That’s the headline over at Eonline.com, anyway. We all know that Reese Witherspoon doesn’t hesitate to speak up about women’s issues from a feminist perspective, and this time she’s addressing women’s roles in Hollywood. She’s been promoting her upcoming quirky little film called Penelope. If you missed the 9 out of 10 movies that manage to pigeonhole talented actresses into tiny, underutilized roles or stereotypes, here’s her take. Witherspoon wants a shot. At playing a badass with a gun, that is. And she’s annoyed with shoot-’em-ups that feature some dude gunning down the baddies and saving the day. Or the woman, or the world, or any combination thereof. (I think I’ve seen the trailer for that movie under three different titles this week.) Her words:
“Why does the guy get to shoot him? I want the girl to shoot him! I love watching Angelina Jolie kick ass in Mr. & Mrs. Smith,Well. Hardly the words of a steel-nerved gunslinger. It’s true she’s no Angelina Jolie, but maybe I can see it. But even after gunning somebody down, you know Reese would end up looking more innocent and wholesome than before she drew the gun. Even leather chaps and a motorcycle helmet make her look petite. The stills from Penelope just make me want to pat her on the head.and I can’t wait to see her in Wanted. I would love to shoot someone. In the kneecap or something, just to stop them!”
As for her point about power in shoot-’em-ups, I do agree. After watching those trailers for upcoming films this week, my girlfriend and I debated how possible it is to have an epic where it’s the girl who saves the day. Can audiences take a male character who needs saving, and not in a let-me-mother-you kind of way? Maybe, maybe not. But we don’t often have the chance to find out. We are seeing heroic women on TV fairly regularly now, though they are problematic too. One of the things I detested about the Bionic Woman remake was how Jamie’s bionic birthing occurred after a love affair, meaning that no matter how heroic a figure she might (have been intended to) be, she was still a man’s gift to the world. But in the movies? It’s rare. Heroic females come in ensemble casts or not at all.
Strong women don’t have to carry guns to prove a point, but Witherspoon is right. More than a few genres of film could do with a little gender diversification.
