A movie that focuses almost exclusively on stereotypical male
hero-type characters and relies on a mix of violence,
speed, machismo, and
swagger to attract a young male audience, while minimizing, or even trivializing/victimizing, female characters. It is this latter, plus the stark failure of the Bechdel
test*, which primarily differentiates a Richard flick from movies that target men, and employ many of these same action elements, yet contain significant and central roles for women, as well.
"Richard flick" is a tongue-in-cheek cultural response to "chick flick," a descriptive term for movies primarily targeting women and focused on romance with HEA ("happily ever after"), similar to the juxtaposition of chick lit/dick lit descriptors for books. The Richard terminology has related applications, such as "The 80s was a Richard decade in relation to its backlash against 70s
feminism."
*Failure of the Bechdel
test alone does not make a movie a Richard flick; for example: The Terminator (
1984) had only one significant female role, but that character was central to the plot, as prominently featured as the primary male role, and commanded the viewer's
respect throughout.
