The Social Network
I haven’t seen a movie in, like, a year. And then last weekend I saw 2 movies in 12 hours. The Social Network on Friday night and then Megamind with my kids on Saturday morning.
The first was brilliant. The second was appalling.
Have you seen The Social Network? Who knew a movie about a website could be so scintillating but IT WAS. This is good news for Mamamia:The Movie which is currently not in development but perhaps should be. Usually, I have movie ADD and after about half an hour, I’m reaching for my phone to check MM and Twitter and see if anyone has texted me because my God, what might I have missed?
Not this time. When the movie ended, I looked at my watch but only because I thought it must be a mistake because didn’t it, like, only start 25 minutes ago?
Two hours had passed without me realising. It was that good.
Who knew Justin Timberlake could act? And those twins! They were played by the same actor. I know this because like a geek, I googled them as soon as I got in the car.
Now I want to read the book on which the film was based: Accidental Billionaires.
Here’s Mark Zuckerberg himself talking about The Social Network and what HE thought of the movie:
Tina Fey should have written the script
Emboldened by my Very Positive Movie Experience (I remember! The last films I saw was Avatar and then Toy Story 3 – both in 3D and both of which made me want to vomit and gave me a headache. No more 3D movies for me, sorry James Cameron), I backed up the next day to take the kids to Megamind. Tina Fey – one of my favourite people – was in it so it was fabulous right?
NO. NOT RIGHT AT ALL. IT SUCKED.
Where to start? Well, you know how lots of kids movies now have a whole other subtext going on for the adults? Not this one. This one had a crappy script and stupid characters.
I am SO SICK of the female characters in kids films being wet, pathetic victims. Always needing to be rescued and always pining for the guy. Tina – well, her character – was exactly like that.
She didn’t have a single funny line.
There was not a single laugh in the whole movie, actually. The audience was absolutely silent. And the movie went for 17 hours.
.
It felt like it.
I had plenty of time to think about some positive female characters in kids movies and I couldn’t.
Not Shrek. Not Toy Story. Not….can you think of any? Don’t laugh but the most empowered you-go-girl female characters are in the Barbie movies. At least they DO stuff. Rescue people. Fight baddies. Admittedly, with no room in their animated bodies for internal organs but still. Better than faux Tina who – I HOPE – was bitching and moaning in the sound booth when she was recording her lines. Or maybe she was just counting money in her head. Fair enough.
But not even Brad Pitt’s voice in Megamind is enough to save it.
Have you seen either of these movies? What did you think? Any other films we should watch or avoid?
Here’s a Tina Fey and Will Farrell interview for Megamind (fast forward to the 1.50 mark):
Comments
198 Comments so far
Have you seen Tangled yet Mia? How wonderful to see a movie (Disney movie no less) where the princess didn’t need saving. In fact she did it herself.
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I heard Coles is asking its suppliers to provide a plastic or cardboard tray to support products on shelf. These trays clearly add efficiency in store but get thrown away as soon as the products are sold. How can we accept something like this in 2010 when we try to avoid wastage and protect the environment as much as possible?
I have found on another site that “On average, each Australian produces a staggering 200kg of packaging waste each year, with 44 per cent of this packaging, nearly 1.9 million tonnes annually, being buried in landfill. That’s enough waste to fill nine MCGs each year,” Fraser Brindley, Environment Victoria spokesperson. Can you imagine if we had a waste tray for each of these products?
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I am 21 and I absolutely LOVED Megamind, but I guess if I read too deep into cartoons and got all unnecessarily feministic about them, they would be ruined for me as well.
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Ooh, had to sit through MegaMind yesterday. And it was in 3D which gave me a headache. Two 6 year old boys loved it. One 8 year old girl thought it was OK. Two mamas were regretting their decision to see it! At least one of us could have escaped and gone shopping whilst the other supervised!
I absolutely loved Toy Story 3 (and the other two as well). I love kids movies (partly because my kid loves them and watching him watch movies is hilarious) but this one was worse than Monsters vs Aliens and that sucked big time.
My husband has decided that from now on we only see Pixar movies. Don’t think they’ve had a dud yet.
