I love comedy movies. I'll watch anything from "Spy" (2015) to "Jerry Maguire" (1996) and appreciate both. I've noticed, though, that many films I enjoy are problematically stereotypical with regards togender roles. To test my theory, below are a few well-known comedies where I attempted to flip the genders of the leads. The results are pretty weird...
She’s Out of my League (2010):
If the genders were flipped in this movie, a handsome lawyer (played by Ryan Reynolds) would fall in love with one of the average-looking parking attendants who works at his firm’s parking garage. She wrecks his sports car—she was practicing for her dream job racing for NASCAR, which he accepts as a realistic life plan—and he somehow finds it charming. They date, but his friends don't approve. Ryan admits that he initially pursued the parking attendant because he felt vulnerable following a break-up, but that he realizes she’s the real 10 in their relationship.
This sounds strange, right? It doesn't make sense to us, because no one assumes that hyper-successful attractive men would ever be this insecure, since that’s a “girl thing.” Also, a 'meh'-looking girl with no ambitions who is funny does not date a lawyer. That’s also a “girl thing” in the movies. Also, there are no famous 5/10 comedy actresses.
Something Borrowed (2011)
Two male childhood besties live in Manhattan together. One (played by Matthew McConaughey, because Ryan Reynolds was taken) works at a cool bro job for ESPN while the other (Ryan Reynolds, obviously) is a lawyer. The lawyer had a massive crush on a girl in one of his classes, but he assumed she didn’t like him even when they studied together for hours and she asked him out. Once on the date, he instead sets her up with his bro best friend, and the bro and the pretty lawyer later get engaged despite having nothing in common.
At the bro friend’s engagement party, not-bro friend gets very drunk and sleeps with the pretty lawyer. He continues to date her in secret because the pretty lawyer doesn’t want to dump bro friend for the guy she really likes, and not-bro friend refuses to tell bro friend what’s actually going on. Turns out, though, that bro friend has been cheating on pretty lawyer for a while and got a girl pregnant, which he plans on ignoring. Not-bro friend sulks and avoids the wedding until pretty lawyer runs to him and announces she called off her wedding for him. The bros are no longer bros now, but not-bro and pretty lawyer live happily ever after.
Reasons this movie could never happen include, but are not limited to: men are never “catty” in movies, men never assume a girl doesn’t like them in movies, and bros never ditch bros for a girl in movies.
Knocked Up (2007):
Dedicated career guy (played by Ryan Reynolds), who is perpetually single yet somehow not a womanizer, hooks up with an unattractive stoner. She gets pregnant, and in an attempt to take responsibility for his actions, Ryan decides he will stay with her. He grows fond of her immaturity and falls in love despite her lack of motivation, beauty, or any skills.
Problems with this film are 1. There are no movies about single career guys who don’t sleep around. They’re either womanizers or emasculated by wives. 2. No movie exists where a successful, good-looking guy dates a girl who is unattractive and going nowhere with her life because that would be impossible. Also, again, there are no famous 5/10 comedy actresses.
The Hangover (2009):
See "Bridesmaids" (2011). I stand corrected, Hollywood. Although countless films reproduce harmful gender stereotypes, many new films, like "Bridesmaids" and most recently "Trainwreck" (2015), have made great strides in showcasing female characters with more depth and personality, as well as creating more nuanced male characters.
