Some reviews recounted in the article were blatantly sexist in their surprise that a movie starring so many women could be so funny.
"… even when it's basically The Hangover in drag, this is as good as it's going to get for women in Hollywood movies this summer."
“So if you want to see Bridesmaids, see it. You’ll enjoy it. I give you permission to see a chick flick. Show how modern you are by viewing a film starring women.”
"[The] comparison has a negative side: Bridesmaids is promoted as the movie every woman should see, and that invites patronizing. 'It’s a chick flick, but they’re acting like men, so guys will like it, too,' the general tone seems to be. It’s almost as if, just this once, women have been given a free pass to be funny."
The last comment was what I found the most disparaging. Bridesmaids is an allegedly "groundbreaking" film (which is pathetic considering the day and age we live in), but the last comment reveals that people will view this movie as just a rare exception to a stereotype, not a means of deconstructing the stereotype all together. Even if more steps are made in efforts to defy these limiting views of women, we are in for a very long battle before a big impact can be made.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/bridesmaids_vs._the_hangover
While it does hurt to see that people still look down upon Bridesmaids just because it's an all-women ensemble, I have to admit that at its core it is just a chick-flick. It has the typical romantic storyline with a heroine's redemption at the end, so I can see why people still see it as just an exceptional chick-flick. I think Hollywood needs to continue making films with "real women" characters like this, without the overbearing chick-flick elements, to make a stronger impact.
ReplyDeleteHonestly people have to suck it! The more we listen to these comments the more we start believing it ourselves! Who cares what others say? If we love the movie and find it hilarious then that's cool. There's no need to compare it to anything!
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