Solve the Woman Problem and you will get rich.
Have I got your attention? Good.
I didn't know any other way to express a somewhat more complicated idea without making the average male writer's eyes glaze over and the average female writer simply roll her eyes, but if you're still reading, what I'm really saying is that the lack of good roles for women in movies (particularly in comedies), an elephant in the room of moviedom, represents a huge opportunity for aspiring screenwriters.
Just think - write stronger, more compelling, less stereotypical roles for women in your spec script, and you can empower females, raise male consciousness, improve life on this planet, and most importantly, make millions!
Sounds great, Living RomCom! you're thinking, But how?!
Well, the first step is to identify and thoroughly understand the problem, in all of its (actually fairly profound) ramifications, and the good news here is that Tad Friend's article about Anna Faris in the current New Yorker (April 11, 2011), Funny Like a Guy, tells you everything you need to know. Really. It's the most insightful and educational piece about women in film, romantic comedies, comedies, and how movies are being made now, that I've read in years - and it is Required Reading for any writer currently working (or trying to work) in this genre.
Sadly, the link above is just a teaser, as the full article is hidden behind a subscription pay wall, but I'm not joking when I instruct interested parties to hie thee to a newstand and fork over the six bucks, pronto. Friend's astute, insightful polemic - somewhat disguised as a personality profile - will fill you in on such vital industry truisms as...
The studios' almighty Laws of Date Night (Men rule; Men are simple, don't confuse them; If a woman is the star, it better be a romantic comedy; Women don't have to be funny; Also, women aren't funny; Really, they're not), and...
The eight standard feminine stereotypes in filmdom: Man-eater (Sex and the City's Samantha, Kim Cattrall), humorless nag (Katherine Heigl), the naif who just wants a baby (originally, Sandra Bullock), the modern girl who tries to balance career and love (Anne Hathaway in Devil Wears Prada), the sweetie who cries beautifully as she pines for the guy who ruined her career (Renee Zellweger), the guys' girl who loves ESPN (Cameron Diaz), the gawky brainiac (Tiny Fey), and the dumb blonde (Anna Faris). I would add the Manic Pixie Dream Girl who "saves" the guy to this list (Natalie Portman in Garden State), but at any rate...
The article explains the hows and whys behind such constructs, and pretty much covers every aspect of the dilemma, mainly: How do we get out of this sexist quagmire, and evolve? The answers aren't at all easy to provide, but Friend's admirable framing of the debate is a perfect starting point on the gnarly road to Making Things Better, not just for women, but for all of us. Because as any man with half a brain knows, when the woman is happy...
Yes! Thanks for posting about this. Tina Fey's Bossypants also just came out and I think that's where the following quote comes from:
“Amy [Poehler] was in the middle of some such nonsense with Seth Meyers across the table, and she did something vulgar as a joke. I can’t remember what it was exactly, except it was dirty and loud and ‘unladylike.’
Jimmy Fallon, who was arguably the star of the show at the time, turned to her and in a faux-squeamish voice said, ‘Stop that! It’s not cute! I don’t like it.’
Amy dropped what she was doing, went black in the eyes for a second, and wheeled around on him. ‘I don’t fucking care if you like it.’ Jimmy was visibly startled. Amy went right back to enjoying her ridiculous bit. I should make it clear that Jimmy and Amy are very good friends and there was never any real beef between them. (Insert penis joke here.)
With that exchange, a comic shift took place. Amy made it clear that she wasn’t there to be cute. She wasn’t there to play wives and girlfriends in the boys’ scenes. She was there to do what she wanted to do and she did not fucking care if you like it.”
Which I think also does a great job of illustrating the challenge of women in comedy being accepted in Hollywood.
Also, how on earth did they leave out the Manic Pixie Dream Girl?! She's everywhere!
Posted by: Chris | April 08, 2011 at 02:15 PM
Great, thought provoking post, Billy. Ever the master, you've really got your finger on the pulse of genre -- as always. Looks like the rom-com genre is evolving yet again. Remember when the bro-mance was the rage? The raunch-com?
Your post suggest the genre is shifting back to the center. Back were it belongs -- if you asked me. Their is a reason rom-coms are sometimes given the moniker, "chick flicks." Celebrating women in games of chortship IS the center of the rom-com world to me. It's all about cracking the female code and figuring out what makes them tick. For me that's the funnest part about writing a romantic comedy.
Anna Faris is GREAT for the rom-com genre. And the fact she hails from my own home state (Washington) is just icing on the cake! Anna Faris has a very likeable on-screen personna that has shown the abilty to carry sub-par material: "Smiley Face," "Observe and Report," "The House Bunny." Anna Farris' twist on the dumb blonde is a refreshing tweak on one of the oldest stereotypes in the movies. Am I saying E.C. Henry LOVES Anna Farris? Yeah, I think I am...
IF Hollywood ever wants believable women in modern-day suberbia roles they should come-a-knockin' on my door. I've written one rom-com that features a woman who slowly comes to the realization that her husband is having an affair. This is set against the backdrop of a coffee shop that maybe hosted by angels and the Electrical trade industry. THAT female heroine role would be perfect for a Jennifer Aniston/Carlos Bennard (Tony Alemda from FOX's "24") pairing. At least that's the way I envisioned it while I was writing it.
- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA
Posted by: E.C. Henry | April 09, 2011 at 07:58 PM
Chris: With you there - just get the Tina Fey book, myself - great fun. And that's a perfect anecdote.
EC: "...a coffee shop that maybe hosted by angels and the Electrical trade industry" certainly sounds intriguing. And yes, I'm hoping we're moving in a centrist direction, as Man-Boys have had a choke-hold on the genre for over a decade now...
Posted by: mernitman | April 11, 2011 at 07:48 PM
Great article, Billy! It's awesome to see that both you and Tad Friend are thinking about ways to increase the presence of women in comedy, which is actually the goal of the site I founded, http://comediva.com. There are so many funny women out there who are just not given the opportunity to show it, and it's amazing how many of them I've met since starting this company. Thank you for all the amazing rom-com advice you post here, including this! You rock!
Posted by: Erika Cervantes | April 12, 2011 at 03:20 PM
Thanks, Erika. Your site looks LOL to me, so Living RomCommers - not just the funny females (dudes...!) - should give it a click.
Posted by: mernitman | April 12, 2011 at 03:33 PM
Is this the new Hollywood gripe now? Women are complaining that they're not being portrayed as scratch-your-balls-and-sniff men?
What's so wrong with being a woman? What's so great about being a man that we(women) should all aspire to be one?
Men are being feminized and women are being masculinized and this is being celebrated as being "a good thing". What is wrong with twisted Hollywood???!!!
Posted by: JamminGirl | April 13, 2011 at 07:43 PM
Welcome Back Jammingirl - always good to hear you rant'n'roar. Hollywood Still Twisted As Ever would be the inevitable headline, yes! You were expecting candy canes and Smurfs?
Posted by: mernitman | April 15, 2011 at 10:44 PM
That's my dream girl!!! I am hoping to be with her one day, no maybe even for an hour! >:)
Posted by: Adam | September 12, 2011 at 06:18 PM