Exodus: Gods and Kings

The Ten Most Iconic Female Movie Characters

A couple months ago, Nostra at My Filmviews started up a blogging relay on the ten most iconic movie characters of all time. It is still going on with the list constantly changing, one character at a time. I was able to participate and I enjoyed coming up with my choice. However, one thing I noticed is that female characters are getting left out. Without going back through the entire relay, I don't recall there ever being more than three on the list at any one time. Most often, there are only one or two. Being the gentleman that I am, I thought the ladies deserved a little more light so...

A list of 10 iconic female movie characters has been made. That list will be assigned to another blogger who can then change it by removing one character (describing why they think she should not be on the list) and replacing it with another one (also with motivation) and hand over the baton to another blogger. Once assigned, that blogger will have to put his/her post up within a week. If this is not the case the blogger who assigned it has to reassign it to another blogger. After you have posted your update leave the link in the comments below and I will make sure it gets added to the overview post.

Yup, I'm starting my own relay race.

Picking out the first ten was a tough task. I think they are all justifiably iconic. Therefore, I'm very interested to see what you guys out in the blogosphere come up with. In no particular order, here is your opening list:

Ellen Ripley

How could I not start with Ms. Ripley. She's been a near constant in the other relay. When she fell out, she was almost instantly re-added. To quote Sati of Cinematic Corner, "She is the ultimate badass movie heroine and she has set the bar for other action/horror ladies so high no other actress and character has managed to cross it and it's been decades." That's good enough for me.

Holly Golightly

Holly is the eternal fashion icon/protagonist of Breakfast at Tiffany's. It's a character that has stood the test of time and remains beloved to this day. In the words of Sofia of Film Flare, "one could easily argue that it is because of Holly G. that Audrey (Hepburn) is still ridiculously well-known - the two have become one gigantic iconic image that transcends movies." Indeed.

Nurse Ratched

Believe it or not, the leading lady can sometimes be the bad guy. The beauty of Nurse Ratched is that she's not really bad, but someone hell bent on doing their job the best way she knows. She represents the establishment in an anti-establishment movie. Despite being a woman, she is The Man..in the 1970s, revolutionary minded sense of the word. Louise Fletcher's performance of the character is so perfect, it's scary.

Princess Leia

This is the one that I most grew up with. The original Star Wars came out when I was a kid. I actually went to a theater to see it during the first run. Take that, young whipper-snappers. For me, there was just no denying her a spot on my list. Don't take my word for it. Take it from Ruth at Flixchatter, "Princess Leia is not just one of the coolest female movie characters but she’s a film AND pop culture icon. I mean, if you just draw a silhouette with her hair buns on each side of her head, I think people young and old would instantly know who that is." If that's not iconic, I don't know what is.

Mary Poppins

In this era of anti-heroes starring in gritty dramas, and I'm talking about comic book movies here, a vision of perfection like Mary Poppins might not work. However, I think that's precisely why she persists as an icon. As Manon from Film Inquiry puts it, "She stood for female independence and being yourself, she was funny, charming, sweet, and I think she’s the nanny every child would want, even today." I know I wish she was my nanny.

Dorothy Gale

Is there a more beloved and romanticized female character in all of cinematic history than Dorothy Gale? I personally can't count how many times I've seen The Wizard of Oz. It's one of those rare movies that people of every possible demographic have seen numerous times. Impressive indeed for a movie of near 80 years old. And yeah, we all know and love The Lion, The Tin Man, and the The Scarecrow, but we really love Dorothy. Alex of And So It Begins sums it up nicely, "...the very sight of Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale is an image that will be forever linked to cinema. You see a picture of Dorothy, and you think film. You don’t think of The Wizard of Oz, or Dorothy, or Toto, you think film. Film as a whole, in all its lasting glory. Dorothy is a perfect example of persona and art form forever married to one another." I can't argue against that.

Sarah Connor

In the first Terminator, Sarah Connor was a great character. Her transformation into what we see in the sequel made her an icon. She went from damsel in distress, to actively fighting for her own survival and, more importantly for the sake of mankind, her son. What makes her iconic is that she symbolizes female strength in both the most raw physical form and from an emotional, maternal standpoint. Others may think she's crazy, but she's doing whatever it takes to protect her kid. That's why we love her.

Mrs. Robinson

In 1999, the movie American Pie coined the term MILF in reference to Stifler's Mom. However, three decades earlier is when we got the real original, Mrs. Robinson. Countless teenage (or early 20s) boys have daydreamed about being seduced by one of their friends' moms. Mrs. Robinson was the fantasy come to life. In the words of Nikhat from Being Norma Jeane, "Mrs. Robinson is arguably the sexiest movie character of all time. Her icon status is almost aspirational. Women wish they could be as attractive as her and I'm fairly sure every guy wants her." Pretty much.

