People
misuse the word, but a movie is a chick flick when a
relationship is put first and foremost. In a normal movie or in real life, there are two fully-fleshed out characters, worthwhile people in themselves, who then enter a relationship. The difference between a chick flick and a movie that includes a relationship or dating is much like the difference between sexual
pornography and a movie where characters have non-gratuitous
sex.
In other words, certain movies are pornographic when they put something important like sex or a relationship or a wedding in the spotlight, with the characters an afterthought.
Heather Havrilesky writes about one extreme version of this: "While even recently canceled 'Ally McBeal' sweats and fantasizes in her own disturbing Skeletor way, wedding porn takes all the dirtiness out of romance. Each scenario is meant to get our hearts (but not our parts) fluttering. This isn't about sex, it's about shopping. For men."
In a real chick flick (not just a romantic comedy), the leading woman has as little personality as possible. The more she has, the more difficult it would be for a woman to erase the heroine's face and put her own in. If there is a simple test, it is this: could we transplant a different bland personality and keep the movie?
Perhaps we should use a different word for this, like "relationship porn". It would make it a bit harder to defend liking bad movies, and a bit harder to pretend a good movie is a chick flick. But unlike the previous author, I won't advocate keeping one's mind open, just a new word to keep it firmly shut.
Havrilevsky's article can be found at http://www.salon.com/ent/tv/feature/2002/04/25/wedding_porn/