Movies and the Midlife Woman
In the mood to take in a movie this past weekend, we perused the local listings and found it difficult to decide what to see. Our choices included:
- A 66 year-old archaeologist who, despite his senior status, has enough machismo to escape giant ants, extricate himself from quick sand and survive attacks by crazed monkeys (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull);
- A 43 year-old billionaire playboy who divides his time between fast cars, fast women and donning a designer superhero costume in order to save the world (Ironman) and;
- A boy, his hot rod and the auto-worshipping fantasy world they live in (Speed Racer).
Not only do movies with plots like these make an evening at home cleaning the lint trap more appealing than a night at the flicks, they leave us wondering where the “real” women are.
It’s no secret that women of a certain age are darn hard to spot in movies these days and on the rare occasion a sighting is made, nine times out of ten they’re in a supporting role as the shrewish wife or nagging mother.
Actress Faye Dunaway said it well earlier this month when she expressed her frustration at the way mature women are portrayed by Hollywood.
"I am furious that they think I'm too old to play the love interest of guys like Jack Nicholson and Clint Eastwood. Why should I play sisters and mothers while guys like Jack and Clint (Eastwood), who are older than me, have on-screen lovers half their age?"
Faye Dunaway on Ageism and Hollywood, May 2008
This week marks the Canadian release of Sex and the City: The Movie, a film featuring four women over the age of 40. A step in the right direction? We’ll see. In the meantime, we decided to do some digging and uncover what else is out there when it comes to movies and the midlife woman.
Twenty-five years ago, Seattle librarian Julia (Juliet Stevenson) engaged in a passionate affair on the island of Malta with her French lover Alex (Tchéky Karyo). Though circumstances caused them to part, the two promised to reunite on the island a quarter-centurly later.
Now middle-aged and married to the seemingly dull Jack (Daniel Stern), Julia convinces Jack and their two daughters to accompany her on a family vacation back to Malta. Far from looking for familial R&R, Julia’s real agenda is to make-good on her youthful promise. In the process, she learns about true love and discovers what is left of the girl she was 25 years earlier.
A movie for anyone who’s ever wondered, “What if?” A Previous Engagement is currently playing at select theatres in Toronto.
The Documentary: CatCall
 Along with insulin, the zipper and RIM’s BlackBerry device, Canadians now have one more “Made in Canada” item to be proud of - the Cougar.
Believed to have originated somewhere in Western Canada, the term was originally coined to describe a smart, accomplished and sensual woman in her 30s, 40s, 50s and possibly beyond who enjoys the company of younger men. In today’s pop-culture universe however, it carries sleazy and derogatory overtones.
In their documentary, CatCall, filmmakers Jennifer Ryan and Kerrie Penney, set out to explore what a Cougar really is and to debunk the myths surrounding the word.
CatCall, which was originally screened last September at the Calgary International Film Festival to sold-out audiences, took Ryan and Penney across Canada in search of “Cougars” and their “prey”.
The two filmmakers were startled by the contrast between the negative image the word conjures up and the confident and independent women they met.
“We hope the film creates a new relatedness to the term “Cougar”. It’s an empowering, sexy term. It’s not going away and we encourage women to make it their own.”
For more information or to watch a trailer of the film, visit the CatCall website.
When you hear the statistics, it doesn’t come as a surprise that female actors are hard to spot on the big screen. Last year, only five of Hollywood’s top 50 films starred or were focused on women. In 2006, that number was three out of 50.
For a little help spotting the elusive female actor (as well as to enjoy clever commentary on women in film, TV and entertainment in general), look no further than Women and Hollywood.
Written by media consultant and writer Melissa Silverstein, this smart and well-written blog highlights what’s going on for women in Hollywood. If there were such a thing as an intelligent, upscale tabloid with a slight feminist twist, this would be it
Also on The Best Kept Secret . . .
Teenage Sexuality: A Parent’s Survival Guide.
How Many Clothes Should You Have?
And, in The Best Kept Secret Blog, The Other Woman
|
