Tag: Actresses

"I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy."

Angelina Jolie
This guest post by Melissa McEwan appears at her blog Shakesville and is cross-posted with permission.

Angelina Jolie has written an extraordinary op-ed for the New York Times, titled “My Medical Choice,” about her recent decision to have a preventative double mastectomy after learning she carries the BRCA1 “breast cancer” gene and had an estimated 87% risk of developing breast cancer.
 

This piece is remarkable for a lot of reasons. Jolie notes that she “finished the three months of medical procedures that the mastectomies involved” on April 27, and: “During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work.” And having managed to keep it a secret, itself a rather impressive feat, she decided to then publicly disclose it, in order that “other women can benefit from my experience.”

It’s remarkable because she writes very plainly that her ability to get the $3,000 BRCA1 test is a privilege, and advocates wider access:

Breast cancer alone kills some 458,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. It has got to be a priority to ensure that more women can access gene testing and lifesaving preventive treatment, whatever their means and background, wherever they live. The cost of testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2, at more than $3,000 in the United States, remains an obstacle for many women.

And because she does not assert or imply that her decision is the only right decision, but one of many options:
For any woman reading this, I hope it helps you to know you have options. I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices.

I acknowledge that there are many wonderful holistic doctors working on alternatives to surgery. My own regimen will be posted in due course on the Web site of the Pink Lotus Breast Center. I hope that this will be helpful to other women.

And it’s remarkable because Angelina Jolie is generally regarded as one of the most beautiful women in a world that profoundly values beauty and defines women’s worth by their sex appeal, and she is telling women to value their health.

There is something deeply moving to me for a woman whose body, by nature of her profession, has been treated like public property even more than most of us, writing such an intimate piece about her body, making it public property in yet another way by her own choice, for the benefit of other women.

Melissa McEwan is the founder and manager of the award-winning political and cultural group blog Shakesville, which she launched as Shakespeare’s Sister in October 2004 because George Bush was pissing her off. In addition to running Shakesville, she also contributes to The Guardian‘s Comment is Free America and AlterNet. Liss graduated from Loyola University Chicago with degrees in Sociology and Cultural Anthropology, with an emphasis on the political marginalization of gender-based groups. An active feminist and LGBTQI advocate, she has worked as a concept development and brand consultant and now writes full-time.


She lives just outside Chicago with three cats, two dogs, and a Scotsman, with whom she shares a love of all things geekdom, from Lord of the Rings to Alcatraz. When she’s not blogging, she can usually be found watching garbage television or trying to coax her lazyass greyhound off the couch for a walk. 
 

Bitch Flicks’ Weekly Picks

Stephanie‘s Picks:
Study: We Benefit from Seeing Strong Women on TV by Lindsay Abrams via The Atlantic
Hollywood Actresses Fed Up with Fluffy Interview Questions by Feargus O’Sullivan via The National
The Brainy Message of ParaNorman by Natalie Wilson via Ms. Magazine
Megan‘s Picks:
Female Saudi Filmmaker Makes History in Venice by Brian Brooks via Movie|Line
TIFF Preview: The Female Directing Masters Playing at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival by Melissa Silverstein and Kerensa Cadenas via Women and Hollywood
At the Risk of Sounding Angry: On Melissa Harris-Perry’s Eloquent Rage by Crunktastic via The Crunk Feminist Collective
Women Directors Are Way More Successful in the Indie World by Melissa Silverstein via Women and Hollywood 
What have you been reading this week? 

YouTube Break: Meryl Streep on 60 Minutes

I love this 60 Minutes interview with Meryl Streep. She won the Best Actress Golden Globe on Sunday for her performance in The Iron Lady (stay tuned for our review!), and she talks here about sexism in Hollywood and what drew her to the role of Margaret Thatcher. (I’ve linked to the clip above in case the embedding doesn’t work.) 
Amber will have a recap of the Golden Globes later today.

