The Pink Movie

I generally do not like chick flicks. I find them predictable and so silly that I think they set a bad example for women. Go ahead. Call me a feminist. I like to think I'm just picky. But, what happens in Hollywood that makes film people crank out a pink-tinted movie for each generation?

Before you get all judgy, I L-O-V-E "Grease!" I will watch it every time I see it on TV. But those Pink Ladies - they weren't stupid. They were tough. They didn't take crap from anyone. And while they had their T-Birds, they didn't seem to cling to them. Oh, how I wanted a pink satin jacket! I might still want one. Nothing wrong with these ladies (even the mean part of them - Sandy needed to toughen up! She would have never made it in the "real" world!). 


And in my youth, there was one actress who was all about the pink:

Molly Ringwald did many things for young girls. She made it OK for redheads to wear pink. She was the perfect outsider, trying to get by in world where everyone with money seemed perfect, eventually learning that her life was pretty good. I can't imagine my youth without John Hughes and Ms. Molly. The movies were silly, but I never felt like they were dumbed down. There was no damsel in distress. She did always get the guy she wanted. But I never got the feeling that life would not be OK if she didn't.


Along came the '90s. Dumb girls in pink became the rage.

I have nothing against "Clueless." It's cute and sassy. Side note: I thought every one of those girls might have a movie career. I guess they did, too. But Cher's love of fashion and the color pink were funny in a "Oh, isn't she adorable?" way. Would I want Cher to come to my house and organize my closet? Yes. Would I want Cher to go shopping with me (as long as she had Daddy's credit card)? Yes. Would I call Cher my friend? No.


Last decade, there was one movie that I liked - despite the pink.

Every single one of them is in pink. And at some point in the movie, I hated each one of them. Not because of the color, but because of their behavior. I guess since I haven't been in high school this decade, I wanted to yell at those girls, "None of that matters!" But, I realize that's what the movie was really about. I doubt teenage girls took that from the film. I saw it mainly because of Tina Fey. If she hadn't written that movie, there's a very good chance I would have skipped it.


Oh, one more pink explosion in the 2000s.

Reese Withserspoon is adorable. Love her. But she is so much better than this! I have loved her in serious movies ("Man in the Moon" - if you haven't seen it, do it now). But silly movies like this just seem so commercial, like she figured she could get a decent payday. I want more "Walk The Line" and less chick flick, please.


And, now, here comes another one.

That's Ashley Tisdale. I know she's the girl from "High School Musical." I don't know much about this movie she's shooting, but I can only assume it's about some spoiled girl who has bad things happen to her. Also, I predict lots of sad faces - and I'm not just talking about the moviegoers. 


If Hollywood was a little more responsible for the films it turns out, I might get on board with these movies targeting ladies. But because they keep cranking out mediocre crap (and people keep seeing those movies), it seems to be good enough. I'm not saying you should avoid all of these movies. I'm just saying if you stop and think about what you're paying to see before you decide to waste a few hours in the theater seeing a movie with a predictable start, middle and end, we'll get better choices. 


And maybe, the actresses will branch out and wear a color other than pink.