According to G.D. Anderson, "Feminism isn't about making women strong. Women are already strong. It's about changing the way the world perceives strength." Inspired by Kamala Harris' historic rise to the second-highest office in the United States, I compiled a list of my seven favourite films in which women show their strength, tenacity and collective power and simultaneously challenge the limits society has imposed on them.
First Wives Club
Year: 1996
The movie stars Diane Keaton as Annie MacDuggan-Paradis, a neurotic housewife with low self-esteem; Goldie Hawn as Elise Eliot-Atchison, an alcoholic actress who was won an Oscar but whose career has gone south and Bette Midler as Brenda Morelli-Cushman, a single mother whose husband has tried to cheat her out of a fair divorce settlement after she spent years supporting him. The scene in which the three women, dressed in white ensembles, singing Lesley Gore's You Don't Own Me as an assertion of their independence from their cheating and manipulative husbands is timeless and definitely one of my all-time favourite cinematic moments.
A League of Their Own
Year: 1992
The plot centers around an all-female baseball team that is challenging entrenched patriarchal ideas about baseball, and by extension the place of women in society, during the Second World War. Geena Davis plays the central character, Dorothy "Dottie" Hinson (#8, catcher/assistant manager), Rosie O'Donnell is bouncer Doris Murphy (#22, third base) and Lori Petty is Dottie's sister, Kit Keller (#23, pitcher). The film also features Madonna in one of her most acclaimed roles, namely "All the Way" Mae Mordabito (#5, center field). This Used to Be My Playground was also featured in the film's closing credits.
9 to 5
Starring: Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton
Year: 1980
One might argue that the film's theme song, composed and sang by national treasure Dolly Parton, is even more famous than the film and definitely one of the most recognizable movie songs of all time. The film follows three women who are fed up with their "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" boss and take matters into their own hands to teach him a lesson - or two. The film stars Jane Fona as Judy Bernly, whose husband has left her for his secretary, compelling her to find a job; Lily Tomlin as Violet Newstead, a widow who has been with the company for 12 years but has been subjected to blatant sexism that has prevented her from moving up and Dolly Parton as Doralee Rhodes, a secretary with an false reputation of sleeping with the boss.
Thelma and Louise
Starring: Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon
Year: 1991
The film is praised for it's portrayal and validation of the female experience and for challenging gender roles. Surely one of the most iconic endings (*spoiler alert*): the two women, who are now fugitives, take their fate into their own hands once and for all by driving off the edge of a cliff. Both Davis and Sarandon earned Best Actress Oscar nominations for their roles. The film also stars a very young Brad Pitt in one of his first movie roles.
The Color Purple
Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Avery and Oprah Winfrey
Year: 1985
The film was an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, which also features on my list of favourite novels of all time. Whoopi Goldberg is remarkable as the film's protagonist, Celie, an African-American woman finds her voice and dignity with the love and healing support of two women. The Color Purple was also Oprah Winfrey's acting debut. She plays Sofia, a strong-willed woman who is later imprisoned for striking the mayor. It was nominated for eleven Academy Awards but didn't win any.
Steel Magnolias
Year: 1989
"Drink the juice, Shelby!"
"I'm not crazy, M'Lynn, I've just been in a very bad mood for 40 years!"
"If you can't say anything nice about anybody, come sit by me."
"Honey, time marches on and eventually you realize it's marchin' across your face."
This film has a plethora of quotable lines that make it easy to watch over and over. It is a feel-good comedy-drama with plenty of Southern charm and the perfect blend of tear-jerking scenes and sassy, laugh-out-loud moments. It explores the importance of love and friendship, particularly between women, throughout the best and worst that life has to offer.
Mona Lisa Smile
Year: 2003
Starring Julia Roberts as free-spirited Katherine Ann Watson who teaches History of Art at a women's liberal arts college, the film explores the importance of choice in women's lives. Roberts tries to get the young women to think differently about their futures since most of them have no aspirations beyond marrying Prince Charming and having children. Needless to say this approach is problematic for some and raises more than a few eyebrows. The film includes a fantastic soundtrack featuring artists such as Celine Dion, Seal, Tori Amos, Elton John, Macy Gray, Chris Isaak and Alison Krauss.
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