Rethinking The So-Called "Chick-Flick"
"Women are attending films differently to men... They are going in groups, as a sort of sisterhood, and want to see something that appeals to 'us'. It's a spiritual pilgrimage, and there's a feeling with these sorts of films now that it's more than just a movie: it's a cultural imperative to attend." - A problem with discussions like those within the article is that they tend to focus almost entirely on the needs and concerns of the majority - essentially Caucasian women. The films mentioned in the piece help prove this. Where do black women fit in? Or Asian women? How about Latino women? Native American? Etc, etc, etc... So, while the news itself is good, and there's an apparent growing excitement at the possibilities, given recent box office successes of female-centered films, will everyone be invited to the party, or will it remain an exclusive club?
Geez...I NEVER do that. It must be a Caucasian thing, I wouldn't understand...
I don't think it's a caucasion thing, the author of the article generalises somewhat but, certainly, I have seen groups of women at movies, I may even have been with a small group of friends myself (either a black or mixed group) but, on the whole, most of my movie going is done these days with just one friend or alone and that's what I've observed with most female movie goers.
I'd like to get excited about the advent of the re-emergence of the chick-flic genre, or the 'Girl-Friend-Flick' era but, after seeing SATC a couple of days ago (a great fan of the TV series, a bit disappointed in the movie) I think we'll get a rash of really over-the-top GFFs trying to outdo each other in the warts and all stakes, with honest portrayals of female friendships eventually giving way to gratuitous outlandishness (I imagine no hold bars cunninlingus making an appearance in the next couple of years).
And yes, most of it will be geared towards white women. Of course, with the recent success of the likes of Tyler Perry, maybe Hollywood can be convinced to make the occasional low budget flick for sistas of colour... particularly Blacks and Latinos (we seem to make the most noise).
Hopefully, though, this spate of GFFs being green-lit even as I type will encourge festivals and distributors to pay attention films by women, for women, regardless of colour. That's what I hope, anyway - but then I would, I'm a black woman hoping to earn a crust as a screenwriter some time in the not too distant future...
:)