Where Are the Women? Danny Collins

It’s never too late for a man to earn redemption for his selfish ways… not when he has women to show him the way to humanity.

BASIC REPRESENTATION SCORE: -10

-10

Is there a woman who is mostly pretty awesome and perfect who is present to support a man improving himself? [why this matters]

FEMALE AGENCY/POWER/AUTHORITY SCORE: +5

Is there a female character (either a protagonist or a supporting character with significant screen time) in a position of authority (politics, law, medicine, etc.)? [why this matters]

THE MALE GAZE SCORE: -5

-5

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

GENDER/SEXUALITY SCORE: -28

-5

Is femininity used as a joke (ie, a man crossdressing for humorous intent) in passing? [why this matters]

-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]

-3

Is a dead mother mentioned? [why this matters]

-5

Is a woman paired romantically with a man old enough to be her father? [why this matters]

-10

Or even her grandfather? [why this matters]

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)

After the male protagonist dumps the “stunning, half-[his]-age fiancée,” who was young enough to be his granddaughter, he starts hitting on a more “age-appropriate” target… who is still 18 years younger than him, and so still young enough to be his daughter. Someone informs him that this new love interest still doesn’t qualify as “age-appropriate,” but he persists anyway.

TOTAL SCORE: -43

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

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

BOTTOM LINE: A man who has lived his life with totally selfish abandon learns how to be a decent human being, mostly with the help of women who scold him for his naughty ways, as if he were a little boy. He is in his 70s… but it’s never ever too late for a man to earn redemption… not when he has women to show him the way to humanity.

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

NOTE: This is not a “review” of Danny Collins! 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 Danny Collins.

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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