Must-have movies for a 'chick-flick' party

However much we love the men in our lives, sometimes we just need to hang out with the girls. After all, guys don't usually consider shoe shopping and drooling over Ryan Reynolds when he takes of his shirt in National Lampoon's Van Wilder to be a good time. There are some things you just can't do with the 'menfolk' around.

When I had a particularly difficult breakup, some of my friends got together and threw me a 'chick flick' party. We ate ice cream, watched The First Wives Club and, to quote one friend, 'bitched about men'. It wasn't that my friends were man-haters so much as that they were trying to give me a way to get vent some of my frustration with the breakup. However, 'chick-flicks' don't always have to be 'angry'. Many have stories that are simply more appealing to women. Here are some of my favorite 'chick flicks'.

• Dirty Dancing. Jennifer Grey-before the nose job-makes beautiful music with a young and gorgeous Patrick Swayze on a 1960s family vacation to the Catskills. It's mostly a story about a shy young girl finding herself and her first love, but the soundtrack and wonderful dance scenes make this a slumber-party staple. Plus, he takes off his shirt.
• The Princess Bride. Here, a young woman loses the love of her life, only to find that he isn't dead after all. Problem is, she's engaged to a prince. She might be a fairy-tale princess, but she is no shrinking violet. Her first love enlists the help of some fairy-tale friends to rescue the princess and live happily ever after. To answer the first question of the movie...yes, it's a kissing book.
• The First Wives Club. This one isn't about 'man-bashing' so much as celebrating female friendships. The premise is that three college friends reunite after the suicide of another friend in the wake of her husband leaving her for another woman. The women get together and use their anger at their ex-spouses to build up their confidence and reinforce the friendships that they had let slide over the years. They do end up making their exes pay-literally, but the biggest theme is about how a woman doesn't need a man to be 'complete'. You can see why this was a good 'breakup-therapy' movie choice.
• Chicago. I'm only calling this one a 'chick flick' because most (straight) men I know don't like musicals. The men might like the skimpy outfits some of the women wear during the dance numbers, but the song Cell Block Tango where the women talk about how the murdered their husbands/boyfriends made the boyfriend I saw the movie with rather uncomfortable. For the record, it's not 'anti-man' so much as 'anti-bad behavior', and there were a few other songs from/about strong women. If you're upset about a breakup, hearing 'he had it coming' can be very cathartic.

These are only a few 'chick-flicks' that can make any girls' night fun. If you want, the American Movie Channel's website has a list of the most memorable 'girl movies.  Have fun!