WTF review of 'Brave': EW article says "Girl not wanting arranged marriage=LESBIAN"

[brendala.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine pointed me to this article. It's Entertainment Weekly's review of Pixar's Brave. Well, it's not a "review" so much as a manifesto declaring that the main character is a lesbian because....she refused an arranged marriage and disliked wearing gowns that limited her mobility.
I think it's pretty telling that films starring single females who remain single for the entire film are so rare that, the moment a big studio makes one, everyone (including paid professional reviewers) goes nuts and assumes the girl MUST be gay or sexually confused or whatever.




I hate the implication that a girl who doesn't immediately want to date/marry once they hit the proper age must have some deep-rooted issue with her sexuality. Heck, Merida herself never said "I don't want to get married to a man EVER". She just hated the idea of being given out like a carnival prize to some bozo she's never met!

This article reminds me of how Velma from Scooby Doo (one of my favorite fictional characters, btw) has been pegged as a butch lesbian for ages simply because she's "ugly" (translation: she doesn't fit the Barbie mold that 90% of female protagonists fit into) and didn't act like a typical "token girl" character. Even as a kid, I never got why people pegged her as a tomboy (what self respecting "tomboy" would prance about in a red mini-skirt?). Her overall demeanor and behavior was rarely any less feminine than Daphne's. I guess it's because she had non-girl interests like....being smart. :P

While I sympathize with gay folks who want to find a character they can relate to; it still bugs the crap out of me when dumb stereotypes are used to prove that a character is a gay icon (even if their canon has established them as straight).

Comments

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the movie. Is there actually any hint of that in it? Or is this reviewer making things up entirely?

I wanted to see it at first, but I wonder if I'm sick and tired of 'girl power' flicks. I've seen enough tough girls onscreen to last me a lifetime. How about some tough men for a change?

[milleniumrex.livejournal.com]

There's no hint of it. It's about a teenage girl who doesn't want to be forced into an arranged marriage with one of a trio of young dingbats who are competing for her hand.

As for your last point, she's honestly not that "tough". She's athletic, but not exactly a warrior or fighter. And if you're looking for the latter, Batman should fill that niche in a few weeks. :D

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

Groovy, thanks.

[brendala.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the movie. Is there actually any hint of that in it? Or is this reviewer making things up entirely?

The reviewer is making it up. Her only "reasoning" for this theory is that Merida refuses an arranged marriage and hates confining clothing.


I wanted to see it at first, but I wonder if I'm sick and tired of 'girl power' flicks. I've seen enough tough girls onscreen to last me a lifetime. How about some tough men for a change?

Trust me, Merida is NOT an annoying, Mary-Sue "GRRRL POWAH" character. She's strong; but in a way that's believable and relateable.

As for strong men, Merida's dad is an awesome badass and one of the best characters in the movie. :)

[gratuitous-love.livejournal.com]

As for strong men, Merida's dad is an awesome badass and one of the best characters in the movie. :)

He is! The interaction between him and Merida reminded me a ton of how me and my dad get along. I kinda wish they had more screentime together, but then that would kinda defeat the purpose of the movie. XD;

[guardians-song.livejournal.com]

"Her only "reasoning" for this theory [...]"
"Adam Markovitz" is a funny name for a lady...

[rivetspoon.livejournal.com]

Sure explains a lot though.

[animenutcase.livejournal.com]

And actually the most she ever says is (during her pretend talk with her mother) that "Maybe she'll never be ready!"

That "maybe" changes a lot.

Be careful. Someone will call a wish to see tough men "sexist" because "men already dominate the media (especially white men)!"

[neverfading.livejournal.com]

THIS.

I am sooo tired of the child-like, wimpy men who fill our media now.

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely not sick of girl power flicks (but I'm the girl who refused to watch the classic Disney princess movies more than once as a child because I was so tired of the Girl Gets Saved By Guy trope), but all you have to do to find tough men is to watch some action movies - Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, True Lies, Independence Day, etc. There are tons of 'em.

Or watch RED and watch guys and girls kick butt.

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

Or watch RED and watch guys and girls kick butt.

I heard that was good!

[kataoi.livejournal.com]

I can vouch for RED. Didn't think I'd like it and ended up quite enjoying it. :D

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

Helen Mirren with an AK-47 (I think it was), Morgan Freeman, and Bruce Willis? What's not to like?!

[jacobs-muse.livejournal.com]

And RED is getting a sequel!

Also love Expendables and can't wait for Expendables 2.

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Really? I hadn't heard that. And yes, I'm looking forward to The Expendables 2, although TBH The Expendables was good mostly for the novelty of all those great action stars on the same screen. Adding some Liam Hemsworth to Ex2 is a good idea though...

[neverfading.livejournal.com]

"Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, True Lies, Independence Day, etc. There are tons of 'em."

Those three movies are between 15 and twenty-five years old, though.

Certainly, there are still action films and men who star in action films. But there IS an overall trend of male characters in the media, whether it be movies, TV, commercials, print ads, et cetera, who are boyish and child-like and "soft", and in many cases are portrayed as foolish, lazy, passive, and just not admirable or heroic in any way.

On the whole, the male celebrities who fit the traditional masculine mold are NOT the current young crop of stars. Guys like Harrison Ford, Kevin Costner, Bruce Willis, and George Clooney are in their 50s and 60s, and they have few, if any, counterparts among the younger generation.

Even the younger stars who are fairly masculine still have a somewhat "boyish" persona and are not "leading men" in the same style of previous stars.

I'm not impressed with the "butt-kicking girl" concept, at all. There are ways for a character to be "strong" that don't involve physical strength or getting into physical fights.

TBH, I don't need a female protagonist to enjoy a story, at all. The whole "we need more strong female characters!" thing doesn't resonate with me at all.

To each their own, but I actually find it very refreshing when a book/movie/show has an all-male or mostly-male cast.

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

Of course they are; the '80s and '90s were the glory days of action movies. The person I was replying to didn't ask for new films with strong leading men, they just asked for films with strong leading men, so I mentioned some of my favorites.

That said, there are still many modern films with strong leading men, they're just - IMO - not as good as the heyday of Ahnold, Bruce Willis, etc. Jason Statham, Vin Diesel, and more are modern action stars, and all have tons of movies to their names. A lot of other guys do both action and "normal" films: Clive Owen, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and more. There are tons of current strong male leads in films, you just have to know which films. =o)

I, however, love butt-kicking girls. Buffy FTW! Katniss FTW! Heck, even Hermione FTW! I don't object to the idea of physically or intellectually adept female protagonists, because it's about darn time, and when I was a kid, the only physically strong women I had to look up to were the Power Rangers.