Although we are well past the days of cowboy westerns and 80’s muscle-bound thrillers, many of the age old male stereotypes and expected performances still exist. Both males and females are just getting used to accepting a character that does not conform to the image that typecast actors such as John Wayne or Jeanne-Claude Van Damme imprinted on American minds.
Recently there has been an influx of well produced, smart comedies that feature more down to earth, average looking, emotionally capable males. This new style has proven wildly successful, showing a public craving for a more realistic depiction of roles that is closer to everyday life. 
A few of the movies that I have recently seen that fit into this category are Scott Pilgrim with Michael Cera as the awkward, slightly dorky but loveable video-game-obsessed star, Cyrus starring John C. Riley – a below average looking guy with no social life who ends up winning the heart of Marissa Tomei’s character, Forgetting Sarah Marshal with Jason Segal as an out of shape and average looking but talented guy, and lastly The Hangover; a movie with a pretty attractive cast except for the slightly overweight, scruffy, bearded character, played by Zach Galifianakis, who unexpectedly outshines everyone else because of his hilariously dry wit that is extremely popular with society right now.
Even though these types of movies have a huge following, I think that the requirement of extreme masculinity in all men is still in the back of American minds. While I was looking for some inspirations for this blog post, I ran across an article in an internet publication titled “The Sorry State of Masculinity in American Movies” that particularly targeted some of the movies and actors that I just mentioned and perfectly depicts the sentiment that I am referring to. Here are some of the comments: “Films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up and Superbad show that the young male box-office stars of today’s romantic comedies are goofy schlubs and nerds. As unlikely as it seems, actors such as Segel, Seth Rogen, Michael Cera and Jonah Hill (Superbad) now define the paradigm of a Hollywood romantic lead. Cary Grant they are not. They’re not even Hugh Grant. They may know the appeal of sex, but they have no sex appeal…Yet this is Hollywood, and these pathetic, if well-meaning, losers inevitably end up with the hottest chicks. They represent a kind of wish fulfillment for most men, who can’t imagine scoring so high…The triumph of the schlub wouldn’t be so significant if the young actors Hollywood is now pushing in dramas and action movies had anything like the masculine heft we have come to expect from our celluloid heroes. It’s hard to think of a male find under 40 who has the innate, old-fashioned ability to project “manliness” as a natural quality... Where are today’s equivalents of the actors Hollywood once offered as symbols of effortless masculinity - John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Gregory Peck, William Holden, Burt Lancaster, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood?... So, what do modern Hollywood’s images of masculinity tell us about maleness today? Some suggest it is a belated response to feminism…But do we really want our modern day Hollywood movie stars to be like anyone we know?”(1)
While I have no problem with macho, testosterone filled action movies like the recently released Machete- a tribute to grindhouse films, or The Expendables- a movie that united a handful of muscle bound action stars from the 80’s, or even movies that feature lead characters who personify the epitome of male perfection, such as Brad Pitt, George Clooney, or Bruce Willis, I think that the new style of “everyday guy” is exactly what the masses are craving. After all, don’t the box office numbers reflect this? While it is fun to watch beautiful people on screen, is there really anything wrong with showing a scenario that more closely parallels a real life?
Sources:
(1) The Sunday Times, April 27th 2008 http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article3805205.ece
Concept: Masculinity, The Social Construction of Gender
Sources:
(1) The Sunday Times, April 27th 2008 http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article3805205.ece
Concept: Masculinity, The Social Construction of Gender
Definitely the screen lead actors are a sign of the times. My daughter would never even imagine dating the types of guys that were average in behavior when I was still dating.
ReplyDeleteI have tried to warn her of the signs of a not so nice guy, but she holds up her hand and tells me things must be a bit different now. She says that if a boy in her group behaved the way boys I knew when I was younger did, they would be ostracized; cut out.
Cinema seems to be reflecting the shift in perspective of what it takes to be a man. While the slasher-egotistic hero will probably always have a home in film, it is refreshing to see currently the nice guy gets the girl.
Hey Rebecca, I think your definitely right about the changing 'hero' in films today. It's more of a reflection of the 80's when people like Patrick Dempsey and Anthony Michael Hall, were the anti-hero leads. I think that this is another passing phase, just as in the 80's. Really interesting post.
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking a lot about your blog entry while reading the last few weeks’ material. It seems the current trend of the films where the geek gets the girl and is actually portrayed as the optimum choice is a recent reinvention of the Horatio Alger character. That if the character has enough good merits in his personality that it will overcome societies prejudice against what they think a man should be and ultimately he will walk away with a higher status within society and his prize. I am not sure it would always play out this way, but perhaps there is a geek in all of us who wants know that our characteristics and talents that don’t receive attention, because they don’t fit into the social model of cool, are still valid and ultimately have more merit than the superficial ones that dominate societies ideal.
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