Foxy Brown

I just had to include the great Foxy Brown. When you think of great ass-kicking women of the 70s, you have to think Foxy. When you think of sex symbols of the same era, you think Foxy. When you think of iconic black women of cinema, you think Foxy. And when you think Foxy, you think Pam Grier. She was not only an African-American female action star, she was THE female action star of the time. She still inspires women to this day. She also inspires us men, too. Quentin Tarantino included. Of Ms. Grier and her most famous role, he said "In the 1970s they talked about Jim Brown being the black Burt Reynolds, or Shaft being the black James Bond, but Pam Grier wasn't the black anybody, because there was nobody else, black or white, who was like her. And there still isn't. She founded her own genre."

Scarlett O'Hara

This was my most reluctant choice. I'm not a big fan of Scarlett or Gone With the Wind. However, that doesn't change the fact that she is iconic. Years before I ever saw the movie, I knew exactly who she was, and her plight. By the time I actually watched it, I knew so much about her it was like having deja vu. As Katy of Girl Meets Cinema tells us, "...adored attention is still paid to the character for her fashion, romance to Rhett Butler, and vivacious personality which ranges of everything from manipulative, flirtatious, smart, and definitely spoiled. It's hard for me to think of film history and iconic characters, and not have O'Hara pop into my head as one of the first picks."


There you have my two cents. Since I am blatantly ripping him off, it's only right that I start the race by passing the baton to Nostra at My Filmviews.

Paul

Directed by Greg Mottola.

2011. Rated R, 104 minutes.
Cast:
Simon Pegg
Nick Frost
Seth Rogen
Kristen Wiig
Jeffrey Tambor
Jane Lynch
Jason Bateman
Sigourney Weaver
Bill Hader
Blythe Danner
John Carroll Lynch

The writer Graeme Willy (Frost) and his trusty cohort Clive Gollings (Pegg) are a couple of sci-fi geeks from the UK, in the United States to attend Comic-Con, an annual convention for the comic book industry. Afterwards, they tour some of the locations where famous UFO landings have allegedly taken place, like Area 51 and Roswell, New Mexico. Along the way, as luck would have it, they meet Paul (Rogen). Paul is the classic little green man with an enormous head alien. He enlists our less than dynamic duo to help him get home. All the while, the trio is being chased by man in black, Agent Zoil (Bateman). Zoil maintains almost constant contact with “The Big Guy”, whom we find out right away is actually a woman. What she actually looks like isn’t revealed until the end, so I won’t spoil it.

Eventually, the plot becomes reminiscent of E. T. This is fitting given that Pegg and Frost wrote the screenplay. Like their movies Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead before it, we’re treated to a steady stream of references to other movies. They’re done far more skillfully than in any of the “____ movies.” You know the ones: Scary, Date, etc. These references are weaved seamlessly into the tapestry of a story that stands on its own. We can actually enjoy the story we’re watching and enjoy the allusions. By the way, there are enough of them that you’ll probably miss a few, here and there.

References to other movies aren’t the only things that make us laugh. The way relationships are established and carried out are both funny and sweet. Most notably, the contentious nature of things between Graeme and Paul gets the most giggles. As stated by Paul, the two are characters that should be best friends but seem to be missing a connection. Even more of an edge is added when you factor in the lingering question of Graeme’s sexuality. Because of that question, the way he behaves in regards to others give us cause to pause.

In the title role, Seth Rogen acquits himself very well. True, Paul behaves much like most of Rogen’s characters but he’s easier to take when personifying another species. However, there could’ve been more to him. How did he get to be the foul-mouthed, cigarette smoking wise guy we know him to be?

Paul is a fun ride, overall. There are some stretches where it drags a bit. Occasionally, it gets too busy referencing other movies that it doesn’t quite work. Aside from the aforementioned stars, Jason Bateman was also very good as the agent tracking them down. Things are fairly predictable, but we’re not here for mystery. It wants you to laugh and possibly geek out with them on all the allusions you recognize. It does that.

MY SCORE: 7/10

You Again

Directed by Alan Fickman.
2010. Rated PG, 105 minutes.
Cast:
Kristen Bell
Odette Yustman
Jamie Lee Curtis
Sigourney Weaver
Betty White
James Wolk
Kyle Bornheimer
Billy Unger
Kristin Chenoweth
Victor Garber

Hey, have you seen that romantic comedy that ends in a wedding? Of course you have. Yes, this is yet another one. If you still want to see You Again, read on. If you don’t, read on anyway just to be sure. I mean, it’s got Betty White in the cast. That’s gotta count for something, right?

