Chick flick movies constitute a significant genre that offers amazing stories with romance, gossip, love-hate friendships, and more. Many believe they were meant for girls only, especially young ones. However, we believe these feel-good movies are for anyone looking to spend a peaceful night full of love and laughter.
This genre has been around for as long as we can remember. The best part is that no matter how old some of these movies are, they never seem to get dull or boring. If anything, rewatching these chick flick movies can take you back to some lovely years when you were genuinely happy and at peace. There is nothing wrong with reliving this feeling.
So, here is a list of the best chick flick movies to watch for a girls’ movie night or even to have something to snuggle to all by yourself:
1. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
There is so much to love about this close-to-the-heart chick flick, and it is not even a typical girls’ movie. Kat was a different type of girl; she was never the girly girl who worked hard to win the guy over. She let him work harder for her and never backed down. Isn’t that exactly how we would love to see our little girls? Don’t even get us started on the looks, acting skills, moves, and singing of our handsome late hunk, Heath Ledger. May his soul rest in peace. We believe this movie is timeless and fits every era. Even though its comedic twist is not outdated, you will still find it quite appealing and humorous.
2. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Meg Ryan is such a sweetheart whose chick flick movies were always ones that stayed with you. No matter how long you have watched the movie, part of it will always be there in the back of your mind. When Harry Met Sally caused great propaganda when it was first released in the theatre back in the 80s, guess what? It is still an iconic movie that kept moving from one generation to another, becoming even more popular among the younger ones.
It is deemed as one of the very first romantic comedies, answering the question that people never stop asking, whether men and women can be friends. 33 years later, still, no one is sure of the answer, even when Harry and Sally provided a very rational one.
3. Easy A (2010)
Easy A is an intriguing chick flick that represents the struggle of many girls to fit in and their challenges in high school. Olive doesn’t seem like any other girl in the school; she is a clean-cut teen who barely engages in the school’s social life. Her weekends are lonely and boring, according to her classmates and other people, including her parents.
Olive went from being the wallflower to the most popular in school for the wrong reasons. She spills a rumour about herself in an attempt to seem one of the cool kids, unaware of how such a lie could backfire in her face. It is a modern take on the classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, which happens to be mentioned in the movie to help the viewers take a hint.
4. Mean Girls (2004)
Home-schooled is a synonym for being a weirdo, or that is at least what we have learned from Cady Heron in this popular chick flick. In fact, this film was not based on a novel, yet Tina Fey, the screenwriter and actress, based it on a self-help book. She used the chapters of the book to create this interesting chick flick movie that was a real hit in the early 2000s.
One of the great things about this movie is breaking the stereotype of girls being less smarter than guys, especially in subjects like maths. Cady Heron was a math geek, which was a great addition to the chick flick movies of that era. It sends the message to every girl, especially the young ones, that there is so much more to you than just your good looks, so never dumb yourself down for a guy.
5. How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days (2003)
Not only is How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days one of the most popular chick flick movies, but it also ranks high on the rom-com genre lists. Kate Hudson managed to add a light, humorous twist to this film with her lovely role as the ambitious journalist, Andie. It is a typical romantic film, where the two co-stars will fall in love at the end but after they realise they got into the relationship with not-s0-nice intentions.
The name of the movie is actually the headline of the article that Andie was supposed to write. However, her writings have to come from a genuine experience. On the other hand, Benjamin is a handsome man whose friends challenge him to make a woman fall in love with him, and Andie happens to come his way. The ending is predictable and happy, but the storyline is amusing to follow.
6. Clueless (1995)
Nothing can really beat this all-time favourite chick flick. It is the most iconic movie in Alicia Silverstone’s career, and we are so grateful for it. No matter how old it gets, we still watch it with the same eagerness and smiles on our faces. The movie’s plot is a nice story about how we all miss one thing or another in life, no matter how rich and pulled together we may seem.
That was basically the life of Cher, the richest and most desired girl in her high school, who has a high sense of fashion and great matchmaking skills. Yet she struggled to find her own identity and meet the love of her life. Things fall into pieces by the end, but the movie conveys a good message that everyone has their own struggles in their own way.
7. You’ve Got Mail (1998)
Another iconic chick flick from the 90s that still stands on its grounds to this very day is the renowned movie, You’ve Got Mail. It is one of the best romantic movies there is, with a fairytale-like on-screen love story between Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan that we all strived to have. The movie was released when the internet started to dominate, and chatting over emails was actually a thing.
We cannot help but fall in love with the innocence that comes with loving someone for who they really are. The two characters hated each other for being competitors in the business world. Thanks to the anonymous internet romance, it was their only chance to actually get to know one another.
8. 27 Dresses (2008)
Jane Nichols has been a perpetual bridesmaid who longed for a real relationship that would sweep her off of her feet. Now that it is her own sister’s wedding, not only does she have to be a bridesmaid for the 27th time, but she also hates to swallow her feelings for her sister’s groom. However, she gets to meet someone who may be the answer to her prayers to find true love.
9. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
The Devil Wears Prada is a typical chick flick that got us all girls wanting to work for a magazine and be in the fashion world. Andrea Sachs has everything that any girl would ever dream of; however, she has a boss that makes her life quite miserable, affecting her own personal life. Now that she has reached her dream and works for one of the biggest magazine editors in New York City, she realises that she still can’t find happiness.
10. John Tucker Must Die (2006)
John Tucker is a handsome womaniser capable of sweeping women off their feet, giving them the best times of their lives, and then breaking their hearts into pieces. His ex-girlfriends couldn’t stand the pain of the breakup and the fact that none of them was the only one in his life. They plot a revenge plan, where they use a girl to make him fall in love with her and then break up with him.
