Viva La Differance!
Bernard Chapin | CHICAGO! USA | 07/02/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This was not the type of movie that I thought I would enjoy. In the beginning scene, when I saw women in line celebrating the main character's work with "Dump Him Now" t-shirts, I was tempted to hit "stop." Yet, there is a wonderful humaneness about this film that makes me warmly recommend it. Specifically, the main character, Amy, has written one of those "oh-so-trendy" books for women suggesting that "you-don't-need-him/you're-good-as-you-are-girl." In the midst of her independence tour, she finds out that much of what she thought about sexual relations is totally incorrect.
For those who feel uneasy about the DVD cover and its description, let me clearly state that it is a fair movie and definitely not a feminist one. Even the title of her book is tongue in cheek, "Why Love Doesn't Work" is as about as much a caricature as it gets. There are numerous politically incorrect elements in the film such as her fantasizing about getting raped, and when her publicist says that her book will reach all the women in need of self-help in America, "which is basically every woman in America." The publicist also calls the organizers of a million mom march, "a bunch of bleeding heart c--t feminists." Amy also informs us "the truth is, women hate each other."
There's nothing self-righteous about this movie. Every individual has flaws regardless of their genitalia, and nowadays, in the face of such widespread misandry in the entertainment industry, men must take notice and be relieved by what we have here. As a character, Amy is vulnerable, likable, and legitimate. She is also smart and able to question the dogma she was raised with, while possessing the skills necessary to discover what life's really about. She's someone that everybody can relate to at some level. The main male character, Matthew Star, has some unbelievable lines, and he's isn't inferior in any way. There's something about him that makes you giggle and relate whenever he's onscreen. Star's just a good guy and there's nothing metrosexual about him.
There is a great deal of believability in the film such as when Amy trots out the tired and often heard argument that "women who achieve have more to bring into a relationship," but achievement has absolutely nothing to do with a man's attraction to a woman. It's silly and based on fantasy instead of reality. I have to say that this movie stands athwart the social construction of gender and validates the view of innate biological differences between the sexes. Even if it were not so fun, humorous, and entertaining, that would be reason enough to recommend it without reservation.
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