This Year in Film: 2004

With the immediate fame of “Mean Girls” and “The Notebook,” the modern chick flick was born in 2004. Millennials are sure to cite films like these as their favorite childhood movies — and it’s not something to complain about. While there were over 16 different chick flicks released in 2004, here are the top five cult classics.

5. "The Prince and Me"

The classic girl-hates-boy-then-girl-loves-boy trope was cemented with the fame of this wonderfully sweet film. And who doesn’t love a good princess story? College student Paige is immediately annoyed by classmate Eddie, but then begins to fall in love with him — of course. Until, that is, she finds out he’s the Crown Prince of Denmark. The film leaves us with the typical dilemma women faced in the early 2000s: Marry a prince, or follow your dreams?

4. “White Chicks”

If you didn’t watch this film without your parents knowing, did you really have a childhood? In order to protect two rich heiresses from a kidnapping scheme, two black FBI agents adopt the ultimate disguise by becoming white teenage girls. Raunchy and suggestive, the film includes a few infamous scenes, including the convertible scene in which the friends sing Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” (a song loved by Terry Crews, who plays one of the FBI agents), and the club dance-off scene, which boasts over 11 million views to date on YouTube.

3. “13 Going on 30”

Nearly every child has wished that they were older with the freedom to do whatever they want. Jenna makes this very wish for her thirteenth birthday and wakes up the next day only to find she has been fast-forwarded into the life of her thirty year old self. Starring Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner, this movie is essentially the sassier version of Tom Hanks’s 1988 film “Big,” featuring a “Thriller” dance scene.

2. “The Notebook”

That kiss though, am I right? This film transformed Ryan Gosling into an immediate heartthrob, and set the standard for epic love stories everywhere. According to director Nick Cassavetes, however, Gosling and co-star Rachel McAdams (who plays the main love-interest, Allie) apparently couldn’t stand each other when filming, despite having ridiculous chemistry on-screen.

1. “Mean Girls”

Based loosely on the self-help book “Queen Bees and Wannabees” by Rosalind Wiseman and then adapted by Tina Fey, “Mean Girls” is one of the best chick flicks of all time. It stars young Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Amanda Seyfried, as well as many of Fey’s castmates on SNL, such as Amy Poehler (who plays Regina’s mom), Tim Meadows (who plays Mr. Hall), and Ana Gasteyer (who plays Cady’s mother). Grossing over $129 million worldwide and with a sequel in 2011 and a Broadway adaptation in 2018, the success of “Mean Girls” is unparalleled. No matter how many times we watch it, somehow it never grows old or out of touch. Even Ariana still gives a nod in her iconic “thank u, next” music video.

—Staff writer Sienna R. Santer can be reached at sienna.santer@thecrimson.com.