But only some people.
Ebert’s review of Battle: Los Angeles — spoilers! he really really hates it — ends with this:
Young men: If you attend this crap with friends who admire it, tactfully inform them they are idiots. Young women: If your date likes this movie, tell him you’ve been thinking it over, and you think you should consider spending some time apart.
So, what should young men do whose dates like this movie? What should young women do who attend with pals who like it?
I don’t care if Ebert hates the movie (though it think he misses the point of it by a long shot). I do care that he perpetuates the notion that women cannot possibly enjoy science fiction or military action, or a movie with blatant political overtones, and would only attend a film like B:LA on a date with a man. I suppose it has no pink in it, so what’s for a girl to like? We shouldn’t be taxing our ladybrains thinking about such notions.
But I like this movie — kind of a lot, actually. If I were on a date with a guy who didn’t see anything worth discussing about it, I might find that cause to let him know I think we should see other people. Where does that fit into Ebert’s perceptions about who is supposedly to like certain kinds of movies, and who isn’t?
