MovieChat Forums > All About Steve (2009) Discussion > How much outrage would be raised if the ...

How much outrage would be raised if the genders were flipped

posted 14 years ago by jinn_flame
22 replies | jump to latest

If the protagonist was a man and the journalist a woman, there is no doubt this film would have raised storms of protest.

Imagine a film about a male protagonist forcing himself upon a woman he's just met in the back of her car, prompting her to flee, the male following her across the country even after being explicitly told to stop following her, the male continuing to interfere with her work and even causing her injury that could have killed her and to top that all off having a supporting character calling the female lead a psycho for being afraid of the man.

This film is just thoroughly creepy and displays blatant gender disparities. When a man forces himself on a woman it's sickening, but when a woman forces herself upon a man it's played for laugh.

Throughout the movie I wondered why Steve didn't just call the cops. To be honest, it would have done Mary as much of a favor as it would have Steve.

[–] BoredLikeWood 14 years ago

I was thinking these exact thoughts since the first ten minutes of the movie. Anyone that disagrees with you is wrong! Reminds me of the Family Guy episode "Peter-Assessment" or some such title where Peter's trying to tell Lois that his boss is sexually harassing him but his family makes fun of him because he's a man.

[–] raptorshark 10 years ago

Haha yes, or the South Park where Ike's kindergarten teacher has sex with him. Everybody's like "Is she hot? Niceee"

[–] jimmy-256 14 years ago

Imagine a film about a male protagonist forcing himself upon a woman he's just met
When a man forces himself on a woman it's sickening, but when a woman forces herself upon a man it's played for laugh.

"There's Something About Mary"
"Chasing Amy"
"Woman in Red"
"Say Anything"
"Can't Buy Me Love"
"Roxanne"
"10"
etc
etc
etc

Oh come on! You've never seen a comedy about an obsessed male nerd chasing a hot female? If anything, it's about time they did a movie where the obsessed nerd is the girl for a change. But someone always finds a reason to complain about genders. Do you have the same gripe with "Amelie"?

[–] jinn_flame 14 years ago

Of the ones listed I've only seen There's Something about Mary and Amelie. However, in neither film did the pursued love interest tell the protagonist to stop following him/her only for the protagonist to keep pursuing. Following a high school sweat heart down to Florida may be creepy but what Mary does throughout the film is simply illegal.

Also, could you enlighten me as to when in either of the two aforementioned films did the protagonist sexually assault and/or almost kill his/her love interest?

[–] Promontorium 13 years ago

"There's Something About Mary"

Valid. But the film plays it way over the top to acknowledge it is bad behavior.

"Chasing Amy"

What? It's just called "Chasing Amy" no one actually gets chased in the film. The guy likes a girl, gets her to date him, and then dumps her. No stalking, no obsession.

...
...
"Can't Buy Me Love"

You got this one backwards sister. The guy doesn't "hunt" the girl, he just buys her, and she's ok with it.

"Roxanne"

He doesn't stalk her at all, or even get near her for the most part. It was a wonder to her by the time they get together why he DIDN'T TRY HARDER.

Your list sucks. Most are completely wrong. And you can't list one movie where a guy trying to have sex with an unwilling girl, and then chases across the country is portrayed as a sympathetic circumstance. They all acknowledge that it's wrong.

[–] cormac_zoso 9 years ago

jimmy-256

"Roxanne" does not have that plot line at all ... it is about a man with a very large nose who is too inhibited to tell the woman he adores that he is smitten with her ... he sees his chance thru an odd turn of fate when a man who is all looks and no brain cannot communicate with this same woman since he has no brain and asks the man with the brain but without the looks to write his "dialogue" for him ... it is based on the late-nineteenth century classic with the same plot but in a contemptorary setting ... it is not the same plot at all ...

start paying attention when you watch movies ...

of the other movies, i have only seen "There's Something ... " which I thought was too dumb for words and was insulting to the human species in general and not just to one gender and "Chasing Amy" which has a vaguely similar plot to which you are pointing but is more about the general thickness assigned to most males in most movies in that "what a lesbian really needs is one night with a real man" ... it is perhaps Kevin Snmith's worst movies and one of the worst movies ever made to be frank ... while it is trying to make a pertinent statement about homosexulaity it misses the mark by a wide range ...

