So we saw the movie “Wanted” (with Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy) downtown on Friday and it was pretty entertaining, if you like chase scenes. I won’t describe it in detail or give spoilers, but something that bugged me about it (and is a common action movie theme) is that a huge portion of the plot hung on James McAvoy’s character not “knowing who he is” because he didnt’ know his father. It never mentioned his mother or what efforts she might have taken to raise her son with a sense of self. This idea that one’s father must be present in order to know who you are would be fine if it rang true (at least in the media) about mothers as well. Thoughts?
The focus on his missing relationship with his father is there because he is a male character. It is normal for a character, as in real life, to identify with the parent of the same gender. This is why in films geared directly towards women, the main characters work on their relationships with their mothers or other female mentors (The Devil Wears Prada, for example). There are exceptions, of course, but as a rule this is how things work.
He goes on to replace and eventually supersede his father – this son replacing father theme also plays itself out for mothers/daughters when the genders are swapped.
The lack of focus on his mother doesn’t mean much other than the screenwriter wanted to direct the audience’s attention to the internal conflict that is driving the hero.
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sexist? jesus christ, how contrived! You’re definitely searching here! lol
Wow, David. What an insightful response. How about telling me why you think my conclusion about the movie is contrived?