Mainstream Media Realize RomComs Hate Women
Suddenly everyone in the media seems to have noticed what women have been talking about for years: how rom-coms seem to really hate on women.The high profile story is Maureen Dowd's back-and-froth with social historian Sam Wasson about "Why romantic comedies now reek." It's a fairly entertaining exchange with highlights like Wasson saying, "Every time I see Jennifer Aniston’s or Jennifer Garner’s face I wince. Basically, every time I see someone named Jennifer." But they also get a few good points across, such as Dowd's suggestion that more female-run studios ought to have resulted in more female-positive films. Wasson laughs:
“Even the studios that are run by women aren’t run by women. They’re run by corporations, which are run by franchises. Unfortunately for us, Jennifer Aniston is a franchise. So is Katherine Heigl and Gerard Whatever-His-Name-Is, and even when their movies bomb, their franchise potential isn’t compromised because overseas markets, DVD sales and cable earn all the studio’s money back...The worst part of it is, from Hollywood’s point of view, it ain’t broke."
Read more: http://culture.bitchbuzz.com/mainstream-media-realize-romcoms-hate-women.html#ixzz0vmT9ndaW
There's a reason people still love and adore films like His Girl Friday, Philadelphia Story, The Lady Eve and Holiday: they're fun and funny. I guess writing romcoms that don't insult women is going to have to go on my list of things to do. What's your fave?
4 comments:
Jennifer Aniston is the PITS. Just another cutesy one-trick pony like Meg Ryan.
But with less gums.
I'd almost defend her as the star of THE GOOD GIRL, but that's not the greatest film...just so much better than all her othr work I've seen (few of the FRIENDS cast haven't done some better work). I gather FRIENDS WITH MONEY might not be awful.
HIS GIRL FRIDAY remains a favorite, but Hildy is a bit too much putty in her ex's hands.
Yeah, I think Hildy would have told the story differently. I am fonder of it now because it pokes fun at 'Smallbany' as people dismissively call it (to which I often try not to respond that it is the people and not the city that make it so).
Of course, having all these thoughts in my head I woke up with a sketch for a rom com in my head. Curse my fevered brain! Stop working while I sleep.
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