![Philosophical Monday: MEGAMIND [It’s hard out here for a feminist]](http://fierceandnerdy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/tina-fey-megamind-character-10042-1.jpg)
Philosophical Monday: MEGAMIND [It’s hard out here for a feminist]
Guys, I tried to enjoy MEGAMIND. I really did. However, I couldn’t help but be disappointed that in 2010 the one (and sadly, I mean that literally, there was really only one) woman with any speaking lines in this movie was only good for encouraging the guys in the movie to be heroes and take action in between getting kidnapped, stalked, and tricked (several times). Seriously, the one time she actually gets to handle a gun, she accidentally shoots it, setting in motion a plot twist that will serves as a catalyst for her getting kidnapped, stalked, and tricked even more. I wanted to throw my glass of wine (we were at the fancy-schmancy theater) at the screen, I was so enraged. Even Tina Fey’s wonderful and sassy voice work couldn’t save this part for me. I think they were going for a send-up of Lois Lane, but if that was the case, then the satire just really didn’t come through. From a writing stand point, it felt like all the male roles were character-driven while hers was story-driven, which made her seem less spunky (as probably intended) and more like an illogical puppet. Still shaking my head over this one….
For a long time now I have been upset and critical of animated movies for being openly sexist, yet if I voice this opinion I get laughed at and brushed off by many people, some calling themselves feminists. I have stopped going to see animated movies for this reason. This isn’t the only movie where only one woman has any lines and ends up a damsel in distress. Take a look at the last five years of animated films alone. Unless there is a princess involved ALL of them are male leads with maybe, MAYBE one female character, who isn’t that strong. The only exception I can think of off the top of my head The Incredibles.
Well, I loved how in PRINCESS AND THE FROG and MULAN, they were the chycks were the ones saving the day, and this new one TANGLED (an actionified Rapunzel retelling) looks like it’s going to be quite good. I’ve actually been very happy with Disney. Dreamworks, however, isn’t doing so hot. What really burnt me was that other than that, the story was soooo good. I was like “really, you couldn’t do better w/ the chyck?”
MULAN goes way past the five year mark, didn’t it come out in the late 90’s? And nothing with a princess counts.
She doesn’t become a princess until the end. It’s really a film about hard work. And I love that the heroine isn’t super-nice like every other Disney princess.
But she does become a princess right? So if I work hard enough do I get to become a princess? What if I find a hairy depressed man living in a castle, allow myself to be kidnapped, develop Stockholm Syndrome, fall in love with hairy depressed man, bring him out of his funk by putting up with his verbal abuse, and then find out later he is really a prince thereby making me a what? PRINCESS. Yes the only way for a woman to really come out a winner in a Disney movie is to become a princess.
Sorry I’m sticking to my guns, no princess movies count no matter what the woman was in the first place.
Yes, but it doesn’t matter. She ends up opening up her restaurant with her own money and giving HIM a job in the restaurant band! As far as gender roles go, it’s pretty frickin’ awesome. The whole movie is centered around not whether she’ll get her prince, but whether she’ll get her restaurant — which she does, on her own terms!
I’ll give it a chance. I just cannot get behind this whole idea that the single best thing a girl can hope to become is a princess. Do you want a world full of Paris Hilton’s and Kim Kardashians? Cause that seems to be the way it’s all heading.