Jill Tartar, one of the senior SETI scientists, to discuss her life in the sciences, sexism and what SETI researchers really do. In fact, in preparation for the film, Jodie Foster met with Dr. In Contact, however, Foster is genuine and polite to the people around her, much like successful women really are. Often when women are portrayed as ambitious and career-oriented, they are simultaneously shown as cold, evil, and downright heartless (think Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada). While the majority of the characters are still male, which is understandable in some facets since most of politics and science are still dominated by men, the main staffer at the White House is a woman, and she too plays a strong role in the development of the plot.įor me, the greatest point of this movie is how it shows a female protagonist dedicated to scientific discovery and the fulfillment of her dreams. The film also passes the Bechdel Test in that two women, with names, talk to each other about something other than a man for more than thirty seconds. While there is a side-plot of a relationship with Matthew McConaughey, it’s never the core of the film the crux of the movie is the point where she encounters and believes in something greater than herself. In fact, Ellie’s character explicitly points out that it is not faith that drives her to attempt the transportation machine of the aliens but rather a sense of adventure (a characteristic we should be actively cultivating in young women today). Her excitement for her career and the passion with which she pursues it is admirable, as is her bravery. The focus of the movie is not on how she looks (ninety percent of the movie has her in jeans and a t-shirt with a messy ponytail) but rather on her intense search for truth and scientific discovery. One of the reasons that I think this movie is great for feminists, though, is that Jodie Foster is intelligent and driven. Despite how it sounds, one of the things that I love about this movie is that aliens actually play a very small role in the film mostly this film is about humanity in times of crisis. Ellie wants nothing more than to be the person strapped into the transporter, but she has to battle bureaucracy and sexism to get there. Subsequently, plans for a transportation device are discovered encoded into the radio transmission sent by the aliens, and this unleashes a storm of media, government fear, distrust and discussions about god. In case you don’t remember the plot, here’s a little review: Ellie (Jodie Foster) is a young, brilliant SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) astronomer who listens for extraterrestrial life in New Mexico and, of course, finds it one day. This 1997 film directed by Robert Zemecki’s does have its moments of self-righteous preaching about the nature of truth and life however, it’s far more cerebral consideration of alien visitors makes this 90’s film definitely worth revisiting. Both of the film’s songs mock superficial standards of beauty as well as the mentality surrounding much of the beauty industry with lyrics such as, “You’re cute and fresh and wholesome/but science has a cure/the natural look is nowhere” from the song “Brand New Girl.” For the most part, the film is just what it appears to be, lighthearted camp however, there are some moments of more subtle commentary, particularly in the two musical numbers. The aliens get a makeover and Mac and Geena fall in love, high-jinks and a few musical numbers ensue, and Valerie cuts her ex-boyfriend out of her life and goes for the good guy, Mac.Įveryone in the film is ridiculous, with over-blown stereotypes representing both men and women. The plot however, is pretty straightforward ( click here to watch the trailer): Valerie (Geena Davis) catches her fiancé cheating on her and kicks him out and only a day later, three furry aliens, Mac (Jeff Goldblum), Zeeblo (Damon Wayans) and Wiploc (Jim Carrey), crash land in her pool. After the song was released, Brown actually wrote a screenplay based off the song for a film of the same name and Julien Temple was hired to direct it (be warned, the song itself is pretty out there). “Earth Girls Are Easy” is actually a song written by Julie Brown, the singer, comedian, writer and actress who became famous for her satire in mocking “valley girls” and the superficial character of Los Angeles.
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