Guy Flicks

[HumnHilghtFreel]

Originally Posted by vaticanplum

Ok, I've been avoiding this because I suspect the can of worms regarding definition here is a bottomless one, but how in the world is Shawshank a guy movie? I can see excessively violent films, I can see female booty films or flatulence-centric films if I must give up a definition (even if I don't necessarily agree with it), but Shawshank is just a brilliant, complex and deeply philosophical film. Maybe the relationships are male-based, true, but their humanness trumps that, I think. To me that is pretty much a quintessential human movie, not a guy one.

I wouldn't call it a guy movie either. For prison based guy movies/shows, I'd refer to something like HBO's Oz.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by vaticanplum

Ok, I've been avoiding this because I suspect the can of worms regarding definition here is a bottomless one, but how in the world is Shawshank a guy movie? I can see excessively violent films, I can see female booty films or flatulence-centric films if I must give up a definition (even if I don't necessarily agree with it), but Shawshank is just a brilliant, complex and deeply philosophical film. Maybe the relationships are male-based, true, but their humanness trumps that, I think. To me that is pretty much a quintessential human movie, not a guy one.

Perhaps it's because there are hardly any female roles in the movie. Like Cool Hand Luke or Glengarry Glen Ross. Otherwise, I agree with you. And, boy, did that movie get screwed at Oscar time thanks to Forrest Gump.

[Yachtzee]

Originally Posted by vaticanplum

Ok, I've been avoiding this because I suspect the can of worms regarding definition here is a bottomless one, but how in the world is Shawshank a guy movie? I can see excessively violent films, I can see female booty films or flatulence-centric films if I must give up a definition (even if I don't necessarily agree with it), but Shawshank is just a brilliant, complex and deeply philosophical film. Maybe the relationships are male-based, true, but their humanness trumps that, I think. To me that is pretty much a quintessential human movie, not a guy one.

Just because a movie may have some layers to it doesn't take it out of the "guy" movie classification for me. At it's core, Shawshank has the same theme as all war movies, prison movies and Rocky movies. It's about a guy put into a seemingly impossible to escape situation (prison) faced with seemingly all-powerful adversaries (Boggs, the Guards, the Warden) and using his own cunning and skill to overcome his situation and his adversaries without losing his mind. Any relationships or male bonding are really secondary to the main theme. The important goal of the movie wasn't that Andy and Red became friends. It was that Andy was able to escape prison without prison defeating him. That's one of the classic themes of a guy movie in my book. Contrast this with Bang the Drum Slowly or Brian's Song, both of which I find to be more "human" films or almost "chick" flicks because the focus on the movie is the "relationship." Even war movies and movies about team sports, where you have a group of guys working together, the movie is about the platoon or the team overcoming adversity, rather than some complex look at the relationships among the members of the team.

Of course, much of this is me trying to justify something that I really just feel. My real litmus test is my mother-in-law. She loves "chick flicks" (especially Jane Austin period pieces), does enjoy most "neutral" movies, and hates any kind of "guy" movie. So if she doesn't have time for a movie I like, I mark it down as a "guy" movie. Shawshank is one of them.

[cincinnati chili]

Brokeback Mountain... Midnight Cowboy... My Own Private Idaho...

What? Oh, you said GUY movies.

[GAC]

Originally Posted by vaticanplum

Ok, I've been avoiding this because I suspect the can of worms regarding definition here is a bottomless one, but how in the world is Shawshank a guy movie?

The prison laundry scenes with Andy.

[GAC]

Would The Descent be considered a Gal flick?

[TylerScottDavis]

I thought "The Departed" was pretty good and my wife declared it was a "guy film" about half way through.

[GAC]

I didn't let my wife watch The Departed. The solution to various situations was to splatter the man's brains all over the back wall. I didn't want to put any ideas in her head.