Okay, so we know how it ends. Like most rom-coms it’s not the ending, but how we get there that determines whether its good or not. The easiest route usually starts with boy meets girl. Kudos to this film for not including that little cliché. In fact, YAis not really about the couple that gets married. It’s actually about the contentious relationship between the soon-to-be bride Joanna (Yustman) and her beau’s sister Marni (Bell). Well, it’s mostly about Marni. She was once the classic Hollywood high school nerd. She wore big glasses, had bad hair and got great grades. As an adult, she’s transformed into a beautiful swan with a very successful career. In high school Joanna, then known as J.J. was her nemesis. J.J. was the head cheerleader which by movie logic means she was without question the most beautiful, popular and meanest person in school. Her most famous moment appears to be having Marni carried out of the building and locked out while the entire student body sings Queen’s “We Are the Champions” in perfect harmony.

Now, years later Joanna is marrying Marni’s brother Will (Wolk). He has no idea about her mean girl past despite going to the same school during her reign of terror. She wants to keep it that way. Marni wants Joanna to tell the truth about everything and make an apology. Over the weekend leading up to the bid day, the zany antics of thes two wild and crazy gals ensue. Oh, almost forgot something. Marni’s mom Gail (Curtis) and Joanna’s aunt Ramona (Weaver) have a similar relationship that’s still volatile despite the two having not seen each other in decades.

Yes, what all of these ladies do can accurately be described as zany. Is it funny? Meh. There are a few moments that are good for a laugh. All of our ladies, including Marni’s grandmother (White), play off each other well enough to generate the occasional chuckle. Then there’s the slapstick and pratfalls aspect so some of you won’t be able to stop giggling. That said, a lot of it is unfunny stuff recycled from other unfunny movies. Even worse, the way the handle the whole bully vs geek thing makes it feel like something that should be airing as a half-hour sitcom on ABC Family. I can totally see Marni as the main character in a series developed over time. In a feature, there isn’t enough of her for us to really latch onto. That’s magnified by her willfully sinking to unbecoming depths to do something she could’ve accomplished by confronting Joanna on the first day after finding out about the wedding. We sympathize with what happened to her in high school, but we don’t like her.

All of the bickering, strutting, scowling, rapping and competitive dancing takes us through the prerequisite ups and downs we’ve come to expect from such movies. It has a formula and sticks to it pretty faithfully. So now you know, and knowing is half…um…nevermind. If you like rom-coms see it. If you don’t, don’t.

MY SCORE: 4/10

Baby Mama

Directed by Michael McCullers.
2008. Rated PG-13, 99 minutes.
Cast:
Tina Fey
Amy Poehler
Sigourney Weaver
Greg Kinnear
Dax Shepard
Romany Malco
Steve Martin

Kate (Fey) hears her biological clock ticking in IMAX quality surround sound. She’s a successful career woman, but at 37, she wants very badly to have a baby. With no man in her life, she tries artificial insemination. After a number of failed attempts she goes through a very special agency that hires Angie (Poehler) to be her surrogate. To say they are different is quite an understatement. Kate is focused and goal-oriented. She’s been steadily climbing the ladder in corporate America. Angie seems to have been, or will be, a guest on “Jerry Springer.” Despite the obvious contrast, Kate is undeterred when she meets Angie and her common-law husband Carl (Shepard).

Their differences between the ladies are supposed to make them a funny pair. It doesn’t. There are moments here and there that are mildly amusing. However, if you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve seen most of them. The ones you haven’t involve Malco as the doorman. Still, there’s only a few of those. He also doubles as Angie’s conscience. Then there’s the running joke about the lady who runs the agency. Played by Sigourney Weaver, the joke is that even though she’s up in age she is pregnant while Kate cannot get that way.

What’s left is the story. Surprisingly, it holds up better than the humor. The twists are effective, throwing the plot in new directions. It adds enough layers to keep things somewhat interesting. Of course, there’s the prerequisite love story. This one is between Kate and Rob (Kinnear). Yes, it includes the expected ups and downs and once a certain thing happens in another part of the story, we can predict what the outcome here will be. Still, all of this is more intriguing than any part of it that tries to make us laugh.

All told, Baby Mama is a light-hearted take on what could be a gravely serious subject. It completely skirts any discussion of ethics, instead using its topic as a springboard for its punchlines. It approaches the class difference between Kate and Angie in the same manner. The movie has its moments, but feels flat in too many places. It isn’t a terrible watch, but it is highly forgettable.

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