Where Are the Women? The D Train (aka Bad Bromance)

Where Are the Women? The D Train Bad Bromance

Women are present here only to reassure men that they are wanted, desired, and looked after, no matter how miserable or lacking in self-esteem they are.

BASIC REPRESENTATION SCORE: -10

-10

Could the protagonist have been female without significantly impacting the film as a whole? (for a film with a male protagonist) [why this matters]

FEMALE AGENCY/POWER/AUTHORITY SCORE: 0

[no significant representation of women in authority]

THE MALE GAZE SCORE: -15

-10

Is there a scene set in a strip club for no good reason? [why this matters]

-5

Is a woman or women used as decorative objects/set dressing? [why this matters]

GENDER/SEXUALITY SCORE: -5

-5

Is there a female character who is primarily defined by her emotional and/or sexual relationship with a man or men? [why this matters]

WILDCARD SCORE: 0

Is there anything either positive or negative in the film’s representation of women not already accounted for here? (points will vary)

No.

TOTAL SCORE: -30

IS THE FILM’S DIRECTOR FEMALE? No (does not impact scoring)

IS THE FILM’S SCREENWRITER FEMALE? No (does not impact scoring)

BOTTOM LINE: There are only two women with any presence here: a wife and a girlfriend, and they have almost nothing meaningful to do that isn’t about reassuring men that they are wanted, desired, and looked after, no matter how miserable or lacking in self-esteem they are. What else could women possibly be good for, anyway?

Click here for the ongoing ranking of 2015’s films for female representation.

NOTE: This is not a “review” of The D Train (aka Bad Bromance)! 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 D Train (aka Bad Bromance).

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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