hollywoodtone.blogspot.com A feminist review of the Anchoman movies
hollywoodtone.blogspot.com A feminist review of the Anchoman movies
Anchorman has become a cult movie because of its inexhaustible quotability and impossible silliness. But there is something else about this cult that has not been tapped on enough: its feminist social commentary.
Although it is not perfect and very often throws around a racist or ableist joke, dissecting it in a feminist perspective can be quite an eye-opener to fans of the films. Both Anchorman movies (‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’ and ‘Anchorman: The Legend Continues’) humorously tackle the issue of diversity in the work place in the seventies and early eighties. The first movie deals exclusively with the introduction of women in a broadcast newsroom, a place notoriously known as sexist and misogynist. Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) arrives at anchorman Ron Burgundy’s (Will Ferrell) kingdom, where he is adored and hailed by his very odd (all male) news team. Corningstone is immediately aware of the issues that surround her by simply working there. She says it is the same in every newsroom she has ever worked in and unfortunately, she did not expect it to change. But while Burgundy and his clowns focus on bullying and hitting on Corningstone, she follows news leads, cultivates her career and practices her ‘non-regional diction’. She rejects each and every one of the men that hit on her without batting an eyelash. The pathetic attempts to lure her into a sexual relationship are pretty funny (“Would you like to come to a pants party?”) and her rebuffs are determined. Does Anchorman condone this kind of behaviour in the workplace? The pathetic way men are portrayed implies that the movie is mercilessly poking fun at men who see women’s bodies as their right, as opposed to giving a thumbs up to workplace harassment. Corningstone quickly falls in love with Burgundy and their relationship portrays the power struggle between professional man and woman. They both share the dream of being a national anchor and Corningstone is direct about her aspirations. Yet Burgundy, as sexist as he is, tells Corningstone he thought her career ambitions were ‘a joke’. But she comes out on top: she becomes the first local news female anchor which effectively ends their relationship because he is threatened by her success. But she holds her own: her career is more important to her than her love interest. As their relationship ends, the bullying of Corningstone commences. The movie then shows men losing their power: now that Corningstone is a star women in the office start lashing out against harassment and sexism. Now they stick together and help Corningstone eventually remove Burgundy from anchor status (“Go fuck yourself, San Diego!”) One brilliant scene is when Corningstone is about to anchor for the first time and her boss won’t let her go on because she is a woman. She asks: “Mr. Harken, this city needs its news. And you are going to deprive them of that because I have breasts? Exquisite breasts? Now, I am gonna go on, and if you want to try and stop me, bring it on. Because I am good at three things: Fighting, screwing, and reading the news. I've already done one of those today, so what's the other one gonna be? Huh?” The men in the newsroom whine: women have realized we treat them badly and now they won’t let us harass them/talk down to them/screw them! Wah! It surprised me to see that they were mocking male privilege. Eventually there is a fairy tale ending. But not without Corningstone coming out on top (and banishing the ‘bros before hos’ thing that is rampant in the newsroom). The second Anchorman movie also contains clever social commentary but there are many scenes that can be considered problematic. After losing his job to his wife and breaking up his marriage because he can’t handle her success (there is a brilliant bit where Corningstone tells him her career is just as important as his), Burgundy is hired by a 24-hour news channel where he is in for a shocking journey. Tackling diversity once again, Linda Jackson (Meagan Good) is introduced as Burgundy’s boss – she is a black woman. He does not react to this well. In an obvious reference to Austin Powers, when Burgundy meets Jackson he can’t stop saying the word ‘black’ right in her face. Later on, when Burgundy and Jackson are romantically involved, he embarrasses himself by trying to talk ‘black’ with her family. He’s that white guy trying to get a black stamp of approval by using expressions like ‘big mama’ and ‘my man’. Needless to say Jackson’s family is livid. The scene itself is uncomfortable and undoubtedly racist but the joke is on Burgundy (and other white people who feel like emulating black culture makes them earn some kind of approval) for being so wilfully ignorant to treat people of colour like caricatures. Jackson’s character could fit the ‘angry black woman’ stereotype because she stands her ground and orders Burgundy and the rest of the (predominantly white male) newsroom. But then, isn’t it empowering to see a black woman assert her power (professionally and sexually) over white men? Burgundy and others seem to be scared of her but she is not portrayed as annoying, overbearing or unreasonable. She’s actually the smart one. But despite this focus on racism and sexism, the movie is deeply ableist: Steve Carrell’s mentally challenged character, Brick Tamland, and idiot savant, is a successful person but his mentally challenged routine is constantly laughed at. Although Corningstone and Jackson are two strong female characters who defy the white male supremacy of the 70s and 80s, its ableist jokes are retrograde and offensive. Women are well-represented but how are we to understand the Brick Tamland storyline? Is he just silly or an affront to mentally disabled people? Despite their problematic aspects these movies are hilarious – I really couldn’t stop laughing. It's silly and quotable ("By the hymen of Olivia Newton John!") and direct proof that comedy can be used intelligently; it's just a shame that parts of it are very ableist. Disclaimer: I am not a person of colour or mentally disabled and I do not claim to speak for either group.
hollywoodtone.blogspot.com A feminist review of the Anchoman movies