Bitch Flicks’ Weekly Picks

Between the Personal and the Political: The Lawyer, Her Boss and Their Investigator from in media res

For Your Consideration: 13 Underdog Actresses that Deserve Oscar’s Attention this Year from indieWire

Feminist Ryan Gosling (even though you’ve all seen it, right?)

Lifetime to Remake ‘Steel Magnolias’ with All-Black Cast from Deadline Hollywood

Bringing Up Baby: Childbirth as Male Bonding Experience from Bitch

Report: Reality TV Encourages “Mean Girl” Behavior in Teens from Deadline

You Are Not Alone: Black Male Feminists in Action from Clutch

Young Girls’ T-Shirt Inventory Isn’t Looking Good from Jezebel

Leave your links in the comments!

2011 Emmy Nominees

Something to break up the long, hot summer: the 2011 Primetime Emmy nominations are out. Here is a selection of the women nominated for acting. Stay tuned for an analysis of female nominees behind the camera. For the entire list of nominees, visit the official Academy of Television Arts & Sciences website.

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Laura Linney for The Big C
Edie Falco for Nurse Jackie
Amy Poehler for Parks & Recreation
Melissa McCarthy for Mike & Molly
Martha Plimpton for Raising Hope
Tina Fey for 30 Rock

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Jane Lynch for Glee
Betty White for Hot in Cleveland
Julie Bowen for Modern Family
Kristen Wiig for Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski for 30 Rock
Sofia Vergara for Modern Family

Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Elizabeth Moss for Mad Men
Connie Britton for Friday Night Lights
Mariska Hargitay for Law & Order: Special Victims’ Unit
Mireille Enos for The Killing
Julianna Margulies for The Good Wife
Kathy Bates for Harry’s Law

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Kelly Macdonald for Boardwalk Empire
Christina Hendricks for Mad Men
Michelle Forbes for The Killing
Archie Panjabi for The Good Wife
Margo Martindale for Justified
Christine Baranski for The Good Wife

Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Kate Winslet for Mildred Pierce
Elizabeth McGovern for Downton Abbey
Diane Lane for Cinema Verite
Taraji P. Henson for Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story
Jean Marsh for Upstairs Downstairs

Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Evan Rachel Wood for Mildred Pierce
Melissa Leo for Mildred Pierce
Mare Winningham for Mildred Pierce
Maggie Smith for Downton Abbey
Eileen Atkins for Upstairs Downstairs

Any thoughts about the kinds of roles being highlighted this year? I don’t watch a lot of current television, so I can’t speak with much authority on the nominees. I’m thrilled to see Kristen Wiig nominated for SNL, as I think she’s one of the few bright spots on that show, and Amy Poehler is great in Parks & Rec. Share your comments!

In Memoriam: Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor 1932-2011

 

As you all likely know by now, Elizabeth Taylor died yesterday from congestive heart failure. There’s not much I can think to say about her that others haven’t said–and likely said better. Here are some highlights of her career as an actress, successful businesswoman, and HIV/AIDS activist.
  • Other awards Taylor won include a BAFTA, a GLAAD Media Vanguard Award, three Golden Globes–including the Cecil B. DeMille Award (one of only twelve women to win since the award’s inception in 1952), a SAG Lifetime Achievement Award, and many others–even a Razzie, for her role in 1994’s The Flintstones.
  • Her first film role was in the film There’s One Born Every Minute, when she was only ten years old, which led to her status as a child star. Adulthood brought her hit after hit, including Cleopatra in 1963, which was the most expensive movie to date with a budget of a million dollars. Her final feature film role was, unfortunately, in The Flintstones, though she appeared on television twice in 2001 and once on stage in 2007.
I must confess that the only film I’ve ever seen starring Elizabeth Taylor is Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (not even Cleopatra, for shame!), which was amazing. In the past few decades, she’s been more active in business ventures and activism (and, of course, she remains known not only as a classic Hollywood actress, but also for her eight marriages, celebrity friendships, and pricey jewelry collection).
  • Not only did Taylor collect jewelry, but she also designed a successful collection. Her perfume line, which includes Passion, White Diamonds, and Black Pearls, earns roughly 200 million dollars a year. Many celebrities followed in her footsteps, creating signature fragrances as part of their branding initiatives.
  • Perhaps her most lasting legacy, other than her acting, is her HIV/AIDS activism. She raised over 100 million dollars to fight the disease, helped found the American Foundation for AIDS Research, and founded The Elizabeth Taylor HIV/AIDS Foundation.  

