Not Much To Add
David Denby wrote a perceptive article a few months ago in The New Yorker about the new sort of romantic comedy. In classic screwball, men and women were equals. Now, he claims, in films featuring "Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Adam Sandler, John Cusack, Jimmy Fallon, Matthew McConaughey, Jack Black, Hugh Grant, and Seth Rogen," the man is still a child--a slacker who needs to grow up. The women's a straight arrow with a serious job--the one who has to force her guy to become an adult.
This probably has something to do with Katherine Heigl's recent comments in Vanity Fair that her hit Knocked Up is "a little sexist." The guys get to be lovable screw-ups while the women are humorless nags.
Now Meghan O'Rourke in Slate has a piece on the whole issue--how women and men and marriage are viewed in films these days.
I'm not saying any of these people are wrong, and I agree many romantic comedies today are written from the man's viewpoint. It's just that, for comedy, you often need a wet blanket to play against--in these cases someone who insists the fun-loving guy be responsible. I wouldn't read too much into the trend except that Hollywood has found a way to make money.
posted by LAGuy @ 1:19 AM
2 Comments:
And they make money by reflecting attitudes prevalent in society (thats not politics that's capitalism- people go to see what they like and Hollywood makes money by catering to that), so while I agree the the movie business is not trying to impose its views or affect society (though a great many actors think differently), I think the trend is indicative of what is common belief in the body politic- that young women force sensibleness and responsibility on otherwise free-spirited young men. Ask any frat boy. Hence the the PR campaign by Ms.es Heigl, O"Rourke etc...- I expect to see more of this
This sort of "slacker" comedy has always been around in Hollywood comedies in one form or another, but not quite as it is today, and not quite as prevalent. Look at something like, say, The Honeymooners, where Ralph is always trying some get-rich-quick scheme while Alice plays the voice of reason who swiftly brings him back down to earth.
Perhaps it's more common today because men don't feel the need to be so "responsible" and someone (or serveral people, including Judd Apatow) figured it would be a good idea to build a movie around the guy who just wants to hang out with his friends, watch sports and drink beer. With some guys living at home longer, and not going out in the world, getting a job and having a family when he's 22, this kind of comedy strikes a chord.
But as to how it shows women, it may be the opposite of what Heigl says. Women are taken more seriously today, and so being the voice of responsiblity, and holding down a serious job, etc., while it may not be a fun part to play in a comedy (a part more often played by men in the past), it isn't a sign of sexism. Also, it may be a bit trickier to feature the dumb blonde than it used to be.
But I really didn't think about this too deeply--the main reason I posted was to show some interesting stuff others were saying.
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