My Big, Fat Greek Wedding (2002), for including women of all glorious shapes and sizes.Emma (1996), for the wonderful costumes and countrysides, and for Gwyneth at her elegant, and slightly flighty best.

Mona Lisa Smile (2003), for showing that we've come along way, baby, and for reminding us that many chosen paths through life are equally wonderful for women.

French Kiss (1995), for Meg Ryan at her perky (and sometimes endearingly pathetic) best, and for the fun, flirty French music.

Miss Congeniality (2000), for Sandra Bullock's stunning makeover and for pure guilty-pleasure fluff (William Shatner and Candace Bergren are spoof-tacular!).

Calendar Girls (2003), for reminding us that older gals still got it going on.

Out of Africa (1985), for dreamy scenery and musical score, and for the scene where Robert Redford washes Meryl Streep's hair (mmmmm).

Next Stop Wonderland (1998), for its portrayal of a strong single woman who isn't afraid to dine alone in public.

That, and the fact that we start out crying tears of pain and end up crying tears of joy. It's the overall community that's so winning here. And what a fun, real portrayal of married love Bonnie Hunt and James Belushi offer.

There are wonderful scenes of friendship-between Grace and her best friend and between Grace's grandpa and his three poker buddies. But what's just as wonderful as this sweetly awkward romance are all the peripheral characters. Then, well, it's a love story, so you can figure it out. Then there are tentative hearts, as these two wounded souls reluctantly risk a relationship with one another. First there are broken hearts-Bob loses his wife in a car crash, and Grace is near death due to heart problems. Much revolves around a human heart in this sweet, quirky love story. One more thing: Here's a handy chart for your specific cinematic needs: Each has such unique merit! So this is by no means a definitive best-of list-just a jumping off place of some classics and a few lesser-known gems for your next chick flick fix. I'll admit that choosing such a list is not-so-unlike choosing a favorite from among those 17 pairs of black shoes. Flicks about women finding love, hope, friendship, reconciliation, a sense of purpose, their voice-and often themselves. Movies about true girl power, that celebrate women and our relationships with each other, our family, our significant other, our world. So to save you from such cinematic mishaps, we compiled a list of ten can't-miss chick flicks. True chick flicks don't require you to check your brain or your morals at the door. You know, like the much-touted Pretty Woman. (My friend Max says the difference between chick flicks and guy movies is that in the former, one person dies slowly, and in the latter, a lot of people die really quickly.)īecause of the important role these movies play in our life, there's nothing worse than plunking down your nine bucks at the theater or your rental card at the nearest Blockbuster and getting fooled by a Chick-Flick Wannabe.

Throughout life, we women turn to our cinematic friends after breakups and bad haircuts, for Girls Nights Out and Me Nights In, when we need a good laugh or a good cry, when we're feeling frumpy or flirty, happily in love or hormonally imbalanced. And our ongoing love affair with chick flicks. A woman's need for 17 different pairs of black shoes. There are many things in this life men simply don't understand.

Best chick flick movies