This isn’t, by any means, an exhaustive list of her accomplishments and influence. Check out her obit at the New York Times and the interactive media imbedded within, including a clip from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and leave your links to Elizabeth Taylor related pieces in the comments.

2011 Post-Oscar Response

Might as well dive right in! Here is the list (short version) of the winners:

Best Picture: The King’s Speech

Best Actor: Colin Firth in The King’s Speech

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale in The Fighter

Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo in The Fighter

Best Animated Feature Film: Toy Story 3

Best Director: Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech

Best Documentary Feature: Inside Job

Best Documentary Short: Strangers No More

Best Foreign Language Film: In a Better World

Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network

Best Original Screenplay: David Seidler for The King’s Speech

Well. As we said earlier in the week:
“the Academy Awards are the most visible celebration of filmmaking in the United States–and possibly the world. Yet–and despite the misnomer of ‘liberal Hollywood’–they continue to exhibit cultural values and norms that are conservative and simply unacceptable. Women are typically rewarded for playing roles that support a central male character in films. People of color are rarely nominated for–and even more rarely win–major awards. This year (as in most years), all Best Director nominees are white men. (Only one woman has EVER won this category.) The Best Picture nominees are about white people (or white cartoon characters), and are lauded by mostly white male critics. Even in a movie about lesbians, a man takes center stage. We could go on, but you get the idea.”

So now that the 2011 Academy Awards have aired, what did you think? I love the discussions that’ve been happening leading up to the Oscars, and I’ll highlight a few of the ones I found particularly enlightening. For starters, the Feminist Frequency video below is an absolute must-watch:  

In our Best Picture Nominee Review Series, we (with the help of our Guest Writers) showed that most of the films were about men, with the exception of Winter’s Bone, Black Swan, and The Kids Are All Right–with the latter two still exhibiting some major problems with their portrayals of women. We also showcased Ten Years of Oscar-Winning Films (in posters), which further illustrated the accolades presented to male-dominated films.
Add The King’s Speech to the ever-growing list.
For those of you who watched the 2011 Academy Awards, you heard Steven Spielberg list several Great Films that had previously won Oscars for Best Picture. He then listed several more Great Films that were nominated for Best Picture Oscars but hadn’t won. His lists included the following films: On the Waterfront, Midnight Cowboy, The Godfather, The Deer Hunter, The Grapes of Wrath, Citizen Kane, The Graduate, and Raging Bull. What do they have in common? They’re all movies about Heterosexual White Men. So I ask, what would’ve been wrong with including some of these films in the list: Rebecca, The Sound of Music, Kramer vs Kramer, Terms of Endearment, or Driving Miss Daisy … ? At this point, I’m honestly starting to wonder if The Academy gives a flying fuck at all about people who aren’t Heterosexual White Men; they sure as hell have no interest in pretending they do.
The following Oscar analyses deepen the discussion.
“Talking About the 2011 Oscars” from The Funny Feminist:
It would appear that expanding the Best Picture category to include ten films instead of five has resulted in more recognition for movies about women.

It hasn’t, though, seemed to improve the field for other marginalized groups, because, as Shakesville pointed out, not a single person of color was nominated in the acting categories.  I guess no people of color acted in any movies last year!  Or else, the Academy filled their quota last year by giving nominations to Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique and don’t feel the need to recognize any other people of color.  Excuse me while I go roll my eyes.

The Academy also filled their quota of female directors last year.  In 82 years of the Academy Awards, they finally recognized a female director (Kathryn Bigelow) and awarded her for her work on The Hurt Locker. I guess no women made movies this year, because the Best Director category is all male.