Nothing on earth could make me see the Facebook movie. I don’t really like Facebook, and no matter how good Justin Timberlake is in the role, I can’t stand him and am not paying good money to see him!
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3D gives me a headache, too. And I actually find it detracts from the movie-watching experience; I won’t buy a 3D TV or sit through 3D movies until I am quite literally forced to because 2D is no longer offered.
That’s how much I DON’T like 3D.
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Ollo!, i’m 17 years old and i actually loved loved loved Megamind! I also loved Toy Story. I agree that you didn’t get to see the whole ‘female hero’ deal in Megamind, but the story was based on a supervillain being a superhero and if Roxanne Richi (Tina Fey) suddenly tried to save herself it would defeat the purpose of Megamind haveing a reason to be a good guy.
Of course the difference of opinion might depend on age difference, you are older, have a full time job and children and i’m a teen with a part time job and still find babysitting enjoyable and still get paid. I’m a child at heart as many people (including my boss) tell me so that could also influence me.
I loved Megamind and Social network was enjoyable as well but sorry to say after staying up for 2 nights straight, i kind of fell asleep on my boyfriend next to me when i saw the latter. Still loved the parts i saw though!
It might be the age difference, it might be the opinion, either way i totally don’t agree!
lots of love!
Raven
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Watched The Kings Speech yesterday. Fantastic film. Maybe even better than The Social Network.
Winters Bone, Red Hill, Monsters, Agora, Gainsbourg, The Town, Lebanon, Heartbreaker and Sarah’s Key are all great and should still be playing in some cinemas.
Avoid The Tourist. It’s dreadful. Not even Johnny Depp made it worth my time, and I’m a Depp fangirl.
Plus another vote for any Studio Ghibli film, as well as Coraline, The Little Princess and Ever After. Also Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and Princess Leia in Star Wars are decent female role models to the best of my recollection.
I’m really looking forward to seeing Somewhere, Blue Valentine, Black Swan, True Grit and 127 Hours in the next month.
While I’ve got movies on the brain, anyone who didn’t catch Animal Kingdom, A Prophet, MicMacs, The Kids Are All Right, Kick-Ass, Inception, The White Ribbon or Scott Pilgrim vs. The World while they were in cinemas should run, not walk to their nearest video store.
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Ooh! Which is your favourite Ghibli film? There aren’t nearly enough fans.
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I can’t choose. I guess it would be a three way tie between Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle.
I also thought Grave of the Fireflies was brilliant, but I doubt I’ll ever manage to watch it again.
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Agreed! At least, those are my favourites too. I think I’ve seen Spirited Away at least 5 times.
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I have an issue with The Social Network, because it goes over such recent events, and concerns people who are very much still in the middle of the business the movie is about. It must be awful to be Mark Zuckerberg and his girlfriend and family and have everyone seeing the movie, talking about it and picking apart your character in public. Or Sean Parker, or the Winkelvosses.
It’s one thing to do a biopic when the subject is older. For example, Johnny Cash and June Carter were at the end of their lives when Walk the Line came out and well removed from the events described. However it was still painful for their children to re-live the nasty bits of their parents divorces even though they happened 40 years before (just as an aside, follow @roseannecash on twitter she’s fabulous).
Going over history is a dangerous business, and even more dangerous when it is in living memory.
So while I love Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher, the whole thing felt a little bit harsh.
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I saw the trailer for Tangled tonight, and that looks like a good one for girls (it showed the female lead rescuing the prince several times) and for kids.
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I loved the social network movie but I just didn’t like how zuckerberg was motivated by revenge all through the creation and subsequent court cases of facebook. But great movie!!!
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You want strong female characters?
)
Hermione Granger – LOVE her!! (Quite partial to Emma Watson too – think she is a wonderful role model).
Elizabeth Bennett (I know this detracts from the underlying message of this post – independent women – but she shows that we all have the hope of bagging ourselves a Mr. Darcy *swoon*
Eliza Doolittle ??
Kat Stratford (10 Things I Hate About You)
Anne (of Green Gables)
Rapunzel in Tangled seems like a feisty, headstrong character
OK, now I think I’m clutching at straws.
