MovieChat Forums > Planes (2013) Discussion > Girls just wanna have fun

Girls just wanna have fun

posted 11 years ago by KittyG26
7 replies | jump to latest

I took my grandchildren (one girl, one boy) to see this. It's depressing that in the 21st century, the message being fed young children is "boys always win, and girls just look pretty and fall in love with the hero, even if he's an idiot". Both Rochelle and Ishani won the qualifier, which Dusty did not - therefore they're better planes than him, right? But there was never the smallest suggestion that either of them, being "female" planes, could win the final race. Rochelle was just a Barbie in the form of a plane, and Ishani was all submissive graciousness.

Leaving this aspect aside, this film was just Cars all over again, AGAIN, but with planes. Don't movie producers have more than one plot? Which, incidentally, is just a reworking of the same old fairy tale - penniless white fool wins the prize and/or the kingdom and gets the most desirable girl at the same time.

Also it was very slow in parts - considering it's a kids' movie and all, it really did drag in some areas near the end. Hence the impetus was lost and the final win felt like an anticlimax.

Depressing stuff. The grandkids loved it.

[–] Amethystlongcat 11 years ago

Ishani is the Pan Asian Champion with billions of fans.

She also had her little "Meet Ishani" video with the Big Lipped Ali- (no wait) Tailgater moment where she had a go at a pitty who said something along the lines of " You don't have much of a chance because you're a girl".

And I took from it that Ishani just remained friends with Dusty; she pretty much valued a propeller over Dusty's trust ( and life). She seemed ok to go along with Ripslinger's plan of making Dusty lose.

Rochelle is a bit of a Scrappy, but she did say no to El Chu's advances and when she did fall for him, she was very much the dominant side.

[–] deirdre82 11 years ago

I agree with Amathystlongcat's comments, especially about Ishani.

You are very right that most movies (including adult adventure movies) that have a group of characters usually have one token female character (the Smurfette principle), and she's either the love interest or an absolutely incredible warrior who is flawlessly beautiful and perfect at everything and talks tough to the guys. Or sometimes she is both.

I actually think this movie was better than average for female characters, given there were three female characters who had active roles in the movie and were more than love interests for main characters.

Dottie I think was awesome. She is a female mechanic in a man's world, and she's good at what she does, but she's endearing, too, in her blunt honesty and eccentric humor. She comes across as a real friend and equal partner. I really liked that. And I hope girls who see her in that role like that, too.

My main criticism was the movie could have gotten more into the personalities of the competitors. Rochelle had the potential to be really an inspiration for Dusty. According to the film's website, she also was not intended to be a racing plane but was a mail plane delivering supplies to the remote parts of Northern Canada. She did her work so well and fast in tough conditions she was motivated to try her hand at being a racer and succeeded. I wish they had brought that aspect out.

[–] Amethystlongcat 11 years ago

I forgot about Dottie. Apparently the "Feminists" still complain that she's too feisty. She wasn't that feisty and she was only getting worked up to try to stop Dusty hurting himself.

I think with a kids film, adding too much backstory for too many characters can bore them? Not /all/ kids, I'm sure some like rich character histories but also younger kids tend to make up stories themselves for characters.

[–] deirdre82 11 years ago

Wow- that's a shame that people complain about Dottie being too feisty. As you say, she does it all out of concern for him. And he jokes back about it, but he really does respect her and admire her judgement. I loved the back and forth bantering they'd have with each other, the jokes and sarcasm barely hiding their actual respect they have for each other. The touching friendship Dusty and Dottie have was one of the movie's high points for me.

You are right about the backstory. I was one of those kids who really got into characters and got bored with slapstick movies. But I never thought about it that kids often want to fill in their own stories. Nice point.

[–] Gambit771 10 years ago

She was the archetypal stroppy woman that frequent media sadly.
Talked down to him, always knew better and in one scene roles her eyes 4 times because she's so mature whereas the males are all idiots and cower around her.
Then you had stroppy female number 2. Spurs the advances of a man in a horrible way. She's better than him and the more she treats him like crap the more he loves her. There's a positive massage for boys, that's right we don't give boys positive messages about how we deserve to be treated by the opposite sex. It contradicts the disrespectful message we give girls about how to treat boys.
Then the one who sabotages the hero and all she gets is one not so nasty line but alls forgiven when she gives him a gift.
No spending the rest of the film being talked down to and trying to make it up whilst being insulted and made fun off usually involving some sort of violence like if the genders were reversed.

There was a problem with the female characters in this film and the message they gave but sadly it's the same problem and message given in most films but one the feminist won't fight against as it would mean empowering male characters and they don't like that.

Until attitudes change we have to put up with these badly written female characters and worse the way the males react.

[–] p_banger 10 years ago

Agreed. It's stupid and not adult on either side of the aisle.

But then most of us Americans live in an awfully immature society, where such attitudes pervade.

It took me 33 years to find a woman who actually valued that I treated her with respect and deference, and that was after I had given up.

But maturity is too boring for the entertainment industry, so we get stereotypes, feminist backlash and endless petty efforts to topple the oppressive White Man. This isn't close to our potential, and nobody seems to care.

[–] drees71 8 years ago

A bit late to the conversation but I totally agree with you, my son has autism and loves this film and so I have to endure it over and over sometimes, Dusty even when he is daydreaming at the beginning,'insults' the fighter jets by saying "Hello ladies!" Because they are slower than him!! Sexist pig!! It just makes me mad, the female characters are dull and actually 'wiggle' ergh! The set up and betrayal thing with Roshani makes absolutely no sense at all, from a female perspective, this film stinks!