not just a chick flick

Rating: 7/10 (23 May 2001)

First thing, I had wanted to see this movie but almost did not go because of the main review which described this movie as "Brill!" I thought, "Oh god, not only is this a chick flick, it's a teenage chick flick." Gladly, I overcame my apprehensions and came over to the movie house...
Though this definitely could be considered a chick flick, there must be something else to it; for, I do not enjoy the typical chick flick. Thinking back at the most humorous scenes, I believe it was the dialogue that made this movie enjoyable for me.
I, you see, am a regular word smith, a true logophiliac. When a movie has no plot, or a disagreeable plot, or a predictable plot, creative conversationist nuances can certainly bring a movie forward. For example, at one point Mark refers to Bridget's speaking skills as "verbal incontinence." Later, referring back to that comment, Bridget uses the phrase, "verbal diarrhea." Another time, Bridget comes to work skimpily clad. Her boss asks if her skirt is "home sick." Bridget replies that her skirt is indeed present and that his attitude must represent some sort of biased "size-ist" ideology. Those are the first two instances I could think of. I found them quite amusing.
But if such subtleties to not amuse you, I'm sure you may enjoy this movie for it's chick-flick aspects. Aspects include: problems in dieting, embarrassment of "spinsterhood" (another gem of verbosity), self-pity followed by triumph!, and other such not-nearly-as-unique-as-the-dialogue scenes. Just to brag a bit, SPOILERS, I did predict both ending and the cloths misconception and cheating misconception that allowed for said ending to occur. Yet this was not a plot movie for me, so it did not detract from anything, for me.
Also, I thought the fact that the heroine was to purposely game weight for the movie was a refreshing change. Although more plump than when sleeping with Jerry Mcquire, Renee was not over-ripe and did a fantastic job. The accent did not hurt either, scruptous.
One more thing I thought was interesting, if not contradictory or revealing reverse sexism. Why does - yet another SPOILER - Bridget finally wise up and drop the cheating dog Daniel, while Mrs. Jones leaves Mr. Jones to go have a month long orgy with a television star and he takes her back with no thought whatsoever? There is only one answer: miss Mcquire and her feminine agenda do that think a man can get past his self-pity enough to escape his dependence on an unfaithful partner, while Bridget has no problem doing this even before she learns the truth of the cheating misconception.

That was partly joking, because I do not remember having ever seen a movie with a female director. Yet I give you kudos, miss Mcquire, for making a film with two levels of enjoyability.