“Oscar was a Dude: America’s Celebration of Men” from The Sociological Cinema:

Hollywood didn’t invent patriarchy, but that doesn’t preclude it from being implicated in reproducing it. The cultural critic, Stuart Hall, once observed that the people who work in creating media stand in a different relationship to ideology than the rest of us. That is to say, those who produce, direct, and act in films have at their disposal a powerful tool, which can be used to transform how people come to understand the world in which they live. Movies–especially the ones the Academy deems worthy of its coveted Oscar–pose answers to questions many people never asked, such as, “whose story is likely to matter most?” or just, “who matters?” As evidenced from the list of nominated films this year, those who were hoping for a revolution in the kinds of stories Hollywood tells may be disappointed. For now, a critical awareness of the men and masculinity America is (also) celebrating on Sunday may have to suffice.

Thoughts? Concerns? What the hell?

Are You Ready to Get Ridiculous?

In response to my previous post about pay discrimination in Hollywood, an anonymous commenter pointed out the following:

“Although I agree that women should be paid the same in all industries, your breakdown of the top grossing movies fails to recognise that apart from Sex and the City there were major male actors in each of the films, whereas the male movies listed featured the men as the main star of the film surrounded by a supporting cast.”

That got me thinking. While it was impossible to account for every single factor that might’ve contributed to the actors’ salaries more than doubling the actresses’ salaries (actors/actresses who produced rather than starred in a film, actors/actresses who released more than one film in the previous year, actors/actresses receiving residuals from past work, worldwide box office gross versus US box office gross, etc), my main goal was to illustrate the fact that lead actresses didn’t seem to be fairly compensated for their films based on skill-level (measured by Oscar nominations and wins), US box office gross, and the overall critical reception of their work, when compared/contrasted with the male leads’ compensation.

But, like I said, that anonymous commenter got me thinking. Is it possible that male leads are usually the main attraction in their films, surrounded by an anonymous supporting cast, while female leads tend to star in more ensemble-driven films, surrounded by a cast of prominent male actors?

So I decided to use the list of films from my previous post on pay discrimination to attempt to get to the bottom of this. My ultimate goal: to discover if a trend exists where male leads star in their “own movies” whereas female leads tend to blend in with the rest of their cast (which often includes major male actors). Or, do we merely view male leads differently than female leads, seeing the female leads the way our society sees women in general: as helpers, partners, and assistants rather than leaders?

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Kung Fu Panda: Angelina Jolie’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $215,395,021
Cast: co-starring Jack Black, well-known ensemble cast, including Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, and Lucy Liu

Analysis: Most of the posters only featured the Panda, and the previews did the same, mainly focusing on Jack Black in the title role. While Angelina Jolie is an Oscar-winner, as is Dustin Hoffman, and they are by no means minor players in the film industry, it’s safe to characterize Kung Fu Panda as a Jack Black movie, since it was essentially marketed as such.

Verdict: Jack Black movie, supported by a prominent male and female cast.

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Marley & Me: Jennifer Aniston’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $143,084,510
Cast: co-starring Owen Wilson as love interest, well-known supporting cast, including Eric Dane, Kathleen Turner, and Alan Arkin

Analysis: The promotional posters either featured the dog only, or they featured all three: Aniston, Wilson, and the dog. I’m not sure how to characterize this movie, as the dog seems to carry as much star-power as the actors. Given that Aniston and Wilson both have some box-office draw, I’ll call this what it is: a draw. (But I really just want to give it to Marley.)

Verdict: Aniston/Wilson movie, supported by a prominent male and female cast. And a dog.

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Mamma Mia!: Meryl Streep’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $143,704,210
Cast: well-known ensemble cast, including Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, and Amanda Seyfried

Analysis: Meryl Streep is in this (and many film posters exclusively promoted Amanda Seyfried).

Verdict: Meryl Streep movie (with special shout-out to Seyfried) supported by a prominent male cast.

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Sex and the City: Sarah Jessica Parker’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $152,595,674
Cast: well-known ensemble cast, including Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Chris Noth, Candace Bergen, and Jennifer Hudson

Analysis: Even though this is an ensemble comedy, Sarah Jessica Parker narrates, and most of the promotional posters focused on her. The film also benefitted from its success as a TV show, where SJP’s job as a columnist took center stage.

