Honesty in storytelling
September 4th, 2008 by Erin
I’m working on two scripts simultaneously. One a thriller, the other a light comedy about two women and the adult entertainment industry. I was trying to find some good comedies to watch for inspiration about female friendship/bonding other than the SATC movie (which I found to be an abomination) and it didn’t take long to realise that there’s really not much out there.
And then I remembered Baby Mama. I don’t know what the majority of reviewers thought about this film but I haven’t been so entertained or laughed so hard since watching season 3 of the Office. Unfortunately it just made me realise how starved I am for comedies that appeal to women.
As story goes, it’s simple, conventional and pure Hollywood, but Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are brilliant as two diametrically opposed women living under the same roof.
What makes the film so funny is that it’s incredibly genuine (the conversations, the arguments, what they do etc). When Fey’s character goes on a date, Fey acts like a real woman, not some idealised version of what men want or seem to think women are like on dates. Not only that but she steals the scenes. She’s the funny one, she makes the guy laugh and he’s attracted to her because of it. It’s completely realistic but how often are we treated to a character like that in the movies? Can’t be that often because half the time I wanted to get up and hug my TV screen. It felt like something precious had just returned that I didn’t even know was missing.
Fey didn’t write the script (Michael McCullers did) but one can only assume that she and Poehler brought their female insight to their characters. It’s unfortunate that we don’t see more strong, intelligent, comedic female characters in films. It’s just a goldmine of opportunity not to mention potential profit. Last time I checked women make up fifty percent of the population.
Posted in Film |