LibGuides: COMM 220: Introduction to Film: "Chick Flicks"

Classic "Chick Flicks" on DVD

What characteristics define a so-called “Chick Flick”? Visit the “Film Genres” page on the American Movie Classics (AMC) web site to find out!

Norma Rae by Ritt, Martin.
Call Number: PN 1997 .N656 2001
Publication Date: Produced 1979; DVD released 2001
Norma Rae is a Southern millworker who revolutionizes a small town and discovers a power in herself she never knew she had. Under the guidance of a New York union organizer, she convinces her fellow factory workers to fight for better conditions and wages.
Terms of Endearment by Brooks, James L.
Call Number: PN 1997 .T47 2000
Publication Date: Produced 1983; DVD released 2000
Based on the novel by Larry McMurtry, this film focuses on the mercurial relationship between a mother and daughter, which takes a dramatic turn when the daughter is diagnosed with cancer.
The Color Purple by Spielberg, Steven.
Call Number: PS 3573 .A425 C6 2007
Publication Date: Produced 1985; DVD released 2007
This adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel follows Celie, a Black woman living in the South, as she gradually gains self-respect while striving to educate herself and find love, despite an abusive spouse and a society biased against her.
Steel Magnolias by Ross, Herbert.
Call Number: PS 3558 .A6243 S73 2000
Publication Date: Produced 1989; DVD released 2000
A diabetic woman's decision to have a baby -- against doctor's advice -- could cost her life. This choice leaves her own mother torn between love and despair, while her friends support them both.
Thelma & Louise by Scott, Ridley.
Call Number: PN 1995.9 .B796 T3 2010
Publication Date: Produced 1991; DVD released 2010
Meek housewife Thelma joins her feisty friend Louise for a weekend getaway. Their trip becomes a flight from the law when Louise kills a man who tries to rape Thelma. Louise decides to flee to Mexico, and Thelma joins her, neither of them anticipating their ultimate fate.
A League of Their Own by Marshall, Penny.
Call Number: PN 1997 .L4 1997
Publication Date: Produced 1992; DVD released 1997
Based on the true story of pioneering women who blazed the trail for future generations of female professional athletes, this film recalls the all-girl baseball league that boosted Americans' morale while male players were away fighting in World War II.
The Joy Luck Club by Wang, Wayne.
Call Number: PS 3570 .A48 J6 2002
Publication Date: Produced 1993; DVD released 2002
In San Francisco, a group of Chinese women share memories while playing mah-jongg. In vignettes that span generations and continents, this adaptation of Amy Tan's novel explores cultural conflict and the turbulent relationships between first-generation Chinese-American women and their mothers.

Now Streaming: Films on Demand

How does a popular novel get turned into a movie? Watch this documentary, Climbing "Cold Mountain": Turning a Best-Seller into a Box Office Hit, to find out. This program tracks the evolution of director Anthony Minghella’s Hollywood adaptation from initial scripting to world premiere screening. Behind-the-scenes footage of the pre-production, production, and post-production processes sheds light on location scouting, casting, research, set-building, music recording, location shooting, working with actors, film editing, and more. Interviews with Minghella, as well as with Jude Law, Renée Zellwegger, Nicole Kidman, and other members of the star-studded cast are featured.

Genre-Related Books

I'll Have What She's Having: How Nora Ephron's Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy by Carlson, Erin.
Call Number: PN 1995.9 .C55 C37 2017
ISBN: 9780316353885
Publication Date: 2017
This assessment of the making of Nora Ephron's popular films "When Harry Met Sally," "You've Got Mail," and "Sleepless in Seattle" shares an intimate portrait of the writer's life and her enduring influence on a generation of Hollywood women.
Nobody's Girl Friday by Smyth, J. E.
Call Number: PN 1995.9 .W6 S639 2018
ISBN: 9780190840822
Publication Date: 2018
This comprehensive history of Hollywood's high-flying career women during the studio era covers the impact of the executives, producers, editors, writers, agents, designers, directors, and actresses who shaped film production and style, led their unions, climbed to the top during the war, and fought the blacklist in the 1950s. Based on a decade of archival research, it uncovers a formidable generation working within the American film industry and brings their voices back into the history of Hollywood.
Reel Knockouts: Violent Women in the Movies by McCaughey, Martha.
Call Number: PN 1995.9 .W6 R454 2001
ISBN: 0292752512
Publication Date: 2001
This book-length study makes feminist sense of violent women in films from Hollywood to Hong Kong, from top-grossing to direct-to-video.