Dicks vs. Chicks

A few of my friends and I have been talking lately about this summer's blockbuster movies. I don't know how actively any of you have been movie-viewing lately, but in addition to the summer's usual offering of action and horror movies, a new genre is semi-emerging: the dick flick. Some examples include "Knocked Up", "Eagle vs. Shark", the upcoming "SuperBad", and even "Ocean's 13", to name a few.

The name "dick flick" is derived, of course, from that most aggravating of terms, "chick flick". A chick flick is a movie that puts a woman trying to get a man's attention at the forefront of the plot. She may have some tough life lessons to learn along the way, but the heterosexual romantic relationship is what drives the movie, and she usually gets the man in the end (probably due to her extreme attractiveness). Although logic would dictate that the dick flick, then, should be the male version of the chick flick, we feminists know that logic is not something we can rely on when it comes to women and pop culture. Let's break this down, shall we? In the hopes of better understanding both chicks and dicks.

Main Characters
Chick Flicks: Usually a beautiful woman, her less attractive but funnier best friend, the handsome jerk she is trying to date, and the adorable guy she ends up dating at the end of the movie. See Sleepless in Seattle, Bridget Jones' Diary, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, et al.

Dick Flicks: Usually an everyman type of guy (he may or may not be emotionally sensitive), his group of equally attractive friends (if he is ugly they are ugly, if he is cute they are cute) and, if any female characters appear at all, a woman much more attractive than he who ends up inexplicably falling for him. See Knocked Up, Garden State, Old School, et al.

Plot
Chick Flicks: The plot in chick flicks always revolves around romantic relationships. The main character is trying to get a man, keep a man, or get over a man. At the end of the film, she will undoubtedly end up with a man, happily. Anything else in the film (her career, her friendships, some sort of casino heist plot) is secondary to the romance. Obviously this is because romantic relationships are all women care about. See Someone Like You, The Object of My Affection, Maid in Manhattan, Catch and Release, et al.

Dick Flicks: This is where we start to see some real differences in the two genres. In dick flicks, romance often doesn't even play a part in the film. If it does, the romantic relationship is secondary to the plot, which involves charismatic men doing some sort of exciting/funny/dramatic thing. See Wayne's World, Wedding Crashers, Ocean's 11-13, et al.

There are more differences/similarities between the two genres, of course (the role of friendships being an important one) but I am hoping that this is enough to get a discourse started for now. It is frustrating to see that the film industry perpetuates the idea that all women care about is romantic relationships, but does not do the same when it comes to movies made for men. With whom should these heterosexual women be having their romantic relationships, if men have better things to do?

We will be discussing more on this topic in future posts, as it is an issue about which I feel quite strongly. Please let me know your thoughts!