Cult Classic Series: The Ambiguous Queerness of Female Friendship in Buddy Films
Cinema Femme will be bringing you essays written by women and non-binary people about films that are cult classics and how they are impacting our world today. Today we feature an essay by contributor Robyn Bacon (The Light Leaks, Film Daze). For women, close female friendships are usually the first type of relationship — outside […]
Pouring myself a cup of ambition: ‘9 to 5’ meets #MeToo
Feature posted November 2019, bringing our feature back for Dolly Parton’s birthday! Before #MeToo there was “9 to 5.” It wasn’t a hashtag, but it was a movement nonetheless. Dolly Parton wrote the song “9 to 5”, which shared the same title of the film, and it opened the movie. The song has become an […]
‘Clueless’ broke down barriers and paved the way for today’s comedies
At the end, “Clueless” is both reflective and ahead of its time. It implants the image of the modern woman of the nineties, rebelling against the clean-shaven stereotypical second-wave feminists and paving the way for women of the fourth-wave feminist, who unlike their predecessors were able to subvert the gaze completely by liberating from the gender and sexual spectrum. Despite resistance, the atmosphere right now is more welcoming than ever for a female-led comedy that does not fear the sexual power of its funny lead actress.
‘Girls Trip’: a dose of Black Girl Magic
“Girls Trip” is a film that highlights and celebrates Black womanhood in a variety of forms. This includes a honour roll call of Black excellence with people like Iyanla Vanzant, Mariah Carey, Mike Epps, Terry McMillan, Morris Chestnut, Estelle, Common, Ne-Yo, and Ava DuVernay who specifically talks about “Black Girl Magic”; DuVernay says, “It feels like a reminder, a rallying call, a term of endearment.” “Girls Trip” is all about the journey that is “Black Girl Magic.”
How I learned to stop worrying and have Melissa McCarthy in ‘Bridesmaids’ slap some sense in to me
The first time I watched “Bridesmaids” (2011), I remember laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe, specifically during the bathroom scene where the pristine atmosphere of a dress store filled with elegance and the hope of everlasting love is cut down by the brutal aftermath of food poisoning.
‘The Office’: A Comedy of Love
There is a rare moment of character revelation, in the popular American sitcom (first adapted from the original British show) “The Office,” when Michael Scott, says this about Pam, the office’s secretary: “I would never say this to her face, but she is a wonderful person and a gifted artist.” Shortly after, his coworker Oscar […]
The Bend and Snap, works every time: an essay on ‘Legally Blonde’
Elle Woods spent so much of her life playing by the rules that had been laid out for her, bending under the weight of what society wanted her to be. Until finally, she snapped and became who she wanted herself to be. For generations, women have been bending under societal pressures and conforming to the rules men have laid out for them, until they all finally snap and start walking their own path in life, and that’s when we all truly shine. Because if there’s one thing that we all learned from “Legally Blonde,” it’s that the “Bend and Snap” works every time.
Chosen ‘Family’
Family is about the lengths you will go to listen and hear others, not just the blood bonds that you have. Kate and Maddie are each other’s chosen family, and that is poignant.
‘Booksmart’: Class of Gen Z
Throw a reunion if you’ve graduated within the last ten years because “Booksmart” is the most accurate depiction of what it’s like to be a high schooler in the 2010s.
Cinema Femme Comedy Issue — Editor’s Letter
With our fifth issue, the Comedy issue, we wanted to honor and celebrate iconic films and TV shows that have changed the face of comedy. There has been so many strong, hilarious, and female-led films that have come out recently, including “Booksmart,” “Family,” “Being Frank,” “Sword of Trust,” “The Farewell,” “About A Donkey,” “Knives and […]