Mamma Mia!: Feminist Creative Power on Film

I've been following the press leading up to the opening of Mamma Mia! this week and I have to say, while there have been some negative reviews (and I will be very interested to see if it is mostly guys who hate the film), the overall tenor of the press has been much kinder than it was to Sex and City. There are no nasty articles about any of the women's appearances, or the shallowness of American women for liking the film.

Some of the reviewers have questioned Streep for taking on this type of "light" role, but she has embraced it wholeheartedly, and clearly enjoyed the experience of working with an all female team.

So I can't help but wonder, did we conquer film sexism in the last month? Are women's movies going to be welcomed differently because of how nasty the treatment of SATC? Why is it that this movie -- the second one this summer -- which seems poised to have women getting ready to see it with friends and daughters alike getting different treatment?

One reason I think is that most of the critics and blogger are distracted this weekend. When SATC opened it was the dominant film on its weekend (and we don't like women to be dominant at anything); Mamma Mia! will be counter programming against the Batman flick.

But I am still wondering -- is Mamma Mia! less threatening to the movie industry and the culture than Sex and the City was? Is it that Sex and the City had, well, sexy women and sex while asking some serious questions about our culture, while Mamma Mia! comes off as a fun musical about a wedding?

The irony is that this fun musical about a wedding bucks every Hollywood convention, and it makes Mamma Mia one of the most feminist movies of the year. Way more feminist than SATC. It's got women power -- mature women power-- written all over it.

• All the creatives are women over 50.
  
• It stars women
• Is written by a woman -- Catherine Johnson
• Is directed by a woman -Phyllida Lloyd
• Is produced by a woman -- Judy Craymer.
  

And, it's already a success overseas having made $24 million since its release a couple of weeks ago.

I think its going to open pretty big here. Hopefully at least $25 million this weekend. It already has a built in audience (just like SATC), the show has been running on Broadway for years, has played all over the world, and Abba has got to be the world's most well known band.

It's amazing that Universal Pictures gave these women the power they did to make this film, but not surprisingly, it was another woman, Donna Langley, the president of production at Universal who made the call to trust these women.

Here's some great info on the film's history from a recent NY Times piece:

Ms. Craymer said that she hadn't been trying to make a feminist point when she first enlisted Ms. Johnson and Ms. Lloyd to help realize her notion of an ABBA musical or when she started hiring people for the film. But somehow, as she sought to fill the movie crew with others who "got" the Mamma Mia! factor, she ended up with even more women, including the production designer, Maria Djurkovic; the costume designer, Ann Roth; and the editor Lesley Walker.

Ms. Lloyd agreed that "the female team thing" resulted from "personality and talent rather than, 'Oh, we're going to have an all-girls team.' " But, she added, "I think it was fundamental." And she reminded Ms. Craymer of something that happened when they first started thinking about the show: "I remember you saying that you asked Benny and Bjorn what they felt about having a woman director, and they actually said they actively liked collaborating with women." Ms. Lloyd went on to surmise that the men's Scandinavian ease with women in positions of power informed the whole project.

So I guess it's progress that this film has escaped the sexist overtone of Sex and the City. But I'm still wondering why Sex rubbed people so badly.

The Mamma Mia Factor Times Three (NY Times); photo credit: Fred R.Conrad/ NY Times; from left to right: Catherine Johnson, Phyllida Law, Judy Craymer

Cross posted on Women & Hollywood

Comments

[JamesRiddle]

If I were a feminist the last thing I would do is highlight this thudding dreck as an example of anything. I'd run away in embarrasment. Congratualtions, we now know woman can produce disposable crap on the same par as men.

[AshleyVanBuren]

I think there's a crossover demographic between both Dark Knight and Mamma Mia! I know I'm not the only woman under 35 or even under 30 that has an interest in seeing both films this weekend.

The feminism at work behind the scenes on this film is evident, but don't forget there were also some great feminist men that helped shepherd the film to the screen, namely Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman at Playtone.

As for the question of conquering sexism, that remains to be seen, since it has been a summer of men & boys: Iron Man, Batman, Hancock, Hellboy, Step Brothers ...

[LeBelAge]

Saw this is London. Loved this film. Run don't walk to see it.

Interesting observations about Mamma Mia!'s treatment. Men in and out of the film world were both threatened by the potential success of SATC. You would think with the media's reaction to SATC that the world was coming to end end with a film geared towards women. Oh heaven forbid that not all films are male-focused.

Mamma Mia has the potential to earn big money. That's two women focused films this summer to do well.

I wish I could believe that this would magically change the movie studios attitude toward making more women centered films with women in charge, but despite the prospect of big money it seems even that out-weights the superficial psychological need of male supremacy.

[Nichelle]

The difference here is Mamma Mia appeals to people who have seen the musical(I didn't), people who love ABBA,(I don't) people who love Meryl Streep (I DO). If even one out of the three is a big factor, then Mamma Mia will do well. The only bad thing is that is up against The Dark Knight.

[swift_goat_pet_for_truth]

Mamma Mia.... Dark Knight....

Rather different demographics, I would think.

[Skylarstar]

Different demographics.....not at all. I'm looking forward to seeing both movies.

[3rdCitizen]

If the 'Sex and the City' movie and an ABBA musical are the current representatives of feminism in this country, then say good-bye to Roe-v-Wade, gender pay equality, increased insurance coverage & medical research for women's health issues, more women in positions of real power, and pretty much the whole immediate future of the feminist movement in the U.S. And Rush Limbaugh's puerile remarks weren't even necessary.

[RedDogBear]

You've got to be kidding me. Mama Mia is a feminist movie? Well if you think SATC is then, sure why not. Perhaps from the stand point of women who work in the film industry these films are a step forward. Its nice that women have the chance to make the same crappy movies that have been given to us by men for so long. But call me crazy, I would actually like a feminist movie to be about REAL women and perhaps have a feminist theme or two. Not women who believe that the sum goal of life is to get married and be a good consumer who can get your rich husband to build her a custom closet filled with designer clothes. Juno, for example, was much closer to my idea of a feminist movie. A female lead dealing with real problems with strength and wit who actually seemed like someone you might meet in the real world.

[hippynanainblingland]

Though I haven't seen Juno, and don't plan to see it, my understanding is that it was about a teen mother-to-be deciding to keep and raise her baby... yes, indeed, quite feminist! Great role model for other teens! More like anti-feminist propaganda, seems to me. But then, as I stated above, I haven't seen it.

[mexamerican]

exactly. calling this garbage "feminist" means having to redefine what feminism is: shallow, consumerist, romantic bilge.

[tinkaboutit]

Where are the meninist movies? Men have rights too.

[RedDogBear]

Yes!! Exactly! Where are the movies directed by MEN? The movies produced by MEN? The movies with strong MALE leads?! The... oh, uhm, .... never mind,...