FEMALE AGENCY/POWER/AUTHORITY SCORE: +25
THE MALE GAZE SCORE: 0
[no issues]
GENDER/SEXUALITY SCORE: -25
WILDCARD SCORE: +20
Is there anything either positive or negative in the film’s representation of women not already accounted for here? (points will vary)
TOTAL SCORE: +45
IS THE FILM’S DIRECTOR FEMALE? No (does not impact scoring)
IS THE FILM’S SCREENWRITER FEMALE? No (does not impact scoring)
BOTTOM LINE: This is a fantastic example of how gender-swapping characters and casting women in roles that could have easily been played by men creates a richer, smarter, more complex story without sacrificing any humor, action, or adventure, and adds new layers of social and cultural commentary that wouldn’t have existed otherwise.
Click here for the ongoing ranking of 2015’s films for female representation.
NOTE: This is not a “review” of Spy! 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 Spy.
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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