Sunday, October 21, 2007

Where have all the funny girls gone?



This is really just a short follow up on an earlier post. Today, the Los Angeles Times has a really good piece" on the dearth of strong women in comedic roles on the big screen. Carina Chocano makes some excellent observations about recent comedic films, and her observations should prompt further questions about why these movies have unappealing men playing opposite women with no character to speak of. Is it just money in the movie industry? Does Hollywood doubt that comedies with strong female characters and flawed male heroes can make money? Could they be right? Is there something more going on in our culture? I think it is worth noting that the U.S.A. may be the only film industry with such a problem. The film Persepolis suggests that France is capable of launching a solid film about a strong and complicated comedic female lead.
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Image still comes from the website for Persepolis.