This is more challenging than I thought. The reality is that I haven't seen that many chick movies, or else I managed to forget them.

But here's another stealth chick movie by my definition: Kenneth Branagh's 1993 Much Ado About Nothing. Shakespeare's play is not a "chick play", but in the hands of the wrong director...

Anyway, the two main characters are Benedick and Beatrice, played by Branagh and Emma Thompson, who were married at the time. At the beginning of the play they are constantly sniping at each other with witty banter. In the movie the banter is self-satisfied, smug, and way overdone. But you see, the sniping is a façade because they are really in love with each other, but both are too proud to admit it even to themselves. Around Act III, Benedick suddenly realizes that he loves Beatrice and covorts in fountains and performs other bright antics, imagining himself a teenage boy in love. This overacting is the point at which Much Ado becomes a chick flick.

Branagh and Thompson divorced two years later.

The real disappointment is Michael Keaton as Dogberry, the chief constable of the night watch. Dogberry is the funniest character in Shakespeare. He comes up with one hilarious malapropism after another. I like to read Shakespeare in my Riverside before seeing a movie, and I was laughing out loud as I imagined Keaton delivering Dogberry's lines.

Then I saw the movie. Branagh had Keaton play Dogberry as Beetlejuice. Dogberry does not need "improvement" — this stupid decision to overact ruined the part IMO.

On the other hand, Keanu Reeves was unexpectedly good as John the Bastard. A small role, but some compensation.