4/27/11 CINEMATORIALIST: GRETA GERWIG IN ARTHUR
As my first year at Barnard draws to an end, I increasingly find that my peers and I have adopted the habit of feminist critique. A bit bored on the subway, I find myself pulling it out like I did my Gameboy in the fourth grade: "God, that woman's outfit is so offensive, 'Juicy' right across the butt. It's because of women like her that it took us 70 years to get the vote.
Hollywood films have provided an especially remunerative source for me. It's true that in recent years the film industry has made some noble efforts at writing stronger heroines, however, they often end up with the same type of disappointingly dependent dames. In Arthur, a remake of the 1980s film starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minelli, Greta Gerwig (Barnard '06, holla) plays the love interest, Naomi. And, unfortunately for Gerwig, Naomi is a bit of a sad sack. She is meant to mimic the whimsical free-spirit so perfectly embodied by Holly Golightly or Emma Woodhouse, however, this character's attempts at dreamy idealism are too far-fetched for even Hollywood standards, as anyone who believes that they could support their aging father with illicit tours of Grand Central and the profits made from the sales of a picture book really belongs more in a sci-fi flick. Sadly, she ends up both monetarily and emotionally dependent on Russell Brand's character, Arthur, an intoxicated, juvenile playboy. Although Brand is very entertaining and sweet, one must admit that this is a sad place to be.
Yet, if Gerwig represents a modern brand of misogyny, I must say that she comes across with a much cuter brand than Snookie's. She is coddled and infantilized by the costume designer, dressed in precious babydoll dresses, white socks, and Keds. It may be wrong, but as winter, the season of heavy, dark-hued woolly misery draws to an end, it is so refreshing to see such liberating outfits, hearkening back to our younger years. It recalls a time when fields of daisies and the monkey swing were my main preoccupations and Coetzee's message about imperialism was simply a non-issue.
Additionally, I'm probably only digging myself deeper here, but Gerwig decidedly has the form for these tiny frocks. Turn the tables on me, tell me I'm being superficial, but if you had those tousled blond locks and eight-feet of legs, you wouldn't hesitate to steal the dress off your Cabbage Patch either.
-Cleo Levin
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Wow, that's inspiring!!
Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed the visit. :)
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Loved it! Although I thought the most misogynistic part about that movie was the incredibly negative portrayal of the high-power corporate female characters. The CEO mom was demonized for her lack of attention paid to poor young arthur. Jennifer Garner's character, the aspiring corporate executive, was no less than a hyper-sexualized monster. Not surprisingly, the two "good" female characters took on domestic roles, such as Mrs. Hobson, the nanny, and the children's book writer/ waif tour guide.
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Ahh, you're right. That was the point I was looking for, very Women and Culture of you and very well put. I think I see the next Betty Friedan in you, grasshopper.
Cleo