After the disappointing box office of The Invasion (starring Nicole Kidman) and The Brave One (starring Jodie Foster, pictured), Warner Bros. is denying the rumor in the blogosphere (that is, in Nikki Finke’s "Deadline Hollywood" online column for L.A. Weekly) that the studio has decided to stop greenlighting actress-driven films. In fact, Warners tells Variety, it has a bunch of female-centered projects in the pipeline, which the Variety article goes on to list. Look at the list yourself, though, and you’ll see a lot of opportunity to say "Yes, but…"
For one thing some of the projects look, on the surface, like attempts to recapture old fizz in new bottles — re-teaming Unfaithful’s Diane Lane and Richard Gere in a drama, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days‘ Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in a romantic comedy. Plus, Warners cites two upcoming superhero projects that both feature a group of male heroes and one heroine: Justice League and Watchmen (the latter directed by the guy who made 300, the manliest movie of the millennium). The studio also mentions women in supporting roles in upcoming movies (but supporting roles shouldn’t count as lead roles, should they?) and its ongoing efforts to mount a Wonder Woman movie; does Warners really want to boast of its inability to get that invisible plane off the ground after 10 years of trying?
I don’t mean to single out Warner Bros. (which, like EW.com, is part of Time Warner) because I’m sure that all the other studios have the same problem developing movies built around female leads that don’t involve Spandex or guns or shopworn chick-flick formulas. Whether or not Finke’s report is correct, there seems to be an industry-wide myopia that makes it plausible. A couple of high-profile flops featuring name actresses, and studio execs seem to think all female-driven movies are box office poison, instead of seeing the individual movies themselves as flawed in execution, or seeing that there’s a lack of imagination or variety in the roles being made available to our top actresses. The industry is so busy trying to lure the young male quadrant away from their Xboxes and into the theaters that it’s given up on trying to draw the rest of the potential movie-going audience. You’ve heard movie critics whine before that there was a time, long ago (from the ’30s to the ’70s), when comedies and dramas built around strong female characters were as much a part of Hollywood’s bread and butter as westerns and war movies, but it’s true, and there’s no reason why it couldn’t be true again.
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I think that Hollywood is just at a point where no one wants to pay to see crap movies anymore, and they are trying to blame it on our leading ladies. Yes, some leading ladies (aka Jessica Alba, Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz) should be banned from film acting all together, but at the same time, how about giving these women good scripts to work with? Or give the good actresses (Nicole Kidman, Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts) good scripts to work with?
All Hollywood is trying to do is find an excuse for why people don’t want to come to the theater anymore, and one of the biggest reasons why (as well as inflation, piracy and the invention of the DVD) is that they aren’t making good movies anymore. Hollywood should greenlight good projects, and throw the rest of those crappy films in the trash!
The problem in the current culture is, girls will go to action movies and broad comedies, but guys won’t go to chick flicks. That’s just the way it is. The upside is that there can be a mass audience for female-driven non-chick-flicks: Panic Room, Tomb Raider. The problem is, a lot of these are bad movies or bad ideas (Tomb Raider 2, The Brave One), so when they flop, the women are blamed.
(different Mike) Invasion and the Brave One were hardly chick flicks or original. The studios have no one to blame but themselves. So much crap gets released every week. I hope that since it’s Oscar season, there will be good movies with actual quality scripts.
It’s not the Leading Ladies I’m avoiding. it’s the crappy screenwriting. Tell me a good story and I’ll show up… no matter who is in the lead.
THis is really just an example of a studio exec making excuses for not being very good at their job. While female driven movies do not dominate the scene (they never really have) there are several that do great buisness….last years Devil wears Prada for example…..this exec will also look like a moron after the sequal to Elizabeth opens…but hte other posters are right. If it is a good movie anyone will go see it regardless of a woman in the lead.
It is all about the script! Not how you market it..but studios never see that.
Agree with everything said here. Mounds of crap is churned out from the studio suits who give it the green light….then when it bombs the good old boys want to blame everyone but themselves. they get what they deserve.
I echo the comments about Hollywood making trash – unoriginal movies. There are some movies that do need to be seen on the big screen like Lord of the Rings and many other fantasy and sci-fi movies where the background artwork is important. However, for the run of the mill movie – no matter if it stars a woman or man – it is just easier to get it on DVD or on one of the pay cable stations. You don’t have to worry about high prices, uncomfortable seats, sticky floors, rude moviegoers, big heads, etc.
“300, the manliest movie of the millennium”
Uh… dude, 300 was very gay. I’m a gay man and I can tell you, that movie was homoerotic, it baffles the mind why so many straight guys loved a movie with a bunch of barely dressed men yet are homophobic.
I don’t understand why the movie studios don’t get why superhero movies can feature strong women so easily and yet strong women don’t factor well into other movies. It’s because in superhero movies (when done correctly), the women very rarely (when the lead) need the men. They’re independent and strong. In fact, the characters could be interchangeable with men. What begs the question is, why can’t movie studios take a movie like The Departed and randomly make one character female without having to address the fact that she’s female? Men and women are different in great ways, but often in Hollywood they want to see men and women as VERY different, not as strong, independent individuals.
