I was really looking forward to seeing Monster House. It's received some great reviews, the preview was funny and scary, and I really like haunted houses as a rule.
Parts of the movie were really great. The animation, the scary haunted house, the girl lead, the babysitter. It was truly scary in a way kids movies haven't been in awhile. But, the stereotypes really got me down. Here's what bugged me:
- The backstory. One day a skinny man falls in love with the "fat woman" at a carnival. People laugh at her and throw stuff at her. He takes her away and builds her a home. When kids come around and laugh and throw stuff at her, she goes crazy, attacks them, and then falls into the foundation pit and is covered with cement. The fat lady becomes, then, the evil house who eats children. Yuck. Why did she have to be a carnival fat lady? The house itself was so cool. It was cool enough to exist without the backstory.
- The best friend was, of course, the goofy fat kid.
- The absolute worst part of the movie was the pair of police officers. Guess what? The African-American one? He's the goofy one who shakes and trembles when entering the house. Ugh.
So, tell me, friends...am I reading too much into a silly kids movie?
7 comments:
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Similarly, the stereotypes in R.L. Stine's new Rotten School series are just about too much...except that EVERY character is stereotyped (and the setting, and the plot), so none appear to be singled out.
Difference is, with these books in my classroom I can have this conversation with every child who reads them. Whole movie theaters of kids will come and go and most will leave without anyone holding up a lens to focus what they just saw. Sad.
And am I the only one who found the latest "Pirates of the Carribean" to be full of the racism the first movie lacked? I liked the film but it left a sour taste in my mouth, that's for sure.
You're so right, Mary Lee. I really struggled with what to tell my kids after watching the movie!
I haven't seen Pirates, Fuse. Either one, I must admit. But, I wouldn't be surprised if the racism were there!
For the record, I think you're spot on with your thoughts.
It's funny the things that just get entered into the public consciousness as "normal." And I know I bug all the kids I know, but I do try and point stuff like this out. It's important!!!
I think you read the perfect amount into it.
Whenever I point out similar stereotypes to parents, their usual response is, "I get what you're saying, but I don't think children notice it." Ugh! Of course they notice it! Unfortunately, they don't notice it as a "stereotype" but as "the way things are."
Stereotypes, basically, are used by lazy writers.
- Jay
P.S. I noticed the same thing about Pirates. It's especially noticeable in the scene involving the two large wooden spheres the men get trapped in. One sphere contains mostly white men while the other is more "diverse." And we're supposed to root for the white sphere.
"The fat lady becomes, then, the evil house who eats children."
Ooooooooh... So it's a girl house!
Now the trailer finally makes sense. :D
You have spoken my mind here, thank you. These are the precise things I objected to when I first saw it, but couldn't find the words for at the time. My kids, however, loved the movie and my husband later bought the DVD for them; my 13 year old picked it up today and decided to play it, which is what prompted me to do an online search for criticisms about the sexist, anti-fat and otherwise oppressive undertones. I'm not going to forbid my kids to watch it or anything, but your thoughts have given me the tools to have an open, thought-provoking conversation about those issues. Thank you!
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