FEMALE AGENCY/POWER/AUTHORITY SCORE: +2
THE MALE GAZE SCORE: 0
[no issues]
GENDER/SEXUALITY SCORE: -5
WILDCARD SCORE: -5
Is there anything either positive or negative in the film’s representation of women not already accounted for here? (points will vary)
A 16-year-old girl is romantically manipulated by an older man in order to motivate the male protagonist. Not cool. [why this matters]
TOTAL SCORE: -18
IS THE FILM’S DIRECTOR FEMALE? No (does not impact scoring)
IS THE FILM’S SCREENWRITER FEMALE? No (does not impact scoring)
BOTTOM LINE: The most prominent female character here is of one of the more offensive rom-com stereotypes: the manic pixie dream girl. She taunts him while flitting in and out of his life, the only purpose of her existence to steal his wounded heart and torment him in the process. She doesn’t have a last name or a job, and only the teeniest hint of a past… and then only enough to give a context to her relationship with the male protagonist.
Click here for the ongoing ranking of 2015’s films for female representation.
NOTE: This is not a “review” of The Film Critic (El Critico)! It is simply an examination of how well or how poorly it represents women. (A movie that represents women well can still be a terrible film; a movie that represents women poorly can still be a great film.) Read my review of The Film Critic (El Critico).
See the full rating criteria. (Criteria that do not apply to this film have been deleted in this rating for maximum readability.)
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