On Thursday, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, legislating equal pay for women. Also on Thursday, Disney hosted an advance screening of “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” starring Isla Fisher as a giggly financial columnist designer-shopping her way into $20,000 worth of debt.
“Shopaholic” is one of several films, recent and upcoming, to depict women as just stupid. There are the best friends fighting over the same wedding date in “Bride Wars.” And “New in Town,” in which Renee Zellweger’s urban executive moves to the country and suddenly finds herself stumbling around and peeing herself. Finally, we have Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johansson improbably cast in the adaptation of “He’s Just Not That Into You.”
How are these movies are getting made and released in the most socially revolutionary, economically frightening climate in recent memory? “Bride Wars” was released two weeks before Hillary Clinton was confirmed as Secretary of State. That movie made $20 million. “Shopaholic” – in which Fisher’s profligate ways are compared to America’s fiscal irresponsibility and laughed off – has a lot more to answer for.
“Honestly, we conceived this movie during another economic period,” Fisher says. “I don’t see one character in a movie – someone’s art – as expressing a stereotypical view of women.”
The problem, like most, is multi-dimensional. Only 6% of directors and 10% of screenwriters are women. The increasing reliance on opening weekend revenues has meant more event films marketed to young men. Only 20% of film critics are female. There has yet to be a true successor to Julia Roberts, our last bankable female superstar. When faced with the choice of, say “Frost/Nixon” – which has no female characters – and “New in Town,” the average female moviegoer would likely pick the latter.
“This is what Hollywood thinks of women,” says movie marketer Melissa Silverstein. ” ‘Shopaholic’ isn’t the problem – the problem is, that’s all we’ve got.”