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It kind of bothers me that we are all getting very precious about what cartoon characters portraying females in different way and movies influence people. I grew up with Disney, and the likes of, movies, and I don’t think they gave me an unrealistic idea of well anything. I’m more then able to tell the difference between a cartoon story and real life. It was purely entertainment, and I never considered at any ages whether the character was a good role model or not. We all seem to give kids way too much credit for things they don’t even appear to think about.
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I totally agree – take it for what it is. A kids movie! Its meant to be silly. Lighten up people!
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I don’t think it’s precious to want strong female role models for our kids. Children are exposed to lots of media and I think we underestimate the messages they take in through this. I’m about to have a baby – not sure if it’s a girl or a boy – but it really does worry me…
Dora is pretty kick ass, so is Pipi Longstocking and Mulan but they are few and far between. It’s more Bratz and princesses that worry me.
There is a blog I read that talks about this issue and has a really great image that I think highlights the princess issue: http://tothotornot.com/2010/12/hot-strong-female-role-models/
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Hmmm – I don’t tend to watch Disney Movies (3 sons) and haven’t seen either of these films, though will definitely try to catch the Social Network over the hols. My current beef is with Ben 10 – OMG that show is so violent. We let the cat out of the bag here and I put it on for my sons thinking it would be ok but since sitting through an episode or two have really reigned it in.
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I know what my son watches on TV and he has never watched Ben 10 at home. I have no idea what channel it’s on or when it is or even what it’s about or what the character looks like, but my 2 year old somehow knows all about Ben 10. We were in the library and I told him to choose a book – he ended up choosing a magazine (aimed at much older kids than him) because there was a picture of Ben 10 on the front (so he told me and this was later confirmed to me by someone else).
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I find Zuckerburg fascinating
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I’ve actually always loved Shrek for the female characters. I think it’s interesting how we’re lead to believe Fiona epitomises the princess needing to be rescued, but then she turns out to be pretty good at arse-kicking herself. Maybe this is just me, but I’ve always seen that as an interesting commentary on society itself – the little girl raised to believe she needs to be rescued by Prince Charming, but then when she’s given a chance, she’s pretty great at rescuing herself.
Then there’s her mother, the Queen, who is a much stronger and together character than the King. The Fairy Godmother is one of my favourite animated villains in memory, and Dragon is pretty awesome too. I’ve never seen that as one of the movies that lacks strong female leads.
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I agree – all the above points.
As for other positive female animated characters, Mulan springs to mind, and Pocahontas to some extent. For older kids the female lead in Avatar was pretty kick-ass.
As for cartoons, not movies, I like Kim Possible, Ruby Gloom and Miss 3 is currently deep in Dora territory, which I don’t really mind, as at least Dora is portrayed as adventurous and capable.
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Zoe Saldana (from Avatar) is also in the excellent Star Trek from 2009. She does a great line in arse-kicking women.
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What else but sheer brilliance would you expect of Fincher!
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Dammit I was going to see Megamind this week (don’t have kids just love kids movies) but I’ll take your word for it that it isn’t worth my time.
As for The Social Network it was awesome!! On a minor note I also googled the twins afterwards because they cracked me up and according to imdb.com it is actually 2 people that play them:
“Because director David Fincher was unable to find any suitable identical twin actors to play real-life identical twins Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss, two unrelated actors were hired to play each brother – Armie Hammer as Cameron and Josh Pence as Tyler. Fincher thought that Hammer looked the most like the real brothers, so for some scenes, the visual effects team photographed Hammer speaking Tyler’s lines and created a computer-generated model of his face to paste over Pence’s. Traditional split-screen work, with Hammer’s separate performances as each brother stitched together in the same frame, was also used.”
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285016/trivia
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Go and see Tron, I saw it tonight and it’s just a big, fun action movie, with funky 80s gamer aesthetic and some fabulous bike/car/plane chases.
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Thanks will do!
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My wife and I generally watch “Chicago” every month or so on DVD, and whenever it’s on Foxtel we never miss it. We sing all of the songs together loudly and laugh ! However, we haven’t reached the stage where we know the dance routines off by heart yet but we are working on it.
