A fun movie–fast-paced action, clever twists, entertaining acting, even a couple thoughtful social commentaries woven in…
And then, an inexplicable scene where the two detectives–one in particular–become so impressed by a witness’ breasts that the entire film disintegrates into a series of Beavis and Butthead moments of, essentially: “Heh, heh, look at her b00bs!” as he stares at her chest. Huh?
I will never get used to idiotic and exploitative scenes involving women in films…and television and advertising… I’m anywhere from affronted to outraged, depending on the situation and its context. In this case, there was a thin reference to the possibility that the bank heist perpetrators might be distinguished from the victims by noting body shape; at least, that would have been the excuse for the staring-at-her-boobs moment, but it doesn’t hold up. It also pretended to be humorous, but it wasn’t. And I’m not above finding humor in even stupid body part jokes, believe me. But it wasn’t there. We tried to figure out how this scene might be less distasteful than it was (Hmm, we must have missed something...), and I was hoping we could, but no; I’m convinced that excuses aside, it was simply yet another shameless, degrading moment for a female character in a film.
I don’t get it.
It is disappointing moment in any film. Watching, enjoying, watching, enjoying.. oh, you’re one of *those* films .. no longer enjoying.
what’s not to get? they reduce a woman to a body part because “sex sells.” grrrr.
Ah yes, “Inside Man”…the film I watched in the theatre while in early labor. (It sticks in the mind when you do this, of course.)
The needle scratched loudly across the record for me too, although I suppose it was inserted as a way to further depict the “manliness” of the cops. Plus, Spike Lee is always pushing buttons. In order for Jodi Foster’s character to be effective, she has to both dress in tight white suits AND be tough as nails with the men around her while be sensual all the while. So many mixed messages about men and women.
Okay, so you weren’t looking for a film critique…I’m sick of it all too and wonder what part of the chicken/egg I’m looking at: Do men in society oogle because they are taught to in the media, or is it the other way around?
Oh my god, westwardbound, you’re awesome!! I couldn’t remember the name of the damn movie, I just asked my husband yesterday, and I meant to look it up a hundred times..but haven’t yet. That’s exactly the movie it was!
Yeah, some perverse interpretation of “manliness” could well have been another excuse for that scene–and Spike Lee is surely talented enough to push buttons with just a bit more depth…. And there’s that whole Jodie Foster character, who, really, I kept expecting more from. I am very happy to get your film critique. Good question about that type of ogling and leering in our society–one thing is for sure, I hate it when the camera and the perspective in a film makes each viewer participate in the ogling–that surely can teach no good lesson about how women are supposed to be viewed.
Grrrrr is right, Tracee, and I get “sex sells” as a whole, I just didn’t get it in this particular scene in this movie–every movie doesn’t participate in the sex sells concept, and this one seemed better than that…
Just impressed that parents of small ones make it to the movies at all!