I'm all for Nancy Drew. I'mfor the homemade Butterick pattern skirts, the oldtimey detective methods, the obeying of the speedlimit, the curiosity, the sweetness. I like NancyDrew.
I like the optionof Nancy Drew.
And after reading somereviews for Nancy Drew, the newest big screenadaptation of the 75-year-old girl detective Ithought, OK. I get it. You people like Nancy Drew too.And, yes, I see that compared to Paris, Britney andLindsay (sorry, but they're dragged into the equation,as always), this literary creation namedNancy Drew, this straight arrow with homespun,traditional values is good medicine for impressionabletweens.
Wait a second. Goodmedicine? God, don't make me hate NancyDrew.
Though many reviewers foundthe film tedious, for a few, it was just enough thatour Miss Drew wasn't presented as a cell phoneaddicted teen clad in skinny jeans and tiny tees. Ah,yes. Kudos to the screenwriters for notupdating our Nancy in Joe Francis's image. Mygoodness, we could have had "Nancy Drew and the Caseof the Missing Beer Bong" on our hands.
What annoys me is theslight hysteria I'm reading in these reviews that, inthe worst case, have created mythological moviescontaining the supposed intent of turning sweet girlsinto future streetwalkers. Specifically, Ken Fox of TVGuide writes: "The movie's refusal to treat younggirls like silly tramps-in-training is almost radical:It's just good, clean fun and actually offers childrenof a certain age a role model even adults can feelgood about."
Aside from making NancyDrew sound like a movie I would have hated when Iwas 12 (give me Jodie Foster in Freaky Friday, DianaLynn in The Major and the Minor or NataliePortman in The Professional any day of theweek) exactly what movies aimed at girls are treatingyoung women like "tramps-in training?"Unless I missed the part where Heidi Fleiss and IvanNagy crashed the slumber party in UptownGirls, I don't remember slut boot camp in TheSisterhood of the Traveling Pants, NewYork Minute or MeanGirls.
And here's a newsflash mostfathers probably don't want to hear (apologies todads, and so close to Father's Day): In addition toreading Charlotte's Web and talking abouthorses, little girls like so-called trampystuff. They like tarting up their Barbie Dolls (youthink it's fun dressing Barbie in pantsuits andsensible shoes?). They also like dunking them inwater, burning their hair with lighters and runningover Ken with their Dream-Vettes. My sister and Iplayed with multiple personality Barbie, demonicpossession Barbie, shut in Barbie and Bea ArthurBarbie. Like other regular, multifaceted girls, ourBarbies had issues.
I get that critics aredispensing parental tips, and that for a family movietargeted at girls, they find it necessary to discusshow the young ladies are portrayed. But I worry howmuch of people's "moral" outrage and flat out hatredfor Paris Hilton (a disturbing vitriol, the internetequivalent of a bloodthirsty lynch mob) is spreadingto the reviewing of films. For some, NancyDrew is one step in a hope that girls will beginacting like decent little ladies again. Because youknow, if they taste any adventure in life, if they goa little wild, they might grow up to becomeincarcerated hotel heiress's with a sex tape.
Please. Give girlssome credit.
Now excuse me while I gowatch Avenging Angel.
Read Kim Morgan at