“Hairspray” has the same effect on us, as well, but in this case we do know most of the dance steps as well as the lyrics.
Recently I have purchased two BBC DVD’s that we intend watching over the Christmas period. “The Monocled Mutineer” & “My Son Jack” both about the appalling treatment that the soldiers in the trenches received from their commanding officers. Both films are very thought provoking and enhance my belief in the futility of war.
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ha! i want to join you guys for a chicago night.”he had it comin’… “
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I saw Megamind last night, and while I agree it was incredibly boring, I am surprised at what you say about the lead character. Yes, in the end, the boys did fight it out, but the feisty character, the only one to attempt to challenge “evil” and self-interest, and forcing all the action along was Tina Fey. She took the fight to the hilt when all the male characters were inspecting their own bumholes, and only when Megamind saw enlightenment through her did he harness his brainpower to help defeat the baddies.
She might have been kidnapped, but she wasn’t the pathetic victim there, either. She refused male advances she wasn’t interested in, didn’t like the (Brad-Pitt-Perfect) “hero” who ended up wanting some time off from saving the world, and was open enough to those around her to allow them to change.
A bit too simplistic on the gender analysis, I think.
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Not a film, but the children’s book ‘The Paperbag Princess’ is worth a read. It’s a feminist ‘fairy tale’ of sorts, the princess rescues the prince, they don’t end happily ever after, etc. Would much rather have my daughter receive those messages than those expressed in traditional fairy tales.
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Yes – agree – this book is FANTASTIC for little girls! We also enjoy ‘The Princess and the Wizard’.
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I loved The Social Network also, I cant believe the twins were played by the one guy!!! I didn’t even realise that!!! I would highly recommend the movie – it’s made me look at Facebook in a different light too.
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And while we’re at it, the BBC has been doing some fine, fine work with strong female characters in the last five seasons of Doctor Who.
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The Doctor Donna
My favourite!
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Donna was great – i loved the fact that she had absolutely NO romantic interest in The Doctor, and, in fact, often give him a swift kick up the ass!
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A lot of disney princess have been strong independent women
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Mia – what about Mulan?
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Exactly. Not only did she always rescue herself, but she saved China too!
Even the Emperor (voiced by the wonderful Pat Morita – the mentor in the original Karate Kid) bowed down to her.
The scene where she figured out how to complete the challenge that none of the men could do gave me goosebumps every time.
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I wonder what readers think of this opinion piece. It really pissed me off, because it takes everything from the worst possible slant and ignores the good messages. Plus it implies male-female relationships as female failure.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/the-harsh-reality-behind-fairytales-20100831-14d9w.html
Are there strong female characters in the Disney movies? I think so.
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I didn’t have to read very far to feel pissed off with that article. I’d like to especially refute the following regarding Beauty and the Beast:
“But the underlying, core messages remain unchanged: abusive and aggressive men simply need a tender, female influence to ameliorate their naturally violent side. Similarly, women in domestically violent and controlling relationships will be rewarded if they just learn to stick it out.”
Belle rejects the brutish, aggressive Gaston — she had no interest whatsoever in reforming him. She did, however, see something different in the Beast, who proved himself a caring, if gruff, creature, deserving of a chance. I don’t think that it reinforces these messages at all!
Totally agree with you about the implication of marriage as a female failure/capitulation to traditionalist ideas — equal alliances can be found all over the place, and I think there definitely are strong female characters in Disney movies.
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I agree, An Idle Dad. She also does all men and women a disservice in assuming that kids can’t/won’t be able to tell a story from reality. There are a hell of a lot of unbelievable things going on in Disney movies, even my 4 year old didn’t need it explained that magic carpets aren’t real! Soemtimes a story is just a story.
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I agree – I used to idolise Belle from Beauty and the Beast because she was different and strong minded, loved books and didn’t need to be included. In fact all of the Disney characters are like that – Ariel, Jasmine. They are all intelligent misfits.
And exactly like picardie girl said, Belle rejects the handsome and chauvinistic Gaston and instead falls for the beast, despite his shortcomings and obvious lack of physical attraction. I think this sends really positive messages to children.
