MovieChat Forums > Wedding Crashers (2005) Discussion > Just Realized How Sexist It Is

Just Realized How Sexist It Is


It really pains me to say it because I think this movie is hilarious, but if you think about it, it definitely has sexist attitudes.

For example, in the beginning montage where Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn pick up chicks at weddings, every woman is just a passive, gullible waif. They don't think for themselves- they just go along with every dumb story the guys throw them.

And then with Rachel McAdams- she's engaged to an a**hole, and even though she seems smart-ish and independent, she's incapable of seeing him for what he is. She needs Owen Wilson to rescue her from making the biggest mistake of her life.

There's no strong female figures- every woman floats along helplessly, waiting to be affected by the men's decisions. Or, they're sex crazed like the mother.

One exception might be Isla Fisher's character, but she is too crazy to be taken seriously.

I just wish that contemporary comedies could find a way to incorporate humor and romance without relying on trite gender stereotypes.

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This movie also presents men as predetory horny-toads! So everyone in the film, including men, has flawed personalities! And it's a comedy, okay? Not a documentary!

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Yeah, it's true that both sexes are flawed and have both positive and negative characteristics. I guess what bothers me is that this movie and other similar comedies continue to rely on gender stereotypes instead of daring to try something new- say, a funny and strong woman, or a gay man who is not the comic relief. This is 6 years old now, and already it's a little outdated.

And besides, just because it's a comedy doesn't mean it has free reign to be sexist or racist or homophobic or xenophobic. I'm not saying "Wedding Crashers" is particularly bad in any of these respects, I'm just saying that the writers sort of lazily relied on gender stereotypes instead of creating characters who are original and modern.

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Did you feel the same way with "Bridesmaids", especially with Kristen Wiig in a leading role? The other female characters had strong and comical personalities as well.

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No, I thought "Bridesmaids" was original and refreshing. The conversations that Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph had reminded me of the ones I have with my friends. They were relatable, whereas in "Wedding Crashers" there weren't any female characters I found very interesting.

I probably am overthinking it... as I tend to do. So many movies fall into this category that it's hard to blame "Wedding Crashers" for anything. I just wish that these sort of comedies would try harder to have dynamic female characters. Try something new.

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[deleted]

No offense, but I'm probably the most liberal type of person on the planet- and at some point in times I wish fellow libs wouldn't take EVERYTHING so literally and relate it to something political.

The logline of the film WEDDING CRASHERS would appear as something along these lines-

"Two childhood friends grow up to begin crashing weddings with altar-egos to try and bed women, only to find lessons in love, life, and friendship."

What's to be learned from that sentence? 1) The film is about gratuitous sex in places. 2) The film is male-centric. 3) The film is comedic in nature.

I'm not sure why anyone would expect it to be other than what it is. Could it be categorized as anti-feminist? Sure. But you have to be looking for it. After knowing what the movie is about, I'm shocked anyone who commits their life to anti-feminist rhetoric would even watch it.

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And you ignore the scene near the beginning where Owen Wilson mistakenly calls a woman by the wrong name, and she basically ends the encounter right then and there.

It's also shows the growth of the two male leads, in regards to their approaches towards dating and relating. At the beginning, they seem to regard women as nothing more than one-night stands. But by the end, both have found true love and commitment.

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New doesn’t sell. Tried and true makes money.

Sheesh. It’s not rocket science.

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Yes, the women they pick up at weddings are passive, gullible waifs as you say, but comedies have been doing that for decades, making lesser characters more simplistic in order to get the point across quickly and move the plot along.

In regards to Rachel McAdams' character, I think that was realistic enough. A lot of smart women get involved with a**holes, thinking they can change them, or whatever.

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Rachel being involved with an ahole is one of the most realistic points in the movie. Women seem to flock to aholes for whatever reason. Or they don't see that persona. The ahole acts differently around them. I saw that quite a bit in high school and college.

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I guess the saying is true " Nice girls crave jerks, and nice guys love jerky women". Go figure human nature.

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get over it. jeez, cry me a river.

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I know where you're coming from, and maybe this is just me (I consider myself a feminist) trying to make excuses for this movie because I think it's hilarious because Vince Vaugn is hilarious to me, but I don't necessarily think that the women in this movie are passive and gullible and defined by the actions of the men in this movie.

I guess it all depends on the way you look at it. I don't see Rachel McAdam's character being saved by Owen WIlson's character. All he does is present her with an alternative at the end. There's even a part where Sack tries to impose his manly will upon her while she's trying to decide what to do, and he appeals to her father and my main man Christopher Walkin tells Sack that he wants Claire to make her own decisions and just to be happy.

