge you to watch this film, which has two of Hollywood’s most popular actors ever, right here. You won’t regret it.
Read More: Best Chick Flicks on HBO Max