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Saw Tron: Legacy. Was heaps better than expected and I’m one of those nerds who liked the first one (though I recognise it wasn’t the greatest piece of movie storytelling, which some don’t).
Not really any strong female characters in the movie though – a really hot automaton who strips you naked then redresses you and some super tough ninja girl who needs saving, of course.
If you’ve got teenage boys around twelve, they’ll love it.
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Good to hear a fan of the original liked it: I’ve wanted to see it for ages, but then after I heard **SPOILER ALERT** that it was a world created by Flynn and the programs weren’t like, actual programs I sort of wondered if it would be as much fun, and felt a bit let down that they hadn’t tried to envisage the world of Tron with Facebook and such running around.
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I’ve just come from seeing Tron: Legacy and it was great. I actuallly thought Olivia Wilde’s character was pretty cool, She saves Sam a couple of times and he saves her too.
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I’ve just come from seeing Tron: Legacy and it was great. I actually thought Olivia Wilde’s character was pretty cool, She saves Sam a couple of times and he saves her too.
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I loved loved loved the social network.
I rarely go to see movies, but my mother really wanted to see it so I went with her and am so glad I did. It sucks you in so much. Time really did fly
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Tina Fey in Megamind was a stronger female character than any of the women in the Social Network- which was caned for its underlying misogyny.
Agree with Emma J- Hermione Granger is a kick ass role model.
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as much as i loved ‘the social network, you can’t say the women in that movie were all positively portrayed. they were all either drunk or drugged up; or psychotic. i think mark’s ex girlfriend was the only one who didn’t come across as a nutjob. anyway, it was a fab movie. what do people think – did mark z steal the idea for facebook from the winklevi??
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Strong female lead, although prob too boring for kids = Lizzie Bennett!
Happy Birthday to Jane Austen for last week!
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I haven’t watched it yet.. but from trailers Tangled seems like a movie with a good female heroine..
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No Way!!! I loved Megamind and the kids really enjoyed it too!!
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oh i’ve been waiting for this discussion. i LOVED this movie (social network). the dude who played Mark (Jesse) did it brilliantly. and they did make it a good story (wrong, but good!).
And the “Winklevi” – i love. i could write so very much about this movie. but i’ll stop.
and justin timberlake just made computer nerds hot!
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I’m sure it’ll be mentioned below, but anything by Studio Gibli has a strong (if not lead) female character. Sure, there’s some scary stuff but most kids can dig it.
My Neighbour Totoro (strong female lead, the best family film ever in the entire universe, second only to Flash Gordon as the greatest movie of all time. I really love this one as it has super strong Dad-Daughter relationships, instead of the idiot/useless/abusive Dad stereotype)
Spirited Away (strong female lead)
Princess Mononoke (strong female character, perhaps not for kiddies – arms cut off, etc…)
Howl’s Moving Castle (strong female lead)
Kiki’s Delivery Service (strong female lead)
Nassica and the Valley of the Wind (strong female lead, odd pacing and really long but my five year old loved it when she was four)
Porco Rosso (strong female character, heaps fun)
I’m cool to put any of these on, and my eldest daughter loves them. Hell, I love them too.
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Plus they’ve all got a strong environmental lefty slant – right up your alley Mia!
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You’ve just given me a great holiday dvd list. Thanks!
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Don’t forget Laputa: Castle in the Sky. Strong female character, lead is a boy. Bloody heaps fun.
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Aaarrrghhh and Ponyo, of course!
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We have and love all of the Studio Ghibli films! The are amazing I agree re My Neighbour Totoro about the great dad/daughter relationship all of them have such great female characters and even though the english dubbed version have (very) famous people as the leads it never intrudes on the story the way a lot of the Disney or Pixar films often do.
Oh & I agree re Flash Gordon too..
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The Cat Returns? Is that Studio G? I’m not the greatest fan, but my daughter LOVES this film.
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it is Ghibli but not Miyazaki as the director. I’m a Kiki’s girl personally…
Have you noticed that Ponyo looks a bit like Gordon Talis when she goes “all magic”? Its all I see when I look at him now
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Positive female characters? Sure, there’s some. They tend to be more evident in adult movies, but they exist.
