Manohla Dargis' Female Rant is Worthless Without Suggestions
It's hard to sell a problem if you have absolutely no solutions
I have flamed "New York Times" critic Manohla Dargis before, but this time it is more about how she annoys me rather than how I find her unfit for her lofty position as reviewer of what is arguably the most notable newspaper in the land.
Today the "Times" went live with a Dargis rant headlined "Is There a Real Woman in This Multiplex?" which takes a look at the role females have, or don't have in this case, in this summer's list of films. She opens her piece saying:
IRON MAN, Batman, Big Angry Green Man — to judge from the new popcorn season it seems as if Hollywood has realized that the best way to deal with its female troubles is to not have any, women, that is.
She goes on to say what she believes to be the Hollywood thinking process, "Women can’t direct. Women can’t open movies. Women are a niche."
She points to such films as this summer's Wild Child, Mamma Mia!, Sex and the City and What Happens in Vegas and sloughs them off. Her opinion on those four in order are: "Malibu brat shipped off to boarding school"; "adaptation of the jukebox musical"; "four bosomy buddies are really gay men in drag"; "shrieks Brittany Murphy five years ago".
So, what is Dargis's solution to a Hollywood lacking leading women she can respect and cheer for?
Nothing.
This is like writing a rant about how gas is expensive, war in Iraq sucks and Nicolas Cage can't act and offering no solutions. Without solutions it's meaningless. On top of no solutions, at no point does Dargis ever tell us what she wants from Hollywood.
I would argue Tina Fey is a very big draw right now. Before my screening of Baby Mama I heard people in the audience saying something to the effect of, "It's Tina Fey, you gotta check it out." Why is Fey a draw? Because she is female, she is funny and she is smart. All of this attracts both genders. Women see her as a strong independent woman and men are attracted instantly to an intelligent and equally funny female. Fey is never sold on sex appeal, she is sold on talent. If Dargis wanted to offer up a solution she would point this out as she almost does when discussing Anna Faris in The House Bunny, but she goes off on some Brittany Murphy tangent that has nothing to do with her piece.
How often is a film with a female lead ever sold on wit and humor as opposed to looks? Hardly ever.
What Dargis needs to point out is that if she wants females to gain respect in Hollywood actresses such as Jessica Alba need to be banished from the cineplex. Trust me, the guys that are interested won't miss her one bit, they still have the Internet to fill their "needs".
I won't deny Hollywood is a male driven market, but it's a completely different medium than say books. However, look at the best-selling fiction books, they aren't necessarily female driven either. The current "New York Times Best Sellers List" for paperback fictions is a hodgepodge of this and that. I see "The Friday Night Knitting Club" on there, but if that title alone doesn't say "Make Me into a Movie" than I don't know what does.
Hollywood could make a She-Hulk movie or an Iron Woman, but would Dargis want to see that? Would anyone? Is that what she is asking for?
I don't know the answer, but at least I am searching for a solution after a few minutes of thought, which seems like a lot more than Dargis put into her piece.
You tell me. Is Hollywood too geared towards men? Do you know how they could improve on female roles in films?
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