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author_by_night"Bridesmaids" claims to be a movie about female relationships in a non-romantic context, or so I've heard at least. This is my assessment of whether or not I thought it worked.
I think in terms of taking characters away from romance, it worked. There was still a romantic subplot, but it seemed to be tied in with the personal development of the character, not tied in with the idea that women need to get laid to be worthy. In fact, sex is not portrayed positively in this film at all - characters who have sex do not have the "morning after" glow or instantly fall in true wub with the person they had sex with. Sex seems very much about self-punishment and desperation, not about being so in love with someone you finally give yourself to them.
It also showed the intensity that female friends can have without bringing a guy into the picture. The conflicts between these women could be trivial and over the top, but I felt it was less about stereotyping women as "catty b*tches" and more about the need to exaggerate. I did feel that the bride in the movie crossed a line into plain mean a few times - she was not at all mean before that, so those actions did seem to come out of nowhere, especially given her reasons for them. However, I think that in of itself was a way of showing how friendship can change and still be deep. (Besides, in fairness to the bride, I felt the Maid of Honor was also extremely needy and selfish. When she has an idea for the bachelorette party and everyone likes the other bridesmaid's idea better, she pouts like a five year old child.)
My biggest issue with the movie is that we don't really get much development on the other bridesmaids - just one of them and the maid of honor, who was the main character. For a film about women interacting, I found this a little disappointing. Why not delve into who the other women were? One of them is a Disney/Pixar junkie - I would have liked to have seen some hidden depth, a non-Disney side. There's also a scene where two of the women kiss, but nothing comes of it. Why?
I wouldn't call this movie overly feminist. It felt like it definitely took a more feminist turn, but ultimately was just a comedy film about the crazy things that happen in big situations. I'm not even sure whether or not Paul Feig was trying to be groundbreaking or if that's just how critics took the film. However, it was refreshing as a woman to see a movie about women - and not one where they all started trying to kill one another over a man, nor were they instantly cured by sex and a little makeup.
I think in terms of taking characters away from romance, it worked. There was still a romantic subplot, but it seemed to be tied in with the personal development of the character, not tied in with the idea that women need to get laid to be worthy. In fact, sex is not portrayed positively in this film at all - characters who have sex do not have the "morning after" glow or instantly fall in true wub with the person they had sex with. Sex seems very much about self-punishment and desperation, not about being so in love with someone you finally give yourself to them.
It also showed the intensity that female friends can have without bringing a guy into the picture. The conflicts between these women could be trivial and over the top, but I felt it was less about stereotyping women as "catty b*tches" and more about the need to exaggerate. I did feel that the bride in the movie crossed a line into plain mean a few times - she was not at all mean before that, so those actions did seem to come out of nowhere, especially given her reasons for them. However, I think that in of itself was a way of showing how friendship can change and still be deep. (Besides, in fairness to the bride, I felt the Maid of Honor was also extremely needy and selfish. When she has an idea for the bachelorette party and everyone likes the other bridesmaid's idea better, she pouts like a five year old child.)
My biggest issue with the movie is that we don't really get much development on the other bridesmaids - just one of them and the maid of honor, who was the main character. For a film about women interacting, I found this a little disappointing. Why not delve into who the other women were? One of them is a Disney/Pixar junkie - I would have liked to have seen some hidden depth, a non-Disney side. There's also a scene where two of the women kiss, but nothing comes of it. Why?
I wouldn't call this movie overly feminist. It felt like it definitely took a more feminist turn, but ultimately was just a comedy film about the crazy things that happen in big situations. I'm not even sure whether or not Paul Feig was trying to be groundbreaking or if that's just how critics took the film. However, it was refreshing as a woman to see a movie about women - and not one where they all started trying to kill one another over a man, nor were they instantly cured by sex and a little makeup.
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Date: 2011-05-28 01:12 pm (UTC)I think the title lead people to believe this would be an ensemble piece when, really, it was Annie's story.
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Date: 2011-05-28 02:43 pm (UTC)Definitely! I think most films - and books and shows - undermine the value of them. In most films I've seen, especially comedies, the best friend is tacked on like the new hairdo the actress had to get for the role. This went deeper.
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Date: 2011-05-28 03:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 02:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 03:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 09:25 pm (UTC)All writers need to do is write women as people. (Men, too!)
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Date: 2011-05-29 10:40 pm (UTC)