NEWS: Chris Gore’s Footage Fetishes: 10 Dick Flicks for a Delightful Evening

CULTURE: Chris Gore’s Footage Fetishes: 10 Dick Flicks for a Delightful Evening

When most guys see a Chick Flick, it's usually because they did something. Often, they're paying back a favor to their significant other. Perhaps their girl was a good sport during baseball season or that Star Wars marathon when the television received all the attention. Whatever the reason, most men won't see a Chick Flick unless they're paying back a favor usually involving a typical male indulgence.



Personally, I am not a fan of Chick Flicks, although there are some exceptional films within the genre, Amelie being among the best. And we all know that most of that cliché crap about gender roles is nonsense anyway as society evolves. (However, there is a word I use to describe women who break the mold and discover a passion for sports and porn and all things geeky - I call them "perfect!") While I won't babble on about the gender gap, what I will do is point out a growing trend at the movies - a plethora of Dick Flicks.



For those unfamiliar with the term, a Dick Flick is a Chick Flick for a guy, hence the term "dick." I know, it's not all that clever, but the films contain all of the elements of Chick Flicks from the point of view of a human with a penis. You'll encounter all of the same story and character melodrama as well as the soul-searching, the difficult moral choices wrapped up in a dramatic emotional journey involving men in their most vulnerable state. The males in these movies might not be as sexy as the typical action star, but they certainly feel more real.







For men, it's liberating to experience these films to get in touch with that sensitive side, y'know, the one shoved below the surface by testosterone and society and the jockochracy that dominated traditional schooling. One can only do so much "man-ing up" before the weight becomes too much. Some of these Dick Flicks even demonstrate that it's okay to cry since, hey, John Cusack gets weepy sometimes too.



For women, Dick Flicks are enjoyable for the insight they provide into the male mind. So think of it as spying… which is exactly what I do when I see any Chick Flick.





1. High Fidelity

John Cusack practically invented the Dick Flick genre with Say Anything in 1989. His portrayal of Lloyd Dobler in that film solidified a place in women's hearts. He also made it okay for guys to be pussy-whipped since it seemed so romantic. In High Fidelity, Cusack takes a hard look at himself as he evaluates each relationship to discover exactly where it went wrong. Oh, and the film's music geek references make it that much more enjoyable.



2. Clerks 2

Kevin Smith has made a romantic comedy in which the central character balances both the woman and man in his life. And how many of us have had to do that in real life? Smith gets major kudos in the surprising jailhouse scene in which Randall and Dante, two men, express their love for each other - but not in a Gay way. I mean, this is a Kevin Smith film.





3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

How many of us wish there were a way to erase that bad relationship? Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet portray the best and worst of any typical relationship and then both realize that when it's over... they actually miss it. All of it, both the good and the bad. Eternal Sunshine is simultaneously romantic and dark and destined to be a Dick Flick classic.



4. Field of Dreams

This father/son story set against the backdrop of a passion for baseball is guaranteed to make any man cry. I know I have.



5. Annie Hall

Woody Allen was not only a pioneer of the genre, he made being a weak geek seem sexy. Annie Hall[/] is the best of his kvetching comedies. He made it okay for men to be romantic and sensitive and wear glasses. Thanks Woody. I would have never gotten laid in high school were it not for your romantic comedies.





6. Before Sunrise / Before Sunset

Richard Linklater has pulled the best performance out of his leads Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. For anyone who has ever found that instant connection which turned into an all night conversation, these two movies will help you explain it to those who haven't. Brilliant, smart, passionate, the Before bi-ology is a romance centered on realism.





7. Melvin Goes to Dinner

This Bob Odenkirk-directed comedy explores one night in the life of a man who has a life-changing dinner. Actor/writer Michael Blieden is the Melvin from the title who is forced to confront everything after just one meal. Cameos by Jack Black and David Cross put this indie into the pee-your-pants-funny zone.



8. Serendipity

John Cusack returns to familiar territory in this overlooked romance. On the eve of his wedding, John attempts to track down a woman he met one night years ago to see if that spark is still there. Cusack is a master at appearing manly in spite of being oh-so mushy.





9. Coupling

Okay, this is not a movie, but this well-written British TV series (there was an awful U.S. version you can ignore) is like Friends except much better and with lots of sex as well as constant talk of big dicks and big tits. The character of Jeff Murdock is especially endearing as his futile pursuits of unattainable women provide the bulk of the comedy.



10. Sleepless in Seattle / You've Got Mail

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan star in both of these flicks, but don't let that put you off. The pairing of the two is charming and Hanks proves that being a goofball can end up in actually getting the girl.



Gore gone!



Chris_Gore is an author, a filmmaker, the creator of Film Threat, and is feeling very emotional today. Please be nice to him.

If you don't cry at the end where he plays catch with his dad, you have no soul.

I'll have to try out your nos. 6 and 7; they sound interesting.

I wonder if I should be concerned that about half of this list comprises my girlfriend's favorite non-Star-Wars films.

what about...

A COSBY SWEATER!

