August 5, 2009
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Why must be looking for scholarships be so difficult?
In unrelated news, I actually watched The House Bunny today. I wouldn't've been so disappointed (or disappointed at all - I had the stupid thing pegged before I watched it) if it hadn't somehow convinced me it had some merit to it at at the beginning of the film.
If you haven't seen the movie yet, I'll give a quick rundown. We're informed by the main star in a quick 5 minutes at the beginning of the movie that she was pretty much an outcast and loner when she was younger. Then she got older and was seen to be pretty. Not very smart to begin with, she opts to use her looks to her advantage. So, she does as any other girl would naturally do in this situation - she joins Playboy to live in the Playboy mansion.
The beginning seemed like fantastical satire, even during the entirety of the Playboy mansion scenes. As the girls danced around in what seems to be some sort of fantasy for some people (hey, if girls in "rabbit suits" smacking each other's behinds is what gets you off - and you find a consenting adult to participate - I'm not one to protest), you couldn't help but feel the movie was highlighting something. As the main character put it when she expresses she one day wants to be a centerfold (paraphrased), "The centerfold is one of the most prestige awards a person can get. It's like saying, 'I'm naked and featured in a magazine.'" Hard to argue with that.
As part of a cruel plan from another house member, she receives a fake letter that says she must leave the Playboy mansion.
Somehow, she happens upon a college and wants to become a sorority mother; and happens to choose the most unpopular one she can come across (for a rather shortened version and sum up).
Now, I admit, while not stellar, I enjoyed the humor thus far. After all, I wasn't exactly expecting hard-hitting, groundbreaking material from this movie to begin with.
And the sorority members gave a really distinct and utterly fun new set of characters. There was the leader, the geek of the group (it was rather fantastic to watch her go on about Battlestar Galactica and to have her list ideas for the sorority such as B.Y.O.M - Bring Your Own Mouse...much to others confusion). There was a girl who had to wear, basically, a full body brace all the time. Another girl who had an incredibly deep voice and walked around all the time hunched over. One of my favorites, one with a ton of facial piercings and a totally feminist view point (a great line was when she hoses a guy in the face who was drooling over some girls and remarks, "Just washing the testosterone away"). And the other memorable one that comes to mind is a girl who never talks, and mostly hides most of the movie. During the big scene where she does, one of them remarks, "Wait....you're British??"
As you might expect for the plot, the "House Bunny" changes all of them and, at the end, they figure out they've lost their personalities and who they were.
Except one thing...they all still seem to dress rather nicely, the feminist one going as far as to not to bother to put back all the piercings in her face and, even, keep her hair dyed and wear a bit of makeup.
Now, now - before we go any further: I have no issue with maybe the character fitting this new mold instead of the previous one. In trying to break societal expectations, we don't necessarily need to defy society's idea of normal. In fact, any time you choose to define yourself by defying something else, you defeat the purpose and/or have no further purpose (with a few concrete and specific exceptions, of course).
However...is it so impossible to finally have a character which destroys what we expect from a person and not force him/her back into this preconceived mold by society?
In all honesty, while The Breakfast Club didn't really seem to be all that special or different from most teen movies of similar material, I can never really forgive it for it's treatment of Allison.
Labeled the "freak" in the movie, she's by far the most out there of the characters. By the end of the movie, we get this:
Some may disagree with me, but they robbed the character of the person.Again, don't get me wrong - my issue is not that they've now made her exactly what society expects of her. It's that there is rarely a strong, wholesome character displayed in media who is normalized while not trivializing (nor getting rid of entirely) their interests and who they are.
In the end, just be who you are. If you happen to be a blond who happens to be in cheerleading and only dates football players and you do that because that's just what feels most normal to you - then do it. But do not suddenly stunt your intelligence and mistreat others because that's what's accepted of you. Be who you want to be, regardless of what society tells you to be (notable exceptions to the rule (obvious stuff) are being purposely stupid, being immoral, etc.).
My favorite scene from The Breakfast Club, admittedly, is a scene during the detention, where all the students are bored. And, so, Allison decides to shake dandruff from her hair onto the table in front of her. Once she finished making it snow for a little bit, she looks down in complete joyful wonder at the site, with an almost childlike entertainment; completely unaware of anyone else's gaze or judging.
While, ultimately, The House Bunny seemed like it might offer some substance of interest, the saddest part of the movie was simply that it offered so many decent (if stunted) good moments and, to an extent, message while not bothering to check or care if they mashed completely with its formulaic plot and message.
The part I can't seem to get from my head is when, emotionally moved, the main character says something along the lines of, "That just makes my heart fall out of my head." The feminist retorts, "Do you realize how utterly stupid you sound when you say that?"
