Recommended film: The Heat

Jul. 18th, 2013 at 4:39 PM

The Heat is a buddy cop movie set in Boston starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. I thought it was really funny, and the humor does not rely on fat jokes (McCarthy is fat), fat stereotypes, sexual assault or harrassment.[1] There are some jokes based on appearance, and a lot of jokes based on class.

Normally I wouldn't see this type of movie in the theater but I did because wanted to reward the producers for making a film of this type that stars women.

There are spoilers in the comments.

[1]ETA: Add "against women". There were jokes about sexual harrassment of men.

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firecat

Jul. 19th, 2013 12:00 am (UTC)

Lack of fat stereotyping

There is one fat joke early in the film, where McCarthy's character can't get out of her car because it's hemmed in by other cars.

McCarthy's character is shown eating once early in the film. I started to get annoyed until I saw that she was eating a bell pepper.

She brushes off a couple of guys she slept with who are sad that she didn't call them afterward. She kisses one of them.

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cheshyre

Jul. 19th, 2013 02:10 am (UTC)

Re: Lack of fat stereotyping

FYI/FWIW, the one she kisses is the actress's RL husband.

[Also, my husband's aunt played Tatiana's mother, who had one brief but memorable scene.]

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firecat

Jul. 19th, 2013 05:31 am (UTC)

Re: Lack of fat stereotyping

How cool!

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xiphias

Jul. 19th, 2013 10:50 am (UTC)

Re: Lack of fat stereotyping

I'd argue that the "can't get out of the car" thing is a parking joke, not a fat joke. I didn't get a sense that her awkwardness in climbing out of her window, then into the window of the car next to her was supposed to be related to her being fat, but just that it's really hard and annoying to do for ANYBODY. It's definitely slapstick-like physical comedy, but I don't think it would have been filmed differently if Sandra Bullock was the subject of the scene. Her door barely opens two inches -- even Twiggy wouldn't have been able to get out of that car.

Would it have PLAYED differently, or been received differently if the person climbing out of the window wasn't fat? I don't know. I think I would have enjoyed it the same, but I can't speak for any other audience.

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firecat

Jul. 19th, 2013 06:12 pm (UTC)

Re: Lack of fat stereotyping

I agree it is primarily a parking joke. But people like me who are ultrasensitive to fat jokes might see it that way, too.

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firecat

Jul. 19th, 2013 12:01 am (UTC)

I am pissed off at the Salon reviewer Andrew O'Hehir for opening his review with "Nothing quite says female empowerment like violating the civil rights of criminal suspects, am I right?" and "What is the point of making a movie that’s just like the dopiest, broadest and most reductive grade of guy-oriented comedy, except with women?"

Because of course movies starring women need to be held to a higher moral standard. Only guys should get to play foul-mouthed vigilante cops. Am I right?

Guessing that O'Hehir is white, I'm also guessing that he never felt the lack of seeing people like himself on the movie screen.

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cheshyre

Jul. 19th, 2013 02:14 am (UTC)

Director Feig also pointed out that he *purposely* avoided having either character fall in love over the course of the film as a way of showing that women's comedy doesn't have to be a "romcom."

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firecat

Jul. 19th, 2013 05:31 am (UTC)

Yes, I really appreciated that choice.

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