Verdict: Sarah Jessica Parker movie, supported by a prominent female cast.

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What Happens in Vegas: Cameron Diaz’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $80,199,843
Cast: co-starring Ashton Kutcher as love interest, anonymous supporting cast, including Rob Corddry, Lake Bell, and Jason Sudeikis

Analysis: Who cares? This movie sucked and Diaz/Kutcher could’ve been replaced by other actors and it probably wouldn’t have made a difference. They both got equal billing and promotion, and since it’s a rom-com of sorts, and rom-coms rely on, you know, a romantic relationship, it too is a draw.

Verdict: Diaz/Kutcher movie, supported by an anonymous cast.

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(Sandra Bullock: did not star in any films in 2008)

Analysis: From what I can gather, she produced several films/owns a production company, so that’s where her loot came from.

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Four Christmases: Reese Witherspoon’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $120,136,047
Cast: co-starring Vince Vaughn as love interest, well-known supporting cast, including Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, and Jon Favreau

Analysis: Same deal—it’s a rom-com, so yeah. I’d like to argue that Reese Witherspoon’s Oscar win trumps Vince Vaughn’s whole schlubby-funny-guy thing, but the unfortunate reality is that the success of rom-coms doesn’t usually depend on the actual quality of the actors/acting.

Verdict: Witherspoon/Vaughn movie, supported by a prominent, mostly male cast, with the exception of Spacek.

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Australia: Nicole Kidman’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $49,420,849
Cast: co-starring Hugh Jackman, anonymous supporting cast, including Shea Adams, Eddie Baroo, Ray Barrett, and Tony Barry

Analysis: Love, or something. I never bothered to see this gem, given the reviews, but if the movie poster is anything to go by, I’m pretty sure it’s about love and Australia. Nicole Kidman has won two Oscars and everyone loves her, so I’m tempted to call Kidman the main attraction. Except! Hugh Jackman is totally Wolverine!

Verdict: Kidman/Jackman movie, supported by an anonymous cast.

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Beverly Hills Chihuahua: Drew Barrymore’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $94,497,271
Cast: well-known supporting cast including Piper Perabo, Andy Garcia, George Lopez, Cheech Martin, Edward James Olmos, and Jamie Lee Curtis

Analysis: Um.

Verdict: Talking Chihuahua movie, with Barrymore’s voice supported by a prominent male cast (and Jamie Lee Curtis).

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Leatherheads: Renee Zellweger’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $31,199,215
Cast: co-starring George Clooney and John Krasinski, anonymous supporting cast, including David de Vries, Rick Forrester, Malcolm Goodwin, and Matt Bushell

Analysis: Zellweger barely got mentioned in the promotion of this film and seems to have been relegated to the infamous barely-there role-as-female-love-interest. Didn’t they show her in the previews literally cheering from the sidelines?

Verdict: George Clooney movie, supported by an anonymous male cast.

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Indiana Jones: Cate Blanchett’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $316,957,122
Cast: co-starring Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf, reasonably well-known supporting cast, including Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, and John Hurt

Analysis: I actually think this is a tough one. Blanchett = brilliant Oscar-winning actress, so it’s hard to exclusively call this for Ford. But in reality, would people have gone to see this if Cate Blanchett’s role-as-villain had been played by another actress? Yes.

Verdict: Harrison Ford movie, supported by a prominent actress (Blanchett) and a mostly male cast.

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Get Smart: Anne Hathaway’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $130,246,343
Cast: co-starring Steve Carell, well-known supporting cast, including Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, James Caan, and Bill Murray

Analysis: I watched the first fifteen minutes of this before turning it off, and it appeared as if Carell and Hathaway had a whole equal partnership going on. But I have to admit, I was only talked into watching it because someone reminded me that Steve Carell is hilarious. When I realized it was the worst fifteen minutes of a film I’d ever seen, I lamented that Hathaway chose to be a part of it.

Verdict: Carell/Hathaway movie, supported by a prominent male cast.