And, while not really marked (as I remember it) as a special or epiphany-like moment, she simply states, "I know that my heart doesn't reside in my head; but I do know that when you're following a logical plan, it won't work still unless you put your heart into it." Again, paraphrased - and more effective when done by the actress. But it really just gets it across that just because a person isn't articulate or smart in the most traditional of senses, that doesn't mean they aren't smart, aware, and just as deserving of respect. And maybe it wasn't the best way to demonstrate that point and they should've applied that sentiment to the character for a larger portion of the movie.
But maybe it's so striking because that level of maturity and insight from this type of movie is so utterly unexpected.
Comments (8)
In defense of The Breakfast Club, doesn't the Jock say, when Allison comes out with her new look, something about being able to see her face? Cuz I took that as a reference to hiding vs. exposing yourself. When the other characters critisize her during their heart-to-hearts they're always mad that she keeps lying about her life to seem weirder (like having sex with her psychiatrist). If there are weird things she does that she honestly enjoys (like the dandruff scene), I think we're to assume that the others would accept that (or accept it better) if it weren't so connected to this lie life that she perpetuates if anyone tries to get to know her. It's all about putting down your armor and stuff..... I think.
@bangwhimper - yeah, I did think of that. And I know what you mean.
I guess I also think if we were to explore the character more, it's likely we'd find that she acts partially as she does of her own free will (this argument largely boosted by the dandruff scene).
Of course, it might totally just be a generation gap. It was the 80s. The director might just feel that she was outcasted and, in reality, she just wants to fit in.
I'm coming from the late 90s and the entire 2000s, decades (particularly in the later decade) which we saw a far push for acceptance from fringe cliques and, even more surprisingly (largely for nerds with the help of internet culture), acceptance of those fringe cliques. I'm coming from a viewpoint that everyone wants to be happy as they are. He's probably coming with everyone just wants to be accepted. Am I being clear about the difference of the two?
@thirst2 - I see the difference you're saying, I guess I just combined them. I feel that the goal was to be accepted for who you are, not just one or the other. Maybe the movie didn't mean to say that. But were that so, then the ending they gave could work, as would one where she changes to being open about herself but is still rejected by people. It would still be character development, just slightly more tragic on the part of the other characters. I think that the fact that the movie spends so much time developing the other character's problems necessitates that they accept her for herself now, not just the facade with occassional bursts of free will.
I mean, it showed the Jock and Princess disliking being accepted because they couldn't be themselves. If we go with the idea that the Basket Case (and the Brain, etc.) was entirely being herself and she wanted acceptance, the movie seems to cancel itself out by portraying the two extremes as inadequate yet all the characters would reverse roles.
@bangwhimper - right, I get what you're saying. And it works. I guess it reverts back to what I was saying in that there's a lack of representation in naturally odd or quirky characters in media.
Or maybe it's that if we look at the characters, none of them go through such a huge change as she does. The jock still plays sports and wears likewise close. The brain doesn't have to dumb down, just gets more acceptance. The criminal probably will shorten his attitude, but he's not likely to change how he dresses, etc.
It's Allison who ends up radically changing these aspects. We don't know if her personality changes, though she seems to exhibit innocent nervousness very similar to the idealized female stereotype.
However, if we jump back again, let's say that, like her outfit, her actions were more means of reacting to people's treatment of her rather than her herself (we already know this to be true with her acting out about being a nymphomaniac, etc.). If that's the case - she never really had much character to begin with. She wanted the acceptance and everything beforehand was a reaction to not having acceptance. Arguably, we don't know her character at all.
I dunno, in writing this I realized what also disappointed me about the movie the first time I watched it - it doesn't go deep enough. It stays very much on the surface of everything. I mean, you probably disagree with me, but I keep getting caught on that. It just wasn't a movie that did anything for me, I guess.
@thirst2 - Well maybe it's like I say about epiphanies only having impact in the long run, if any.
Or maybe I just like some of the irreverence towards teen movies it has. Criminal talks about coming from a messed up home. Jock says he doesn't buy it cuz it's what we're expected to believe of the stereotype.
I got nothin. Can you recommend any better teen movies though? I can only think of Superbad but that's a little different.
@bangwhimper - heh, true, I can't really think of any better. But, then again, I haven't watch a lot of teen movies out there. So I dunno.
I remember watching The Breakfast Club and not understanding why the movie has become so iconic in our society, but I felt the same thing at the end in regards to Allison. It bothered me on a rather abnormal level how she had to change herself to mold to a more "acceptable" standard and image. I can't really remember when I watched the movie, though. I want to say last summer.
And I didn't read the above comments because I'm lazy, so maybe this issue has already been addressed.
Besides, Ferris Bueller's Day Off is soo much better
@MeetMeInMontauk4 - heh, well, it seems we agree when it comes to The Breakfast Club anyway. I haven't seen Ferris yet, though I intend to. My brother and I just watched Casablanca yesterday. Have you seen it? If so, what did you think?
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