Memo to Hollywood: Women Go to Movies
June 18, 2009
by Melissa Silverstein
|This post originally appeared on the blog Women & Hollywood. The author’s opinions are her own, not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
I love it when a woman in Hollywood gets down and dirty about how Hollywood treats women. I love it even more when that woman is Nia Vardalos the keeper of one of the highest grossing romantic comedy of all time – My Big Fat Greek Wedding. She is also in an elite club, her film was in the top 10 in 2002.
She has been everywhere pushing her return to Greece film My Life in Ruins. My Life in Ruins is a bit like Mamma Mia, light romantic comedy that stars women with gorgeous scenery and a vibrant star.
But, it’s not a big budget action flick with commercials everywhere and opened last weekend on just 1,164 screens compared with 3,269 for The Hangover and 3,521 for Land of the Lost which has already been declared a flop.
But it still managed to make the top ten bringing in over $3,233,ooo at the box office.
The thing that we have been discussing was whether the success of Sex and the City and Mamma Mia would change how Hollywood thinks about women. The bad news from Nia is that these successes have done NOTHING to convince Hollywood that women are a market.
Here’s what she writes in Huffington Post:
Lately, I’ve been in meetings regarding a new script idea I have. A studio executive asked me to change the female lead to a male, because… “women don’t go to movies.”
Really?
When I pointed out the box office successes of Sex and The City, Mamma Mia, and Obsessed, he called them “flukes.” He said “don’t quote me on this.” So, I’m telling everybody.
This is such blatant sexism and the only way it’s going to change is for people – women and men – to show that they want to see movies about women. So give Nia your support and get your ass out and see her flick. She’s standing up for you and we need to have her back.
Editor’s note: If you’d like more information on the “celluliod ceiling” women face in film, here are two reports, one on women writers, producers, editors, and cinematographers, and another on production staff, sound, grips, and gaffers.
Don’t ignore the success of Twilight. The books are written by a woman, the screenwriter is a woman, the director and casting director were women. It cost only $37 million to make so It might have been the highest netting (not grossing)movie of 2008. The audience was primarily female. Yes I realize “feminists” have a problem with the story but if they read the entire saga they will find Bella matures from a 17 year old girl into a leader and protector of her clan as the story goes on. The movie also gives the primarily female audience a chance to experience the half of their sexuality which patriarchy demands be suppressed, that half where girls don’t worry how they appear but sit on their average bums and appreciate hot men. Of course there are three sequels to Twilight on the way but it is clear the male Powers That Be have no idea why the movie is such a screaming success. So it will be interesting to see them try to imitate it.
Why would women go to the movies to see the Hangover? Make good movies and we go. We had a “lively” discussion at a dinner party just this week over the difference between a “chick flick”, a “date movie”, and a “frat boy movie”. Many of the men pooh-poohed the idea of a “date movie” until they realized that some of their favorite movies fell into that category – movies that both men and women enjoy. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” was declared a “date movie”. In unison, all of the guys shouted “Windex!”
Once in a while I’d like to see movies marketed to women that aren’t romantic comedies. Nothing wrong with those, but there are other subjects women are interested in.
That’s why one of my favorite movies was Alien Resurrection, which had two strong female characters interacting in a setting that didn’t involve “winning” a guy at the end.
Of course, I rarely go out to movies, but if it’s good I might catch it 20 years down the road on TCM.
As a member of Lotus land i see the sexism all the time..older women not getting roles, only “young girls” parts, “damsel in distress” and the like. There were no women in the top ten earners in Hollywood acting this year, even Bullock and Roberts were missing- that sums it up- if more women were in executive posts, green lighting posts, there would be more films made by women and acted in by women and written for women
Oh, according to Women in Film, the number of female directors has dropped several percent- I assume its because the male producers dont hire them.Martha Coolidge, the only woman who as headed the directors guild was told she couldnt run for re election( generally the Prez serves two terms) as a condition of her being elected etc. Check out the site for Women in Film- great for news like the above
Thanks to this recommendation, I took my daughter to “My Life in Ruins” today and thoroughly enjoyed it. Sure, it’s a romance, so some aspects are formulaic, but there are moments that are laugh-out-loud funny and others that are surprising and touching. There’s no reason at all why this movie shouldn’t receive twice as much backing and promotion as sophomoric Will Ferrell movies like Land of the Lost.
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