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(Halle Berry: did not star in any films for 2008)

Analysis: I don’t know man, I don’t know.

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The Other Boleyn Girl: Scarlett Johansson’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $26,814,957
Cast: co-starring Natalie Portman and Eric Bana, anonymous supporting cast, including Jim Sturgess, Mark Rylance, David Morrissey, and Kristen Scott Thomas

Analysis: This film was all kinds of offensive. The marketing mainly focused on the casting of Portman/Johansson as vengeful sisters, (fighting over a man) so I’m only barely giving it to Johansson, since she’s the actual “Other Boleyn Girl” … and the supposed heroine.

Verdict: Scarlett Johansson movie, supported by Bana, Portman, and an anonymous, mostly male cast.

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The Reader: Kate Winslet’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $34,111,418
Cast: co-starring Ralph Fiennes, anonymous supporting cast, including Jeanette Hain, David Cross, Susanne Lothar, and Alissa Wilms

Analysis: I had no idea who else was in this besides Kate Winslet. And she won an Oscar (finally) for this role.

Verdict: 100% Kate Winslet movie, supported by Fiennes and an anonymous, male/female cast.

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Indiana Jones: Harrison Ford’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $316,957,122
Cast: co-starring Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf, reasonably well-known supporting cast, including Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, and John Hurt

Analysis: We already went over this. Blanchett. Brilliant. Doesn’t matter.

Verdict: Begrudgingly given to Ford.

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Bedtime Stories: Adam Sandler’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $109,993,847
Cast: co-starring Keri Russell and Guy Pearce, reasonably well-known supporting cast, including Russell Brand, Richard Griffiths, Lucy Lawless, Courteney Cox, and Carmen Electra

Analysis: Adam Sandler was the only person in this film they even attempted to promote, which is good news for all the other actors associated with this piece.

Verdict: Adam Sandler can have it, with support from a prominent female/less prominent male cast.

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Hancock: Will Smith’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $227,946,274
Cast: co-starring Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman, anonymous supporting cast, including Jae Head, Eddie Marsan, and David Mattey

Analysis: It’s a Will Smith action movie, what more can one say? Sure, Charlize Theron is an Oscar-winning actress who plays the role of “very important sidekick” next to a world famous action hero, but just check out the ridiculous movie poster if you need confirmation.

Verdict: Will Smith movie, supported by Theron and random men I’ve never heard of.

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Meet Dave: Eddie Murphy’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $11,644,832
Cast: co-starring Elizabeth Banks, anonymous supporting cast, including Gabrielle Union, Scott Caan, Ed Helms, Kevin Hart, and Mike O’Malley

Analysis: Has Eddie Murphy ever been in a movie that isn’t an Eddie Murphy movie? Again: movie poster. (Bonus points for anyone who can find me a film poster that features a female lead like this. Hint: one of the films on this big ass list does it.)

Verdict: Eddie Murphy movie, supported by Banks and less well-known actors.

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Knowing: Nicolas Cage’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $79,911,877
Cast: anonymous supporting cast, including Chandler Canterbury, Rose Byrne, Lara Robinson, D.G. Maloney, and Nadia Townsend

Analysis: I think the phrase “anonymous supporting cast” is enough of an analysis.

Verdict: Nicolas Cage movie, supported by an anonymous male/female cast.

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(Tom Hanks: did not star in any films for 2008)

Analysis: I’m pretty sure Tom Hanks makes money just by existing.

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Tropic Thunder: Tom Cruise’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $110,416,702
Cast: cameo/supporting role by Cruise, well-known ensemble cast, including Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, and Ben Stiller

Analysis: No one really knew Tom Cruise was in this, and many people didn’t recognize him even as they watched. I kind of love that. Were there any women in this movie?

Verdict: I’ll give it to any one of the other prominent male cast members who isn’t Tom Cruise.