"Roxanne" makes the point that is one that has gone more than a century without most people grasping, that is, that looks are only "skin deep" and that intelligence and personality is what is going to make any relationship last ...

take care,
cormac

"One star in the sky
so I named it Otis Redding"
-- John Hiatt

[–] PretoriaDZ 13 years ago

I get annoyed by the same kind of thing with movies that show a man telling lies to sleep around and use women and he's considered a stud, cool, and a righteous dude. If you showed a woman doing that, she's a slut. Period. (For the record, I would call both of them sluts.)

[–] Promontorium 13 years ago

Name one film where your scenario is true.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] RagDolly 13 years ago

Forcing herself on him was really inappropriate, but in this case, he wasn't exactly vulnerable and they clearly showed him, initially at least, reciprocating her advances. I don't see the harm in, in this case, playing it for laughs.

(SPOILERS) And, I get your point. Obviously her following/interfering/injuring him was really creepy but the whole point of the film is that, by the end, Mary understands that she's being a crazy stalker and leaves Steve alone.

And as for the supporting character. Yes, he does call Steve a psycho, but he's clearly wrong. You're not supposed to agree with him since he's just keeping Mary tagging along for selfish reasons. He's not even considering Steve.

[–] bitabur 13 years ago

I know we're all trying to be all PC these days, but come on. It's not the same thing because its extremely hard for a woman to actually force herself on a guy. In most cases, men are physically stronger, so it doesnt really matter. If a guy doesnt want a girl he just pushes her off and its over. THAT is why its ok to show one way in a movie but not the other.

Quit acting like you don't get it, like its exactly the same thing and this is some huge double standard. You all know its not the same.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] vinsane 11 years ago

@ bitabur

"extremely hard for a woman to actually force herself on a guy."

Just for argument's sake, check out a caper film with Paulina Porizkova called Thursday. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124901/

Her character demonstrates the fallacy of this conjecture. Inclination is one issue but an assumed impossibility is simply not true.

That's all I wanted to add. As you were.

Eeek!!! I'm getting dressed.

[–] vinsane 11 years ago

Just for argument's sake, check out a film with Paulina Porizkova called Thursday. Her character demonstrates the fallacy of this conjecture. Inclination is one issue but an assumed impossibility is simply not true.That's all I wanted to add. As you were.Eeek!!! I'm getting dressed.

[–] jejozi 11 years ago

It's exactly a double standard. You can't have it both ways; wither it's ok for both or it's wrong for both.

On of the Super Bowl ads here in 2013 showed a guy at an auto show. There are a couple of "hot" fembots showing the car as a nerdy guy walks up and starts messing with the car. Presses his nose against, leaves hand prints on it, all the while the fembot is getting angry. Then, after he kicks the tire, she assaults him, kneeing him in the groin and then throwing him across the room, smashing through the wallboard and collapsing a table. Funny stuff, huh? When are we going to see that with the roles reversed.

This will be the high point of my day; it's all downhill from here.

[–] akrisluvskev 13 years ago

The op is right if the roles were reversed and it was a drama it would have been a little creepy. But since this was just a silly little cute fun movie the roles could have been reversed and it still would have been a cute little movie.

I think the creepiness factor just depends on the tone of the film.

[–] sad-989-416571 12 years ago

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117102/
They did that in this movie and it was a terrible movie.

How do we know for an absolute fact that hard work never killed anyone?

[–] pri96 12 years ago

What about that Steve Zahn movie "Management"? Had to read up how it ended though since I couldn't sit through the whole thing.

Have to agree with sad-989-416571 and OP. Doesn't make for a fun movie.

[–] bootblack987 12 years ago

I agree. People who make serious dramatic films should be more responsible with what makes it to the screen. Oh wait...this was a COMEDY...

[–] jejozi 11 years ago

Comedy? that's just an opinion. So, what you're saying is, if a film shows a woman getting beat up and they're playing it for laughs, all is well?

This will be the high point of my day; it's all downhill from here.

[–] BrianZKing-1 11 years ago

Management is a good example. Steve Zahn has a one night stand with Jennifer Aniston, then follows her all over the country trying to win her back. Zahn's character was so innocent and non-threatening that it wasn't so creepy.

[–] ingridwinter-31613 8 years ago

I totally thought it was stalkerish.