Coraline Jones (Coraline) – she’s a pretty realistic kid. Annoys her parents, likes to stomp when things don’t go her way, but in the end, she always does the right thing, is clever and resourceful.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hells yes. I know that’s an adult one, but j’adore Buffy.
Olive (Easy A) is brilliant, once again not a kids’ movie, but I really want to plug this one, saw it three times. She makes mistakes, but she’s super smart, and will always fight for the underdog. I’ve seen it three times, if you haven’t seen it, you must. The parents will make you almost wet yourself laughing.
Harriet the Spy, a very cute little Michelle Trachtenberg.
Ramona and Beezus, the new movie that came out recently is great fare for kids. Ramona messes up a lot, but she’s forever trying, and forever positive. A real feel good movie.
Violet Baudelaire (Lemony Snicket) – pretty, really smart, looks out for her siblings even at great personal cost. Invents things, sails boats, basically able to do anything.
Kelsi (High School Musical trilogy) – though she isn’t the lead, she goes from a wallflower to a Juilliard scholarship recipient, without compromising who she is.
I’m sure I could think of a few more if I tried. Historically, there’s always been the vapid ones who rely on men to save them (and the ones like Snow White who also move in with seven midgets who have probably never seen a woman and seem to like drinking and swinging pickaxes…) and ones who are smart, resourceful, and just plain fun.
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Oh, how could I forget Giselle from Enchanted! Idina Menzel’s character is great in that as well…though her name currently evades me…god, I love Enchanted.
Also just remembered Sucker Punch is coming out next year, whole movie about kick-ass females.
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Violet Baudelaire is wonderful! I loved that movie.
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Coraline may be a realistic kid, but that whole movie scares the bejeezus out of me and im 21. I can seriously imagine people ‘aww what a sweet movie for my little girl etc.’ and it giving the child nightmares. it totally freaked me out. : /
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That actually happened to my friend, who let her eight year old watch it without checking it first (normally they only watch things she’s seen).
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the book is even freakier! Neil Gaiman is genius
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Mia, your comment about positive female characters reminded me of this vidoe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLF6sAAMb4s&feature=player_embedded
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Glad I read this, was going to take the kids to Megamind tomorrow – cheap tuesday…..There’s not much on for young kiddies at the moment, so might have to head to the pool instead.
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I too saw social network one night and then megamind the next day. that’s about the amount of movies I get to see in a year but we were on holidays so had more time.
Loved social network, but I knew I would from all the reviews. Megamind didn’t bother me either. For us it was time to spend with the kids and indulge on popcorn and lollies.
I agree with the whole “role model” argument but do kids really need/want that from movies? or are they better off learning from real life experiencess?
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I saw Love and Other Drugs on the weekend. LOVED it.
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I can’t wait to see that!
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I looved Social Network… i thought it was excellent!
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Bugger. I too love Tina Fey and had some big expectations for Mega Mind so may convinve the little ones to wait for it on DVD lol. LOVED The Social Netwrk, who knew JT actually could act lol?
Thankfully there are a few other school holiday movies coming out, Tangled (a rejigged Rapunzel) looks pretty good, as does Gullivers Travels. Will see both of them I think.
And I may even sit throu Yogi Bear LOL since JT has proven himself in The Social Network and voices a character in this, plus, come on, it’s Yogi Bear LOL
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Actually, I’ve seen a couple of films with JT in them.
I recommend you see Alpha Dog (Google it first to see if you’d like the storyline – it’s quite heavy as based on a true story of murder of a 15 year old boy).
The Open Road with Jeff Bridges is quite good too, if a little long. JT is good in both.
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Oooohhh… great female role models in film! I love this topic, thanks Mia
For recent films, I can’t go past Alice in Wonderland. I took my 8 year old to see it this year and she LOVED it. Alice is one tough dragon slaying fiance rejecting chick. Forget the comments about Alice looking like she’s on drugs – it’s just the way Tim Burton dresses up his films. The other female leads (the Red Queen and the White Queen) are your stereotypical bitch and princess respectively, but Helena Boneham Carter and Anne Hathaway do it with a wicked comic slant … it’s quite delicious to behold! And the main male lead – Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter – is sublime, so sympathetic and supportive to Alice in her quest. It’s just a gorgeous movie.