I'd go with About a Boy instead of High Fidelity. Same author and the resident "dick" is less of a dickhead.

about a boy was great
Hi-fi still is top 5 worthy to me..

both books were better than the films

So the definition of a dick flick is just a chick flick with a male protagonist/narrator? Hmmm. I mean, chick flicks aren't just movies with female protagonists/narrators, they're a particular type of sentimental, crap movie that caters to a female audience in particular ways. In your description of dick flicks, you seem to have expanded the genre so much that it's sort of pointless.

I thought dick flicks were movies that milked the tear ducts with trite sentimentalism that was nonetheless NOT based in love affairs, but male friendships, father-son relationships, sports, love of country, etc. So Field of Dreams, Braveheart, that kind of thing.

I'm willing to go along with the idea that one can have a dick flick that is about romance, but told from an explicitly male perspective - High Fidelity is a good example of this, The Brothers McMullen could be another. I think what makes these movies dick flicks, and not just chick flicks with a male narrator, is their treatment of women as mysterious foreign creatures that can scarely be comprehended. So you get a lot of philosophizing about how women work, most of which is completely preposterous, and thus rather alienating to a female viewer. Interestingly, chick flicks don't generally spend a lot of time trying to figure out how men work, they rather bemoan the fact that they don't. But that's a separate issue.

What I don't get though is why you'd include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in the list. I mean, to me, the chick/dick flick is by definition rather trite and vapid. Eternal Sunshine, on the other hand, is a complex and fascinating exploration of love, memory, and identity. It's not employing cheap tricks to make you cry - the plot isn't engineered purely to create standard emotional effects. Furthermore, I would argue that it isn't made to appeal to one gender in particular, which, I think, is a key part of the chick/dick flick genre. It's not the case that any romantic movie is a chick or dick flick - Bull Durham, for instance, is a movie that I think is obviously geared towards both genders (and is also an awesome movie).

I guess from my perspective, the terms chick flick (or dick flick) is a rather derogatory one. They designate movies that are basically crap, looking for cheap emotional thrills. This is not to say that all of them suck, some, like High Fidelity, manage to be quite intelligent despite being emotionally self-indulgent. But still, we're talking about a specific genre of film, and it's generally characterized by sentimentalism of a specific nature.

I've always liked chick flicks..
I rather watch them then about 80% of the movies you listed.

besides dick flicks makes it sound like your renting a porno.

I disagree violently with your inclusion of You've Got Mail - this is a chick flick through and through with not a hint of dickflickness.

Having said that, going to see it did get me some (and indeed a three-year relationship), since the young lady in question and I bonded over a common dislike of it. I'd rather pull out my own fingernails and then dip my hands in vinegar than see it again though.

I worked with the guy who played the dad, once. We did summerstock together.

What an awful movie.

Nice pun.

Nice catch.

Wa-wha-WHAT?! Less of a dick, you say?!?!

Fuck that. Will Freeman pretends to have a kid just to hook up with a chick. That's pretty bad. Rob just has low self-esteem and makes dumb mistakes. I am ONE with the Rob. He is me in ten years (as a boy), and that's simultaneously frightening and comforting.

On an only marginally related note, I love-love-love that in About a Boy, Will meets Angie at Championship Vinyl. What a way to construct a universe.

I also highly resent the vehemence with which people consider High Fidelity a "guy" singularity. A blurb on the back of my book says "Keep this book away from your girlfriend--it contains too many of your secrets to let it fall into the wrong hands."

Why can't I relate? Just 'cause I'm a girl? Maybe we should just keep it away from people who aren't grumpy obsessive music geeks.

I love the field of dreams =D

And as long as I'm here, here's some constructive criticism on the movie High Fidelity.

After having watched said movie three times this week and read said book again once, I have come to the following conclusion: Tim Robbins was an egregiously bad choice to play Ian Raymond. He wasn't supposed to be a middle-aged hippie counselor. He was supposed to be a younger sensitive vegan type guy. Laura would never have left Rob for fucking Tim Robbins. It's ludicrous. It would have made exponentially more sense if the role had been played by Cusack's own compadre Jeremy Piven. The confrontation scene would have been more hilarious as well. Everything would have been better.

I still love the movie to death and always will. Just sayin'.

Cool story, Hansel.

Dude, wipe the jizz off your chin you homo. What the hell does a guy from LA know about masculinity?

Serendipity? WRONG! If you're going to go Cusack, replace that with "Better Off Dead" or at least "Say Anything" (still kind of gay, but at least he's a kickboxer).

Field of Dreams is a great flick, but there is nothing delightful about how anyone feels at the end of that movie. I just want to be alone afterwards.

The Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan double feature is STILL a chick flick. I'd replace both of them with "Saving Private Ryan" and "Full Metal Jacket".

Highly seconded. I'd also recommend "The Sure Thing."

Plus one. I wouldn't be caught dead watching a Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie, and I'm a chick.

Yes.

I agree. It is also unashamedly my favorite movie.

I like High Fidelity, but I'm never happy at the end because I just don't find Rob Gordon worthy of it. I just despise him so much that I can't be happy for him. Not that Will is a good guy, either. Nick Hornby sure has a knack for writing completely unlikable male protagonists.