It seems that the Hollywood system is getting a bit too obsessive about recycling. They recycle old, unoriginal premises, and even the same circle of stars has gotten smaller and smaller. Bring in some new faces, some much-needed originality, and movies with leading ladies would start raking in the dough again.
And Mario, it seems that most “manly” sports are the most homoerotic things on the planet. Ever watch Extreme Fighting matches?
Maybe movies could learn a bit from television, who IS able to create strong female-driven vehicles that are bonafide hits. Excellent writing + excellent casting = hit. Enough said.
If they are confused how to market female-driven movies, they should schedule a lunch with the folks at TNT and FX and ask what they do. I’m sure their answer will be something like: “Well, we create interesting characters and good stories to put them in.” That sentence will most likely go right over any movie exec’s head.
Ditto Kira. Does anybody remember the Last Seduction w/ Linda Fiorentino or Red River Rock w/ Lara Flynn Boyle; or how about Bound w/ Jennifer Tilly. Dangerous, suspenseful, conniving, sexy women…what happened to THOSE WOMEN? I loved those women, I loved those stories. Now we get Ramboish Jodie Foster and little girl romances. Enough already? Bring in some writers who can write for the likes of Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck … authors should start writing books with strong femme fatales….
These women on screen today lack sexuality, they’re cold, they’re angry, and silly. I would like to see someone really interesting. Ripley in the Aliens…anybody ! Somebody! different than what’s being offered today.
Gary, when you say “strong female characters were as much a part of Hollywood’s bread and butter as westerns and war movies” you don’t go near far enough — they were MORE important to the industry. From the 30s to the 70s women were the TOP box-office draw. Joan Crawford was the top-drawing star, period, for most of a decade, unequalled. The women of that era talked, faught, killed, and were as complex as the men. Todaty we have gone backwards — witness the utter failures of Elektra and Catwoman, because some studio person tried to make them more “feminine”. Just give us some kick-a$$ broads already!
The solution: More dramas about famous queens. Just look at the long list of actresses who have won Oscars or Oscar nominations for playing Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Elizabeth II!
I totally agree with you, Maveness. When was the last time there was a female character treated as a person, not a characterized woman?
Anyway, as a female student filmmaker, this issue makes me angry. This is the reason why I became a feminist. Women are often portrayed in a fake way, whether its a sexy role, cutesy girly role, or even a macho role. Then studios look down on their female audiences, thinking they rarely see movies nowadays unless they’re “chick flicks.” WRONG! Its because they’re movies are crap. Women watch any movies that appeal to them, whether they’re romances to action films. They even watch them without boyfriends. What’s worst–for my part, that is–is that studios are less likely to hire female directors and writers. They’d only consider them if they make chick flicks or corny romantic films. No action or special-effects-ridden movies. Nothing that’s appealing to men. I blame the white men in Hollywood. We need to promote equality in the film industry.
I totally agree with you, Maveness. When was the last time there was a female character treated as a person, not a characterized woman?
Anyway, as a female student filmmaker, this issue makes me angry. This is the reason why I became a feminist. Women are often portrayed in a fake way, whether its a sexy role, cutesy girly role, or even a macho role. Then studios look down on their female audiences, thinking they rarely see movies nowadays unless they’re “chick flicks.” WRONG! Its because their movies are crap. Women watch any movies that appeal to them, whether they’re romances or action films. They even watch them without boyfriends. What’s worst–for my part, that is–is that studios are less likely to hire female directors and writers. They’d only consider them if they make chick flicks or corny romantic films. No action or special-effects-ridden movies. Nothing that’s appealing to men. I blame the white men in Hollywood. We need to promote equality in the film industry.
I do not believe this is a movie industry problem, it’s one of sexism. There are plenty of Hollywood bombs starring male actors. It just doesn’t make headlines as a “troubling trend”.
This issue makes me think of the “Kill Bill” movies as both triumphs and disasters when examining female characters in film. Yes, the films were successful action movies based on strong, smart female characters. But, the characters were 2 dimensional and much of the success might be owed to the gratuitous violence.
How about the “Alien” movies? Why doesn’t Hollywood refer to those as an example of how a female star can provide a hit when you actually provide her with a good script and talented production team?
studio execs for the past 40 years have been totally clueless and are lucky to trip over a successful movie. they don’t pay attention to public preferences and keep stealing from the people who do. no originality or genuine creativity anymore. that’s why movies today are such crap. tv too. the bottom line is all anyone cares about anymore, not making good movies.
They’re panicking and blaming it on women again. Until they figure out who’s going to the movies and why, we’ll have to deal with more tired, clueless films. As long as they refuse to comprehend how changes like Xboxes, portable TV (iPods), and home theaters impact them, studios will keep churning out movies for audiences that are no longer going to show up. They need to look at their dated concepts and fulfill expectations in the real world. (As pointed out, TV’s managed to come up with some great programming to get their audiences back.) Leave women out of it; Brad Pitt doesn’t fill theatres either.
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