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Horton Hears a Who!: Jim Carrey’s highest grossing film of 2008
Gross: $154,388,002
Cast: well-known ensemble/supporting cast, including Steve Carell, Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Isla Fisher, Jonah Hill, and Amy Poehler

Analysis: They promoted this as a Jim Carrey/Steve Carell comedy, but Jim Carrey is Jim Carrey and Steve Carell made Evan Almighty. It’s a kids film, though, so maybe none of that matters.

Verdict: My 4-year-old niece doesn’t give a shit, so neither do I, supported by a prominent male/female cast.

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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Brad Pitt’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $127,490,802
Cast: co-starring Cate Blanchett as love interest, reasonably well-known supporting cast, including Julia Ormond and Taraji P. Henson

Analysis: Cate Blanchett’s performance in this captured me much more than Brad Pitt’s performance, but I guess the Academy feels like they’ve already given her enough Oscars. Ultimately, the stand-outs were the women: Blanchett and Henson. But Brad Pitt has a bunch of kids with Angelina Jolie and he even dressed up in some kind of old man disguise for this film, so I really don’t know what to do here. I’m taking a cue from the movie poster.

Verdict: Pitt/Blanchett movie, supported mainly by a female cast of mommies and love interests.

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(Johnny Depp: did not star in any films for 2008)

Analysis: Remember when Johnny Depp wore that cut-off-at-the-waist football jersey in Nightmare on Elm Street?

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Burn After Reading: George Clooney’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $60,338,891
Cast: well-known ensemble cast, including Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, Tilda Swinton, and John Malkovich

Analysis: I just watched this five days ago and was totally surprised by the focus on McDormand and Swinton. All these people have either been nominated for Oscars or won Oscars, and it’s definitely an ensemble-driven film. So, sorry Clooney, this doesn’t exclusively go to you.

Verdict: Everyone, equal weight given to a prominent male/female cast.

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Body of Lies: Russell Crowe’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $39,380,442
Cast: co-starring Leonardo DiCaprio, anonymous supporting cast, including Mark Strong, Golshifteh Farahani, and Ali Suliman

Analysis: I actually couldn’t remember what the hell this movie was, so I looked it up and even then I still didn’t remember it ever existing. But apparently it made money. So who do I give it to, Crowe or DiCaprio? The suspense!

Verdict: Who cares—didn’t this go straight to DVD? (Men supporting men.)

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Iron Man: Robert Downey Jr.’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $318,298,180
Cast: co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow as love interest, well-known supporting cast, including Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Paul Bettany, and Jon Favreau

Analysis: Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow! Oh wait, that doesn’t mean anything? Just check out our review of this movie here.

Verdict: Robert Downey Jr., supported by Paltrow and a prominent male cast.

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(Denzel Washington: did not star in any films for 2008)

Analysis: I love you, Denzel.

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Four Christmases: Vince Vaughn’s highest grossing film for 2008
Gross: $120,136,047
Cast: co-starring Reese Witherspoon as love interest, well-known supporting cast, including Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, and Jon Favreau

Analysis: See above. Even though Vaughn could be a good actor if he wanted to, it doesn’t really matter in the simplistic world of rom-com.

Verdict: Witherspoon/Vaughn movie, supported by men and Spacek.

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So, did I learn anything from this exercise? What the hell was I trying to do again? Oh yeah, depress the shit out of myself, and this:

… discover if a trend exists where male leads star in their “own movies” whereas female leads tend to blend in with the rest of their cast (which often includes major male actors) …

Well, the male leads who star as the “main attraction,” surrounded by a mostly anonymous supporting cast include George Clooney in Leatherheads (this one’s tricky since Zellweger and Krasinski co-star and probably don’t count as “anonymous” ha, but whatever), Adam Sandler in Bedtime Stories, Nicolas Cage in Knowing, and Eddie Murphy in Meet Dave.

One could argue that films like Iron Man and Indiana Jones and Hancock and The Other Boleyn Girl—films that relegate prominent lead actresses to the status of sidekick and/or love interest (and for that matter, go on ahead and add The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to that list)—while the men go off and save the world and/or run the world and/or do shit in the world, and shit, might as well fall into the male-lead-as-main-attraction category.

I think maybe I just convinced myself that they do. Fuck.

