The Hottest New Screenwriters Are Female Lady Women-Type People
They call themselves the Fempire: Oscar-winning Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist scribe Lorene Scafaria, What Happens in Vegas writer Dana Fox, and playwright-turned-screenwriter Liz Meriwether, a newcomer. An article in Sunday's New York Times makes the point that while they're all young (between 27 and 32), stylish, and attractive, these four friends aren't making it big in Hollywood because of their feminine wiles. Then again, the article appeared in the Fashion & Style section and makes constant references to the womens' physical appearances and clothing choices. But that sort of thing should have nothing to do with it! The Times swears! They're just successful screenwriters who happen to be women -- and the Times just happens to want to keep mentioning what they look like!
I don't know if this is pre-feminism, post-feminism, or something else. I'm not a woman, so I think I'm not allowed to talk about that kind of thing anyway. But it's an interesting article about how women in Hollywood are perceived differently from men (and the article itself is an example of it), and a fun glimpse into the lives of four females who have managed to break into the boys' club. Having a screenplay produced by a major studio -- any screenplay, even What Happens in Vegas -- is a significant achievement that comparatively few women get to experience.
I also like the idea of screenwriters hanging out together. When I was a theater nerd, I liked to imagine Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, and Stephen Schwartz having dinner, maybe with Neil Simon popping in to crack a couple hoary jokes. It calls to mind the old days of the Algonquin Round Table, when wits like Dorothy Parker, George S. Kaufman, and Robert Benchley would sit around having lunch, drinking booze, and cracking wise. I can't imagine the dialogue exchanged between Diablo Cody and her pals is quite that witty, but it would probably be fun to eavesdrop on.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-25-2009 @ 11:23AM
Nicole Nelch said...
Well said!
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3-25-2009 @ 2:36PM
Kate said...
Hey, it's not just Hollywood. How often is Michelle Obama's (fabulous) fashion sense covered, followed by a blurb about how she's also smart as hell and it shouldn't be about looks. (Meanwhile they just spent two pages on what she's wearing.)
I think it's great that more chicks in cinema are succeeding, but as far as the articles going over how young and fabulous they are, it can't be helped. It's the only thing most entertainment reporters know to talk about and stretching the brain any further could cause permanent damage and result in watching CNN instead of TMZ.
And props to Amanda Brown, Karen McCullah Lutz, and Kirsten Smith for their continued success. (Btw, you are allowed to talk about feminism and I think you spoke of it very well. Kudos!)
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3-25-2009 @ 1:27PM
Anthony said...
Liz Meriwether's script "F*ckbuddies" is absolutely hilarious (they seem to have changed the title to "Friends with Benefits" in the article, though. One of the best, funniest scripts i've read. I'm looking forward to what she does next.
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3-26-2009 @ 12:53AM
YouFaceTheTick said...
If the script for Nick and Norah by Lorene Scafaria is considered good, shoot me now. God what a waste of talent. Nothing interesting, funny or new was spoken or done in that entire movie. Really what a shame. And even more insulting when one considers the names are stolen from The Thin Man series (which featured exceptional dialog).
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3-26-2009 @ 1:06PM
F. McGee said...
@Kate: Exactly. It's not just Hollywood, it's everywhere. In every single field, how women look is somehow relevant. Why was this piece in the Fashion and Style section, for the love of little apples!
Also, Dan: PLEASE talk about these kinds of things. Men are feminists too. The more men get that, and get that feminism benefits men and women (and I think you do get that) the better off we all are. Thanks for writing this - it's great!
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3-27-2009 @ 2:20PM
lizriz said...
Screenwriters in particular do love to form groups, that's for sure. :) Although one of my Fempires is a group of directors, so I guess it's not just for screenwriter's anymore.
I "Flashed my Fempire" today on my blog, and I'm hoping others will, too. This isn't my directing group, but my main support posse:
http://everydaygoddess.typepad.com/everyday_goddess/2009/03/flash-your-fempire.html
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4-04-2009 @ 8:25AM
dave said...
Dear God, get a life!
Reply