A little while ago we had Enchanted. A beautifully told story about a woman who never loses her femininity, yet manages to slay a dragon and rescue her prince. Funny movie, great songs, it’s one of my favourites. Turns Disney on its head.
Speaking of Disney, I noticed someone else liked Beauty and the Beast and I totally agree – Belle is brave and good and she falls in love with the Beast only after she gets to know him, AND whilst he still looks like a beast. A beautiful story of redemption there.
And there are loads more … Pippi Longstocking anybody? Another favourite of mine is Wendy from Peter Pan (watch the 2003 version directed by P.J. Hogan). Yes, she is cast in a ‘maternal’ role, but she’s the one who tells Peter to grow up – she has the courage to return home and take on the responsibilities of life whilst Peter chooses to remain in Neverland.
Here’s a little thing we do in our house… at the end of every school year I buy my daughter a classic storybook with a strong female character. We started with Peter Pan, then got Pippi Longstocking, Alice in Wonderland and this year she was given The Secret Garden. In years to come there will be Charlotte’s Web (remember Fern?), Anne of Green Gables, The Diary of Anne Frank, Little Women, Jane Eyre and many others… so if you’re looking for movies to watch then maybe choose film adaptations of great books?
A little note about women’s roles though… I don’t look for a film (or book) that casts women in non-traditional roles, but rather I look at what a woman does with the role she’s been given. It’s a fact that most of our daughters will grow up to be mothers who make significant compromises when raising their children and I believe it’s unfair of us to teach them that if (and when) they make those compromises, that they’ve somehow sold out.
A great movie in this respect is Mary Poppins. She is a paid carer who sweeps into a family’s life and gently but (very) firmly puts the overbearing father and self-indulgent mother in their place, reminding them of their rightful roles as heads of the family. And (another Julie Andrews flick) is the Sound of Music – Maria’s clever, brave and loving nature completely transforms that family. Yes, she’s a ‘typical’ female in a subordinate and domestic role, but far out! How many times do I wish I had her patience, optimism and strength! These women are not ‘token’ characters at all. They’re selflessly and bravely weaving the very fabric of our communities. And they don’t lie to us about women being able to do it all – they’re only there to look after the children – other staff members do the shopping, cleaning and cooking! Love them
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Beautiful post adventuremum, thank you!
x E
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Thanks!
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Thanks I really enjoyed reading that.
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haha… I had fun writing it! All those movie memories make me want to head for the DVD store…
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great post – my little ones (3.5 and 2 LOVE the sound of music!) we have the dvd which has a setting where you can skip the dialogue and just play the songs – brilliant!
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They are the best songs! My 3 year old son does his own version of ‘My Favourite Things’ … too cute.
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I loved this, thanks AdventureMum
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Merry Christmas picardie.girl
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What about Princess Jasmine from Aladdin? She kicks arse, wants to choose her own husband, and falls in love but still keeps her independence. She’s cool!
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Social Network? I agree Mia – brill. wow, those twins were one guy? I didn’t realise!! But yes, gripping all the way through. I give it 5 stars.
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I totally agree, but have to give some credit Dora the Explorer. She can read maps, is loyal to her friends, is independent and dresses age-appropriately!
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Not to mention bi-lingual!
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Hermione in Harry Potter. In some ways she’s the most talented of the 3. And definitely a strong character and role model.
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I love her!
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Anyone got suggestions (other than the princess and the frog which I’ll download on itunes) for an almost 4 year old?
Much appreciated.
Mia I LOVE your site. I really do.
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I find it hard suggesting movies for kids that young, they seem to wander off before they’re finished! And most movies that have a decent storyline also include a few scary/sad bits. I can’t go past Justine Clarke for sheer entertainment value, she’s ace.
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4 year old loves Justine Clarke. Suspect she would trade me as a mum for her LOL. Saw her at a Parra Park concert last year and she yelled hello so often to Justine on stage that she actually acknowledged her and sang straight to her! Am worried about Miss 4′s stalker tendencies as a result:)
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Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon are excellent kids movies although HTTYD is probably better for 6-12 year olds than 4.