Okay, so, the female leads who manage to star as the “main attraction,” surrounded by a mostly anonymous supporting cast include, um … Kate Winslet in The Reader?! That’s it? I guess Ralph Fiennes isn’t even anonymous, but neither are Zellweger and Krasinski, and I gave Clooney Leatherheads! Take that, film industry!

I’m depressed.

It appears, from this list at least, that female leads either co-star with a male lead in romantic comedies, or star in films that include a prominent supporting cast, (Mamma Mia!, Sex and the City). Clearly, we could use more Tomb Raiders and Changelings (go Angelina!) and whatever other movies our actresses have starred in as the “main attraction” who’s surrounded by a mostly anonymous supporting cast.

Can we make a list, please? Because I’m pretty sure I was wrong when I suggested that the audience might only be viewing female leads as helpers, partners, and assistants; the film industry actually fucking treats them that way.

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Bonus Movie Poster

Misogyny Still Reigns at the Box Office

Despite its abysmal reviews, Transformers: Rise of the Fallen took home the top spot at the box office over the weekend.

Here are some highlights from Rotten Tomatoes:

“It’s a wad of chaos puked onto the big screen, an arbitrary collection of explosions and machismo posturing.” –David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com

“Will insult your intelligence, hurt your eyes, and offend your sense of decency until you worry that your skull might explode while your brain trickles right out of your ears.” –Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper

“A perfectly dreadful sequel that’s the filmic equivalent of a 150-minute waterboarding session.”

–Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing

“Put in your earplugs and grab the aspirin. Enjoyable for the [sic] only the easiest to please 10-year-old boys; this deafening, tiresome epic is a skull-splitting hot mess for everyone else.”
–Diva Velez, TheDivaReview.com

And, my personal favorite: “Only an a*****e could have made this film.” –Rob Humanick, House Next Door

I share these snippets to illustrate, if you weren’t already aware, that this movie was clearly made for, and marketed to, young fanboys who like to watch shit blow up. But what else do they like to see? If you guessed “Megan Fox dry-humping a motorcycle,” you are correct.

In a recent interview, Fox told reporters, “Women in movies, in general, are sexy—especially in Michael’s movies. And if you want to make movies that people want to see, that’s part of it. That’s part of the formula.”

The director, Michael Bay, also chimed in. Referencing the shot of Fox sprawled across a motorcycle in hot pants and biker boots, he says, “We got that first shot out of the way, just to get it out for the young boys … and moved on.”

So, according to Fox (and Bay), making movies people want to see entails objectifying and exploiting women. And what’s worse, Fox goes on to say that making these Transformer films and gaining so much exposure (for her hotness) has opened up many doors for her—she’ll soon star in one film opposite John Malkovich and another film penned by Diablo Cody.

This rhetoric reminds me an awful lot of other excuses actresses have made for the roles they choose. Katherine Heigl famously called Knocked Up a sexist film, and then went on to star in a slew of women-friendlier movies, such as The Ugly Truth and 27 Dresses.

And Elizabeth Banks often finds herself in the same predicament: “‘You can go be in a female-driven indie and make two cents and maybe get an Independent Spirit Award, but then you can’t pay your car lease,'” she says. “‘So Vince Vaughn makes movies, he needs a girl to be in it with him, it might be me.'”

I understand and sympathize with actresses in today’s Hollywood climate. Studios continue to argue that actresses can’t open movies, that any successful women-centered film (Sex & the City, Mamma Mia!) is merely a fluke, and that they don’t find it profitable enough to continue greenlighting movies that exclusively focus on women.

I get that it’s a rough climate out there for young actresses especially, but I’m not exactly sure what the solution is. We need more women filmmakers, obviously. And we especially need women audiences to stop seeing every single ridiculous incarnation of The Proposal and He’s Just Not That Into You. While I don’t want to play into the blame-the-victim ideology, I don’t think it’s too much to ask for these actresses to take themselves a little more seriously as actresses and a little less seriously as male fantasies.

Making blatantly misogynistic films clearly pays the bills for them, but at what cost to women as a whole?