MovieChat Forums > The Goodbye Girl (1977) Discussion > Chick Flick for feminist women raised in...

Chick Flick for feminist women raised in fifties households?


So this could be considered a chick flick back in the day. And it was probably marketed to women that were born and raised in the fifties. These were some of the first feminists. But, they were raised in a fifties setting where the man took care of the woman. And that was still ingrained deep down in them (like how many former girls that were flower children grew up, got married, had two kids and a station wagon).
This movie would appeal to them because the heroine seems like a feminist. She has a kid out of wedlock and isn't married. So she's not square like their mothers were. But then she finds an alpha male to take care of and protect her (kind of the fifties scenario that they were brought up with). So it would be appealing on a few levels. There were still many traditional families when the movie was made (I was a kid and my dad worked while my mom took care of the kids and the house when this movie came out). So I think this movie was very clever making it appealing to feminist and traditional woman of that time. And if it doesn't hold up, it's because things have changed a lot since then. But it still has that fairytale Cinderella story line that always seems to endure.

"Getting old is not for sissies."
Bette Davis

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Nay...don't read so much into everything. The main thing here is the likability and the chemistry between the leads.
That's the same thing that works now.

And everyone...literally..gives up something when they're in a relationship..Most rom-coms even today are still a Cinderella story.

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@ms-trixi

Good observations. However, you're mistaken on an important point: Paula did not have Lucy out of wedlock. As explained to Elliot, she and her husband (Lucy's bio father) became divorced, and her last undependable boyfriend skipped out on her.

Paula wanted to be married, and still does; she's ready to take those marriage license "blood tests" - per Elliot's proposal of sort - when he presumably returns to NYC. While Paula is a modern working woman and single mother, it's more for financial survival than for a self-serving career aspiration. In fact, she is so excited to play homemaker and decorate the apartment with Elliot's newfound financial success, as he encourages her to continue while he's away supporting his newfound family while fulfilling his long-held career aspirations (traditional role with modern career).

Paula's also excited to bring a father-figure back into her daughter's life. And Lucy is just as happy for it. Over 30, Elliot can continue a lucrative career, but Paula's dance career is slowing down as younger female candidates emerge. She's ready to "settle down", but not "settle" in a sense (modern choice; no more flakey guys).

So for me, this created a somewhat balanced take on the modern and classic family structure of the time. I'm with you on the double appeal to the female audience, but it certainly leans toward traditional as the credits roll.




"Don't get chumpatized!" - The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

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"...out of wedlock"?
Are you from the planet Puritan?
You're reading too much into the story by trying to imbue it with feminist sensibilities.
It's simply one of Neil Simon's many comedies, nothing more, nothing less.

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