The sorry state of masculinity in American movies

This article from The Times online (Christopher Goodwin) discusses how more feminine 'geeky' stars such as Michael Cera are proving to be popular representations of masculinity in cinema in contrast to more traditional men, such as John Wayne. I will quote extracts however the full article can be read here:
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article3805205.ece

"Films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up and Superbad - all from the production stable of Judd Apatow - show that the young male box-office stars of today’s romantic comedies are goofy schlubs and nerds.

As unlikely as it seems, actors such as Jason Segel (Sarah Marshall), Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) and Michael Cera and Jonah Hill (Superbad) now define the paradigm of a Hollywood romantic lead. Cary Grant they are not. They’re not even Hugh Grant. They may know the appeal of sex, but they have no sex appeal.

The triumph of the schlub wouldn’t be so significant if the young actors Hollywood is now pushing in dramas and action movies had anything like the masculine heft we have come to expect from our celluloid heroes. It’s hard to think of a male find under 40 who has the innate, old-fashioned ability to project “manliness” as a natural quality without the aid of steroid-boosted biceps.

Where are today’s equivalents of the actors Hollywood once offered as symbols of effortless masculinity - John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Gregory Peck, William Holden, Burt Lancaster, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood? Who even is there to step into the shoes of Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson or Bruce Willis?



[Michael Cera]
Of course, the celluloid images of masculinity offered by Hollywood have always been affected by wider social and cultural factors. It wasn’t surprising that the late Charlton Heston - righteous, upstanding, iron-jawed, steel-framed - became such an important screen icon during the early years of the cold war, or that the steroid-enhanced musculature of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone defined masculinity as the cold war was coming to a close. As Robert Griswold, author of The Flabby American, says: “Cold wars could not be fought with soft bodies.”

So, what do modern Hollywood’s images of masculinity tell us about maleness today? Some suggest it is a belated response to feminism. Ted Friedman, author of Electric Dreams: Computers in American Culture, suggests that the emergence of the schlub and geek as heroes “has to do with the rising influence of technology”, whereas, he says, “when I was in high school, to be a nerd or a geek was just shameful and not valued”.

Not everyone bemoans the evident lack of masculinity of the emerging stars. “Even Segel’s physique is refreshing,” says Dana Stevens, of the online magazine Slate. “He’s the first leading man in recent memory who’s actually built like most men I know.”

But do we really want our Hollywood movie stars to be like anyone we know?"





Comment:

I think the image I found above really summarises the point of the article. Films in the past few years have represnted a different type of man to that traditionally portrayed in cinema. The stars of todays films are geeky, sensitive and a representation of the 'metrosexual' 21st century man, a representation of the more average man. In years gone by women would cite they wanted a husband like Brad Pitt, however it seems likely that men such as Cera or Seth Rogan would measure up to that, because the element of comedy in these roles can't be overlooked.


Like many other recent male representations in media (Jackass, Balls of steel) many of these actors roles focus on getting laughs out of the audience, you are almost made feel sorry for Cera in films such as Juno, and his feminine 'softness'. The ladies love them not because they are tough or perhaps sexy, the focus is on their ability to be sensitive and emotional, and this appeals to female audiences, and the comedy factor (laughing-at-not-with) makes these films appealing to a male audience also. Unlike Jackass, I doubt male fans of Cera's work are laughing with him, more at him. More and more films are turning away from representing 'true' male hero's with bulging bicep ts, because producers recognise that is not what appeals to women anymore, and that 'bro-mance' homosocial films are selling well.


The article highlights how masculinity is no longer represented by men such as John Wayne, but questions whether the celebration of feminine guy-next-door men is really wanted. Actors such as Cera are appreciated in rom-com or comedy films, but no one would could cast him for the Die-Hard films or to be the next Bond... these types of films reflect that mainstream American audiences have accepted these representations of men as genuine and appealing, but the comedy aspect shows there is still a fine line between being a 'sensitive man' and a 'sissy'.