One of the most misogynistic films ever

According to the extras on the DVD, it was deliberately decided that there would be no background/backstory for Evelyn.

Funny you should bring up Clint's 'misogynistic' approach in the film, since he and others thought the opposite about it.

I'll give an anecdote: When Eastwood was promoting the film and on every TV talk show around, he said that John Wayne gave him a rough time about how he could let a woman get the best of him that way. Eastwood responded that that was exactly the point. For years, 'Macho' men always prevailed, but one of the things that intrigued him about this story was that a man couldn't.

I think the word 'misogynistic' has been highly abused on message boards. Dave didn't hate women; wasn't against them at all. His 'problem' was that he perhaps liked them too much.

There are more psycho men. Even men are more likely to be raped or abused by another man than a woman. More women get killed by an abusive male partner than men get killed by a female partner etc. There are even weirdos who make tribute videos to serial killers on youtube, with loser men commenting about how the women deserved it because they were this or that, as if men can decide what a woman does.

same thing on almost every board: the man was sexist and the film misogynistic. And if the roles were reversed ion the film, young women would be saying it's still misogynistic. These posters must be venting their personal demons

Not at all, RW. I dont need an excuse to have a point of view. And I still have mixed feelings about the film -- especially since the "crazy bitch" in this movie seems insane for no other reason than she can't get a guy in the sack. Most other such female characters have some kind of motivation beyond their dependence on a man: greed, revenge, true mental illness, past trauma. But as I said, I thought the other posters made good points that made me consider rethinking my position.

By the way: Newsweek just ran a piece on crazy chicks in the movies.
http://www.newsweek.com/2011/01/30/crazy-chick-flicks.html

It is clear to me that Evelyn suffered from many types of mental illness, including borderline personality disorder, depression and possibly others; she also appears to exhibit signs of a sociopathic and/or psychopathic personality disorder. These are the bare minimum of what is readily apparent of what she already suffered from when she met David. She looked on their meeting and sequential brief sexual liaison as a whole complete complex relationship, even though the reality was they had only known each other for a few days and didn't know each other at all. She created the relationship and the intense need for it, and the image of love for David in her own mind. When he rejects her, her "love" immediately turns to rage and violence.

Anyone who thinks this is just a story about a normal chick who can't get a man to stay with her, or can't handle it when he leaves, is entirely missing the point. This is a movie about a man who had a problem with infidelity in the past. Just when he is ready to put that behavior behind him, his last "fling" is a mentally disturbed woman who won't let go and can't face reality, so decides to cross the line and that if she can't have him no one can.

To each their own...opinion

In Fatal Attraction, we are given a glimpse of Whats-her-name's past: her father died in front of her when she was quite young. She was at an age when a girl needs her daddy. So its not surprising that she would become so needy and delusional where men are concerned. We all know someone with this kind of "hole in the soul".

Sonja

You're a stupid thing Frank, go pound sand.

That's not true. Sure, its common in a cheesy slasher flick to have an almost endless line of victims, both male and female, in open-mouthed fear....

But a woman saves the day.

Just off of memory (so I may be wrong here and there, the main point still rings true) - Out of eleven Friday the 13th films, I can think of two where the "last one living" was a male (and it was actually the same character that survived). In the Nightmare on Elm Street series, I believe a guy "won" once. In Freddy v Jason, a girl wins. I'm not keen on the Halloween franchise, but I do know there are several films in there where a female wins. In the Hellraiser series I think there were men featured in the more recent films. The first three for sure all featured heroines.

Then there's Silence of the Lambs, The Ring, The Grudge, all of the "Living Dead" remakes...

You even get a film here and there where both males and females work together toward that happy ending - Psycho, The Haunting, House on Haunted Hill (remake)...you could possibly even add The Exorcist in here. While Reagan's mother didn't have the skills to battle demons, qualified men did it for her and thus sacrificed themselves to save the life of a little girl.

There are plenty of movies out there where a fella is the main do-gooder and wins the day (such as The Final Destination series), but I don't think its true to say horror is misogynistic at all. It seems pretty equal opportunity to me.

This movie was written by a woman. About another woman.

"What I don't understand is how we're going to stay alive this winter."

Someone come collect these basic minds.

Film be misogynistic as hell. Or at least, misogynistic as culture.

Personally, I think I have too much bloom. Maybe that's the trouble with me.

Please don't feed the troll.

Of course this movie isn't misogynistic. But we've arrived at a place in our cultural evolution (devolution?) where you can have as many MALE villains as you want, no problem, but portraying a woman in a villainous way gets you branded a misogynsist.