If this movie teaches us one thing, being in several relationships all at once is a real sign of loneliness and not coolness. John Tucker needed help, and the girls’ revenge plan was his wake-up call.
11. Just My Luck (2006)
It seems that 2006 was the year where some of the best chick flick movies were made and were meant to stay. Just My Luck features a less-than-perfect love story between Ashley and Jake, starring Lindsay Lohan and Chris Pine. This movie was quite successful and its time, but after Lohan gave us Mean Girls, nothing seemed to match its perfection.
Just My Luck is a fantasy movie where luck gets to travel from one body to another. Ashley is a successful woman leading a happy life, but things start to go downhill after she meets Jake at a party. Her good luck travels to Jake’s spirit, leaving Ashley with a miserable life and uplifting Jake, who has been used to being desperate and unlucky. In an attempt to get things back to where they were, they fall in love and start a new life.
12. He’s Just Not That Into You (2009)
He’s Just Not That Into You can be considered a chick flick, yet it falls in a category that caters more to ladies of an older age group, in their 20s and 30s. It highlights the consequences of misreading human behaviour and the complexity of relationships in a kind of humorous way.
Set in Baltimore, the movie represents the lives of a group of somehow interconnected individuals, portraying the problems of each and every one of them in a way we can all relate to. What makes the movie quite close to our hearts and minds is that there will be that one story that you can relate to.
13. Bride Wars (2009)
The wedding day should be one of the best days in any girl’s life. In the early years of the millennials, girls were raised to look up to their wedding days, plan them many years ahead, and have their best friends along to support and help make the day perfect. This was the exact case with this beloved chick flick movie, Bride Wars. Emma and Liv spent their childhoods planning each other’s weddings and dreaming of that day until it turned into a race and competitive that took a huge toll on their friendship.
14. 17 Again (2009)
At some point in life, we have all dreamed of being 17 for one more time to make different choices and see how life would turn out to be. Mike O’Donnell was the only one to have this opportunity. He was unhappy with his choices, wishing he would go back to make different ones and lead a happier life. We get to see what happens when life gives us a second chance in this dearest chick flick movie, 17 again, featuring our favourite comedian Matthew Perry and Hollywood’s hunk, Zac Efron.
15. Geek Charming (2011)
Geek Charming is one of those chick flick movies that represent a teenage girl who acts entitled yet turns out to have a touching story that induces her disliked behaviour. It is an interesting story of a high school diva who teams up with a film geek to document her own life but ends up falling in love with him after thinking he is so out of her league.
16. Sydney White (2007)
Sydney White is a comedy chick flick movie starring Amanda Bynes when she was the queen of chick flick movies back in 2007. The movie revolves around Sydney White, a girl in a popular sorority but exiled from the group by her self-centred, power-hungry nemesis, Rachel Witchburn, starring Sara Paxton. This leads Sydney to stay in the same house with seven nerds, where she believes she blends more easily and perfectly.
17. Bridesmaids (2011)
Bridesmaids is another wedding-based chick flick where things go south with lifelong friendships due to jealousy. Lillian asks her best friend, Annie, to be her maid of honour, which gives jobless Annie something to look up to and fills up her time. However, when Helen, one of Lillian’s bridesmaids, gets into the picture, she starts going over the top in her attempts to help Lillian with her wedding, leaving Annie feeling worthless. These internal conflicts affect the wedding events negatively, yet it is saved at the last minute, turning into the dreamy wedding they have all pictured.
18. Miss Congeniality (2000)
Miss Congeniality is an all-time favourite chick flick movie that you can rewatch hundreds of times and still never get enough. We are grateful to Sandra Bullock for giving us this masterpiece of a film that never gets old, no matter how older we get. The movie represents the life of a tomboyish detective, Gracie Hart, whose job forces her to explore her femininity by being an undercover contestant in a beauty pageant. Even better, she gets to meet the love of her life during this uncomfortable mission, sweeping our feet off of the ground with her.
19. The Wedding Planner (2001)
Working as a wedding planner can be a stressful yet fun job where you get to plan weddings to perfection and assist in turning people’s dreams of dreamy weddings into a reality. Mary Fiore had this perfect job until she was rescued by Steve Edison, a handsome man whom she believed was the one for her. In a turning of events, Mary found out that Steve was the fiance of a client of hers. Torn between her moral compass and what her heart wants, Mary had to make a final decision.
20. My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
Is this the 5th time we are mentioning weddings on this list? Well, that is a thing in most chick flick movies, no wonder the genre goes by that name. This time, we are shedding light over one of the best chick flicks of the late ’90s, My Best Friend’s Wedding, featuring our sweetheart, Julia Roberts.
When Julianne learns her guy best friend is getting married, she embarks on a destructive journey to stop the wedding and claim Michael as her own. Back then, we may have seen this as an act of pure love and ultimate romance, but now we cannot really think of it as anything but selfishness. However, this doesn’t change our love for this timeless movie.
21. 13 Going On 30 (2004)
Imagine waking up someday to find yourself 30 when you were just 13 when you went to bed. Well, this chick flick made it seem like a wish that came true and turned out to be the girl’s best wish to be granted. However, growing up to watch this movie and being now in our early 30s, we would want a reverse spell where we can be 13 again. Nonetheless, this romance/fantasy movie grossed great success, offering us great actors, a nice story, and a very happy ending.
22. Legally Blonde (2001)
Legally Blonde is a fascinating story about the determination and empowerment of women, breaking the stereotypes that patriarchal societies imposed. Elle Woods is a smart and attractive lady who gets heartbroken by her boyfriend, who dumped her for someone smarter. Determined to teach him a lesson, Elle joins Harvard law school to prove herself and prove that women can be powerful just on their own.