Screen heroines have come a long way, baby.
The latest burst of rom-coms, both films in theaters now (“Bride Wars”) and coming soon (“He’s Just Not That Into You” and “All About Steve”) reveal female protagonists who can charitably described as pathetic.
Would you really want to be married to either Kate Hudson or Anne Hathaway after seeing them tear up the screen, and each other, in “Wars?”
And how clueless do modern women have to be to require a field manual advising them that no means no when it comes to men’s interest in them?
“All About Steve,” judging it on its trailer, is about an attractive woman (Sandra Bullock) who essentially stalks a man with which she feels a romantic spark.
And let’s not forget “The Women,” a film which featured a woman who all but abandons her troubled teen to attend yoga camp.
So who’s writing all these pathetic female characters?
Women, that’s who.
It’s either a bizarre form of empowerment or a sign that women screenwriters are doing their sisters a disservice.
Men suffered for decades on the small screen under a similarly disdainful treatment. The father figure, shown mostly as a likable dunce, gets upstaged and corrected by the smart, gorgeous wife.
Now, men are getting their revenge, and female screenwriters are doing the honors.
UPDATE: Seems others are having similar thoughts about pathetic modern screen heroines …
NOTE: Your first peek at “All About Steve” …
(Photo: Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway embody the worst traits in women while battling it out in “Bride Wars.” )
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Would you really want to be married to either Kate Hudson or Anne Hathaway after seeing them tear up the screen, and each other, in “Wars?”
No. However, if you were a woman, would you want to be married to Stan Laurel or Oliver Hardy in their screen personas? I think not. Nevertheless, their on screen antics were still highly amusing, all the more because (in those few episodes where they were married) their long suffering spouses were an integral part of the comedy.
Part of the culture right now is a sort of reparations for the previous oppression of women. Women characters in movies are, on average, smarter, better groomed, less dysfunctional, more ambitious and accomplished than their male counterparts. While also able to handle any job as well or better than any man. I submit that a movie like “Bride Wars” are a healthy sign. Perhaps the culture is finally coming around to treating women equally.
Good perspective, K. This post was me thinking aloud, in a way. Not sure how I feel about this cultural trend, but a part of me does think it’s a step in a new direction. Just wish the movies in question were better …