More than a Buddy Film

The buddy film has typically been a male dominated genre of American film (predominantly Hollywood). Iconically this is represented by Walther Matthau and Jack Lemon in "The Odd Couple", other famous duos include Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon, David Spade and Chris Farley in all their movies, even going all the way back to the days of Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy. You hardly ever see female buddy movies in the same way (note SPOILER: "Thelma and Louise" is about to ass-kicking women, however unlike most male buddy films, they are not allowed their power and end the movie by driving off a cliff--not quite the happy ending often given to men in these movies).

In my last year of college, I took a sex and gender in the media class, and we all had group projects to do. One of the groups picked the buddy film and discussed this very aspect. However, their presentation, led by one student who always kind of annoyed me for some reason, turned into an advertisement for the new at the time film "Baby Mama". She talked about how we all should go support women in film making, and how these women are more involved at higher levels than most women are in Hollywood, and how this movie was a "buddy" movie, only women were at the forefront and emancipated from their absence in buddy films except as the object of desire.

Another point came up however, during the discussion, and that was that yes, technically this movie is about the bonding of two women, and yes, they are the main characters, so technically it is a buddy film. However it is centered around one of the most stereotyped images of a woman today, and that is that a woman--even a hard-working, successful type--will always want a baby, and go to extremes to get one. Granted I am not against women having children. Where would the human race be without them? But seriously? It's almost like having a movie where the women become buddies as the plaster themselves in makeup and go out because there only goal in life is to find a husband (oh wait...there are movies like that). I know I sound a lot more bitter than I am. I like a chick flick as much as any other girly girl, and I've heard that "Baby Mama" was pretty funny (I also like Tina Fey). I can't criticize too harshly because I haven't actually seen it yet. I just think it was a mistake to say that this is the movie that will revolutionize the female buddy film and suddenly raise women's status in American Film and society away from typical gender roles that not all women fall into. (Plus this girl was really annoying!). A lot of films fail to realize complexities about women's connections to each other, to their children, and to men.

The reason I bring this all up is because of a film that I screened on my second day of volunteering at Ebertfest (don't get used to daily posts--it's just that Ebertfest movies inspire me more than most). "Frozen River" was my favorite film of the day, and the reason I bring up the buddy film is because during the discussion afterwards, the head of Sony Pictures Classics described this movie in those terms. It is an unconventional buddy film to say the least. There are moments of comedy, but over all it is a drama about two women, both mothers but not defined by their motherhood. They are defined as so much more than that, as I think most women would like to be. Sure, much of their motivation derives from their situation as single parents trying to bring up their kids on more than popcorn and Tang. They are defined by their relationship to their kids, to each other, to the law, to the frozen river they cross often transporting immigrants from Canada. They are so much more real and have a greater sense of depth than many of the female characters you see in mainstream Hollywood cinema. This film is directed by a woman, also a mother a believe, unlike "Baby Mama" which is directed by a man despite being produced by Tina Fey. This may explain why it understands these women, and doesn't seem to condemn or praise them for what they do. They're just trying to make a life for themselves and their kids. Their actions are illegal (maybe not depending on if they're on tribal land), and they can shoot a gun with surprising ease. Never once do we feel sorry for the people who they are deceiving and threatening (mostly men now that I think about it, in positions of authority--deserved or not). We never meet Ray's husband (one of the main characters)--he's a gambling addict and by the beginning of the film has taken off with all of their money. Ray's children want her to go look for him, but what can she do? She is alone, holding down a part time job at the Yankee Dollar, trying to save up enough money for a house better than a trailer. She accepts the fact that he is gone and moves on, figuring out how to do things on her own.

Anyway, I'm sure I've rambled on enough by now. I just want to say, "Baby Mama" is all well and good I'm sure. Tina Fey is a great actress (and a magnificent writer, as 30 Rock proves), but if you really want to support women in film making (especially you, annoying girl from my sex and gender in the media class), go see "Frozen River"--an independent film directed by and starring women who are much more real and complicated than almost anything you can find in mainstream Hollywood film. And not only gender issues, this movie tackles a lot of different problems such as illegal immigration, the Indian Nation, abandonment, even credit card fraud is thrown in there.