I also don't think that Isla Fisher's character is "too crazy" to be taken seriously or be strong. Obviously she does some very "crazy" things in the movie, especially sexually to Vince Vaugn (without consent, which is an issue), but he obviously takes her seriously in the movie because he marries her. I think her character is very strong. She goes after what she wants, she's smart enough to gauge what men want and use that to her own advantage and her sexuality and enjoyment of sex is valued. She is a likable character because she seems real because she has the sex she wants to have and enjoys it. I think I like their relationship also because it encourages sexual exploration and the importance of sex in a relationship and how you should be open minded and GGG. And it endorses non traditional sexual relationships.

So what I think about this movie is that it's not actually sexist. I think it reflects the sexism in our culture, which is undeniable and important to address. I think also it's important to look at the male characters in this movie and how the audience is supposed to view them and what that means. For example, our heroes are undeniably promiscuous (but culturally this has always been accepted for males) and maybe a little sexist towards women but they are the good guys in this movie. They have honor, they're loyal to each other, they're smart and charming and funny. They are also allowed to have emotions. I could be wrong on this one, but I don't remember them ever using any derogatory language towards woman in regards to their sexuality (slut, whore). At the end of the day, they are simply exploiting an aspect of our culture, that women who go to weddings, because of societal pressure, are emotionally vulnerable enough to allow themselves to be taken advantage of sexually.

Then you look at who the "bad guys" in this movie are. Sack and his friends, who are misogynistic and use their privilege and power to manipulate people (especially women) around them. They refer to women as sluts, they are unable to be emotionally vulnerable (for example when Sack gets sick and is an *beep* to Rachel McAdams), they expect their women to be submissive and fulfill their gender roles, they view marriage as something every man must do to appear respectable in stead of as a way to express mutual love, they are violent and play dirty.

This is important to address because sexism hurts men, too, and I think this movie shows that. Because, ultimately, Sack is a product of his environment.

I also love that at the end of this movie, when the boys mention a wedding that they could crash, the women are not wet blankets. They want to play, too.

So that is why I think there is definitely sexism in this movie, but only because it reflects the patriarchal society we live in. But I don't think it's message is sexist. In fact, I think it is the opposite.

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I agree, this is definitely a very sexy movie. There are lots of sexy scenes with sexy women.
(for those of you who haven't seen Spinal Tap, this post is a joke)

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Art imitates life. More true than you think it is. We have a guy that came to my job and in no less than 6 months had sex with 5 girls in our office one of which is engaged to be married in 2 months and another in upper management. He shows no signs of slowing down either. He is a bit of a scumbag which goes to show women have low standards same as men.

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That's some funny sh*t...

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Actually, I think the women in the movie were smarter than the men and used them to their own ends.

The women at the wedding montage in the beginning all wanted to have sex with men, and even though they knew Owen and Vince were full of sh**, they pretended to believe their stories just so they (the women) could get with the guys.

Futhermore, I believe Rachel McAdams' character knew Owen was scamming her all along, and she played him like a piano and strung him along, knowing that her loser boyfriend would eventually implode and she would come out looking like the victim in a situation she actually at best allowed to happen and at worst provoked. She emerges the winner in the end, free of Sack and with Owen's undying devotion and with everyone's understanding, sympathy and approval.

If anything, this movie is sexist toward men.

I really wish they would make more movies where the men are strong characters and not fooled so easily by devious women.

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typical feminist bullsh*t.. and yea, i'm being sexist :rolleyes:

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I think your review is sexist. Why don't women have the right to engage in casual, meaningless sex just like the guys in this movie. You call them "gullible waifs". Maybe they are active, willing participants who go to the weddings to pick up random guys to party with. In your opinion, you make it sound like a woman's sexuality is only empowered if they are not willing to be sexual at all.

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I remember years ago a woman friend telling me that women didn't do meaningless sex. I told her that I knew a lot of guys were out there having it so there had to be some women who played along

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Personally I think reckless, casual sex is really dumb. Hello, I am a Gen Xer, and recall when that kind of behavior in some cases made people vulnerable to AIDS.










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Maybe they are active, willing participants who go to the weddings to pick up random guys to party with.


That's not shown in the movie. What's shown is a bunch of doe-eyed airheads sighing "Wow, you really played for the Yankees?" and then falling into bed with the guys because they were easily manipulated.


Pobre de Dios que no sale en revistas, que no es modelo ni artista, o de familia royal...

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