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My 6yo son HATES TS3 – he’s terrified of the monkey and unfortunately it ruins the rest of the film for him. So terrified that when they watched it at school he asked if he could go to a different room.
My 4yo boy loves My Neighbour Totoro (Studio Ghibli), also anything Dora.
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Hello my 4 year old loved the Princes and the Frog and her other faves are the Nanny McPhee movies, Cat in the Hat and Toy Story (all 3). She may be 4 but ahe sat in a cinema for Nanny McPhee and Toy Story 3 and her eyes did not leave the screen, and the only time she spoke was to the characters on the screen lol. Ashe became a little obsessed about Nanny McPhee, had her own cane and walked around the house thumping it trying to get her 11 year old sister to comply. bless:)
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My newly 4 loves The Upside Down Show (From ABC shop) and Finding Nemo.
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My 3 year old also loves the Upside Down Show. It is fantastically clever I wish they had made more episodes.
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Both of my girls (aged 2 and 4) and my nephew (aged 7) are obsessed with Mr Maker from ABC Kids. I just got them all their own Mr Maker dvd for Christmas from the ABC Shop. My 4 year old is also crazy for Toy Story (all 3), Curious George and absolutely obsessed with Strawberry Shortcake.
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my almost 4yo girl loves the barbie movies — and as a radical feminist I don’t find them offensive.
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Apparently the reason we don’t have strong female leading action role models is that people don’t go to see those films. It’s harder to get funding for the films.
I like Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth for a role model. And I liked Get Him To The Greek for a film this year, probably because that is the only film I have seen!
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I saw that on Saturday, it wasn’t as funny as I was expecting, but in away, it was better… I thought Russell Brand was pretty good!!
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In terms of good fictional female role models, I recommend (as others have) Hermione from Harry Potter – she’s smart, brave, and not afraid to stick up for herself (see movie 3 for evidence). She doesn’t spend much time pining after boys (well, not in the books anyway), has a strong moral character and saves Harry and Ron on multiple occasions!
I’d also recommend the book/bbc movie ballet shoes. Ok, so from the title it doesn’t sound like much, but the story is about three adopted girls who each grow up into very different, but very secure young women (I especially like the character of Petrova!) I see it as a story of finding your own dreams and following them
As for movies I’ve seen lately and enjoyed? HP7! It’s very faithful to the book
However, if you haven’t read the books (or I suppose, seen the other movies) I don’t think much of it will make sense. It’s also NOT FOR CHILDREN – my theory here is that the books/movies are aimed at the people who started with them, they grow up as their original audience matures. This year, I also enjoyed Remember Me – it’s very powerful, even if it has R-Patz in it.
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R-Patz was Cedric Diggory first, therefore he will always be cool, no matter how many silly SparklePire movies he does.
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oh, true, and i MUCH prefer him as cedric!
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Ballet Shoes was amazing, BBC does such good telemovies
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What about Alice from Alice in wonderland? The new one may be a little dark for young kids but I grew up on the Disney cartoon and seem to remember her being pretty cool.
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New one isn’t toooo dark, it depends on the kids. Rent it for yourself and take a peek, I love it
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Alice is generally a bit dark, even the cartoon! I was most distressed as a young child in the part when she wanders around getting lost and not being able to find her way home. The new one would certainly have been too creepy for me as a kid. But a good story nonetheless!
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The best ever inspiring (and young) female lead is in Spirited Away, the little girl Chihiro is the central character and it is about how she faces her fears and learns she’s much stronger than she – or the world around her – realised. Such a great film for kids. By the great Japanese manga filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.
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Oops I didn’t mean to be anonymous – it’s Miss Kate Daily.
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Yup wonderful movie
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i LOVE this movie!!! definitely an inspiring movie with a female lead
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I agree, it is a brilliant movie! My 11 year old daughter learns Japanese at her Primary School (year 5, year 6 next year) and her teacher sat them down for their last lesson to watch this, she was enchanted!!!!
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That’s what I said!! Agree agree –
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