Top Five Chick Flicks to Rediscover

The term chick-flick conjures up images of sweet romantic comedies staring some combination of Julia Roberts/Hugh Grant/Meg Ryan/George Clooney/Sandra Bullock. While this quintet has starred in some the most popular "women's pictures" of all time, several classic movies can actually claim the title of being the best chick flicks ever.

Below are five chick flicks you may have never seen or haven't seen in a long time. Check these out when you need the perfect way to pass a rainy day:

"Breakfast At Tiffany's" - Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard, 1961 - This frothy confection betrays its dark roots as Truman Capote's novella of the same name. Explicit in the book, glossed over in the movie, heroine Holly Golightly is a call girl with a boatload of problems. She's got a complicated past, a cat with no name and a love affair with the jewelry store, Tiffany and Co. Though it's hard to imagine anyone other than the luminous Hepburn as Holly, Capote actually wanted Marilyn Monroe for the part. Monroe's acting coach didn't think she should play a call girl and the rest is history. Hepburn received Golden Globe and Oscar nominations and went on to become an enduring fashion icon as a result of the movie. From her provocatively chaste romance with the handsome Peppard (long before his "A-Team" days) to making the little black dress a must-have for every woman (sorry, Coco) Holly Golightly would become Hepburn's signature role. And that party scene? Classic.

Imitation of Life - Lana Turner and Sandra Dee, 1959 - Glossy, soapy, campy - "Imitation of Life" embodies it all brilliantly. Loosely based on Fannie Hurst's novel, the first film adaptation of the story came in 1934 and starred Claudette Colbert as the brains behind a multimillion dollar pancake empire coping with romantic problems caused by her daughter and the racial troubles experienced by her live-in maid and her daughter. Fast-forward to 1959 and cast the glamorous Turner as an aspiring actress, Teen Queen Sandra Dee as her headstrong daughter and amp up the racial tension surrounding live-in maid, Annie and her fair-skinned daughter, Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner in her Oscar-nominated role) and the result is an enduring classic that should be required viewing for any actress aspiring to take on the "chick flick" mantle.

"The Philadelphia Story" - Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, 1940 - This adaptation of the hit stage play famously revived Hepburn's career and rescued her from the label, "Box Office Poison."Forget the plot, though it's certainly a strong one (on the eve of her wedding, socialite Tracy Lord must contend with her ex-husband, a tabloid reporter and a cover-up involving her father) and instead, revel in the rapid-fire dialogue and crackerjack comic timing displayed by the entire cast. In particular, keep your eye on Virginia Weidler, who plays Tracy's precocious younger sister, Dinah. Though Hepburn lost the Oscar that year to Ginger Rogers for "Kitty Foyle," Tracy Lord remains one of her greatest roles. If you think you can't relate to "old movies," "The Philadelphia Story" will make you a convert.

"Splendor in the Grass" - Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty, 1961 - It was Warren Beatty's film debut and the movie that showed moviegoers Natalie Wood was more than just a child actress. This bittersweet tale of sexual repression, forbidden love and mental illness may sound like a downer, but it is actually one of the most romantic movies ever produced. Wood and Beatty scorched the screen as doomed lovers Deanie and Bud (a chemistry that later spilled over into real life) caught between their desire for one another, societal norms, small town values and family strife. As they are torn apart by circumstances beyond their control, Deanie descends into madness and Bud can no longer keep up the façade of perfect son for his father. This movie underscores how sometimes, love isn't enough and is actually a story you'll want to revisit again and again.

"Gone With the Wind" - Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable, 1939 - The Grande Dame of the "chick flick," this classic has it all: romance, war, death, scoundrels, heroes and of course, Scarlett O'Hara. Based on Margaret Mitchell's sweeping tome, the movie was one the most highly anticipated of the time, as its success or failure could make or break every career associated with it. They needn't have worried. It won multiple Oscars, broke box office records and became the standard bearer for classic filmmaking.

Watch it, revere it, slot it into your top ten list of all-time favorite movies.

Sources:

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