An Aside

My Bromance Proposition

Film critic Andrew Sarris has defined the screwball comedy as "a sex comedy without the sex”.

Why are women superfluous in Bromance? They serve two functions: the to-be-looked-at women, usually strippers or random women that are displayed for viewing pleasure only, the second type is the shrew or the cruder term would be a bitch who serves to remind the male protagonist/s why they need or prefer their male companions. Other than as eye candy woman are underdeveloped character-wise. I am often left wondering why they are there; they are literally wastes of space. In comparison, there are very few films with genuine women friendships are depicted and men are the throwaway characters.

The significance of Bromance is the true romance and coming together is between the men. Women’s friends in films, like women in Bromances are not crucial they might provide momentary distractions and small amounts of comic relief but they fade into the background and never fully reappear. Male companions are actually present through the entire film; much to the dismay of screen wives and girlfriends. A case study of this would be the film The Hangover, the last scene of the film centers around the four main male characters. They have made it home from their Vegas trip half alive so that Doug can get married. They arrive just in time and he gets married, at the reception we have a brief glimpse of the bride and then no more the film ends with the men lounging in chairs discussing their wild trip. What a way to begin a marriage—hanging out with your male friends.

Classic Screwball was unique—women and men were equal or at least verbally equal, they sparred, they flirted, but mainly they had fun. For some reason this is no longer the case. The non-traditional couple is now the space for this type of relationship. Mother and Daughter a la Gilmore Girls or male/male combos via buddy films and bromances. One theory is that sex during the production code enforcement was absent and now that same sex-less state for obvious reasons is absent so it adds that missing element of sexual frustration has been funneled into common everyday frustrations.

Obviously the friendships and romances shown are fantasies and not real depictions of those relationships. Not many people can afford to keep the same routines that they have with friends in college into life after. Movies such as Knocked Up with Seth Rogen where he has no job except for a website that he runs with his friends and some money leftover from a lawsuit and he manages to live quite nicely without an actual job. Can you imagine female actresses in the male roles in Bromances? Are audiences even ready for such a thing…

I am very interested to see the new film, Bridesmaids (May 2011) starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, John Hamm. I’ve only seen the trailer a few times and it seems like it will be funny. It is being lauded as the female version of Hangover and I am hoping that it is in some ways. Much to my dismay I love Bromances—they embody things that I love most—they are raunchy, irreverent and funny; unfortunately, they only portray women as stereotypes. Trying to find a film that is the female version of a Bromance has been elusive and it will continue to be until I break down and write it myself. Like ethnicity is dealt with in films so is being a woman. There are many conclusions to be drawn from the depictions of women in films. What stands out to me the most is that as long as sex stands in the way women cannot have fun like their male counterparts. Plus the whole “looks” thing, if you have any sexual appeal, which you usually have to have in order to make it in Hollywood, then you are a sex object and the power that this creates cancels out anything else, and if you are unattractive, god help you, there is no place for you except as a creature to ridicule. Back to the original question can women have fun, be funny, and not be so concerned with finding a partner, and be likable, and simultaneously not be made a sex object? Is there even a market for this type of product? All questions for the future. Stay tuned for a post about the film Bridesmaids.