The love of a good friend

By definition, chick flicks are about the complications and intricacies of relationships. It's what separates these movies from the pack on the video store shelf. But these aren't always the boy-meets-girl, Romeo-esque complications. After all, where is Juliet when she's not front and center, calling down from a window? She's carefully analysing and dissecting her man with the help of a few close girlfriends, that's where.

The interactions and interventions of sisterhood help us determine who we are -- or perhaps who we want to be. You may have a life mate, but your girlfriends are your lifelines. Try as they may, the men in your life likely don't understand the soothing power of a tub of ice cream after a tough day. It's not their fault -- it's a chromosome thing. That's why we go to our girlfriends, with whom we share that all-important XX factor -- along with our passion for Chunky Monkey or Vanilla Swiss Almond. Or both. There are some things in life that only your female folk can follow.

In the spirit of friendship, explore some notable big-screen girlfriends and examine the lessons to gain from their relationships.

Reality check, please
The women of Where the Heart Is (2000)-- Novalea (Natalie Portman) and Lexi (Ashley Judd), who understands comfort food so well she calls her kids Brownie, Praline, Cherry, and Baby Ruth -- know that while one-night stands and the marrying kind of men may be a part of life, they aren't the whole of it.

The confidante, the sounding board and the mentor are roles best filled by our girlfriends. These leading ladies teach us that -- unlike what romantic comedies would have us believe -- life is not all about the romance. Along the way, there will be heartache, loss and frequent sanity checks.

Lesson learned: Authentic friends help us pick up the pieces of reality.

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With friends like these
Why does sending your tall, blond and gorgeous friend as your proxy on a date with your tall, dark and handsome interest sound like a bad idea? Because it is!

Ladies face enough challenges in life without setting themselves up like Abby (Janeane Garofalo) does in The Truth About Cats and Dogs (1996). Because of a little fear and a lot of rash decisions, Abby ends up competing for -- what else? -- a man with her new best friend, Noelle (Uma Thurman).

Take one not-so-confident radio host and put her in her own psychological ring against her model friend. Self-esteem? Punch! Self-confidence? Punch! Self-worth? Totally knocked out by the blond knockout. Luckily for Abby, Noelle eventually realizes that in a fight, her best friend wins over the chance at some guy every time. These girls figure out that it's not a competition unless you turn it into one.

Lesson learned: Instead of creating enemies, look around for the possibilities of friendship. Just as you are
Gucci-virgin Andy (Anne Hathaway) loses a few pounds and then loses herself in the silken sheen of designer world moguls in The Devil Wears Prada (2006).

Throughout this name-dropping runway of a film, Andy -- second assistant to fashionista magazine queen Miranda Priestly (a divine Meryl Streep) -- develops a fragile relationship with the ever-chic first assistant, Emily (Emily Blunt). The job and the unsteady friendship all come crashing down during Fashion Week in Paris when Andy leaves her nightmare position and returns to her real world, to the people who've always been there for her.

Lesson learned: If you have to shimmy into a size four skirt and matching four-inch stiletto boots to become part of the gang, they're not really your friends. Dump the "mean girls" and go out for nachos with some three-dimensional women.

For better or for worse
Rose (Toni Collete) has lived her whole life learning that "for better or for worse" is not only limited to marital bliss. It's a lesson she's gained from her ever-irresponsible sister, Maggie (Cameron Diaz) in the 2005 release In Her Shoes.

Maggie crashes at Rose's place, regularly steals her favourite Manolo Blahniks and then seduces her boyfriend...all while wearing Rose's shoes! Yet the emotional high point isn't when Rose ventures into true love again, it's when she finds her sister again. She asks that mystifying, all-revealing question so many of us have pondered, "Why can't I stay mad at you?"

Lesson learned: Particularly appropriate for those in long-term relationships with their bound-by-blood-or-marriage gal pals, these women teach us that sticking tight through the rough patches with those you love (even if you don't like them sometimes) is what life is really about.

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