Last Sunday, after months of anticipation, my friend Michelle and I attended a screening of Angelina Jolie’s new action-packed film, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
As the film’s closing credits rolled across the screen, Michelle sat silently in her seat with a smile on her face and stated simply: “I’m in love with Angelina Jolie.”
Apparently, she’s not alone.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, based on the popular video games series, opened to the tune of $47.7 million. The film, in which Jolie plays the tough yet vulnerable Lara Croft, also captured the number one spot at the box office and set the record for the largest opening weekend of a film with a female driven cast. The previous record holder: a campy film called Charlie’s Angels.”
Of course many members of the media attribute the success of films like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Charlie’s Angels to their strong appeal to male viewers. Josh Chetwynd, a reporter for USA TODAY, wrote on June 18: “In large part, Paramount can thank men for [Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’s] robust ticket sales; they made up 55 percent of the audiences. Throngs of male viewers were expected because of the film’s action scenes and Jolie’s appeal.”
Which leads me to this question: What exactly enticed the other viewers, the 45 percent female, to attend screenings of the film?
Perhaps to find the answer to this question we must return to the statement made by my friend Michelle after seeing Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. As a working hypothesis, let us assume that maybe, just maybe, we are all in love with Angelina Jolie.
Surprised? Let me explain.
During my 25 years as a woman, I have come to understand that a woman’s expression of admiration far exceeds that of any man. So while I have never had a male friend turn to me after a movie and say, “I’m in love with Tom Cruise,” I can barely keep count of how many women have confessed their secret “crushes” on actresses like Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts and Jennifer Lopez.
What draws everyday women – the housewives, the students, the professionals, to these screen icons? What makes us exclaim, “I’m in love with Angelina Jolie”?
Well, perhaps one of the main draws for all moviegoers to screen stars like Jolie and Roberts is their ability to combine talent with unabashed sexuality.
As a woman, living in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, sexuality can often be elusive. We live in a society that demands certain behaviors from us. At work, we are professionals. At home, we are mothers, sisters and daughters. In the real world, we are rarely allowed to be the “sex symbol.” Oddly, watching our favorite stars emerge from these social constraints can be quite liberating.
Think of this year’s golden girl, Julia Roberts. As the sexy, foul-mouthed, bustier clad Erin Brockovich, she received her first Academy Award and earned the praises of female moviegoers across the country. Roberts had not garnered such critical acclaim since her Oscar nominated portrayal of a sassy hooker turned Cinderella in Pretty Woman.
However, while sex appeal may often be enough to draw in a male audience (case in point: Pamela Anderson Lee – a male fantasy that is completely intangible in a female world.), the female audience finds this to only be one miniscule component of a larger picture.
Perhaps the other piece of the puzzle relates directly to the characters our favorite actresses decide to portray. For all intent and purposes, we demand that our leading ladies, well, lead. We want to see them play empowered women with attitude – women like Erin Brockovich who, quite frankly, kick butt. In fact, many films with the right cast and a weak storyline can float on the concept of girl-power alone.
The success of films like Charlie’s Angels (does anyone remember the plot behind that film?) and Sandra Bullock’s Miss Congeniality (a tomboy FBI agent goes undercover as a beauty contestant?) largely relates to casting women in roles traditionally played by men. These actresses, through the characters they portray, represent to us the ability to go toe to toe in a man’s world and come out on top.
So what does this all add up to?
In the roles of tough talking, smart, sexy women, stars like Roberts and Jolie aspire to a level that is not so easily attained outside of Hollywood. On film, they become a “super female” of sort, doing and saying everything that is socially unacceptable in the real world while making no apologies for their behavior. They inspire us to wonder: Can I be smart and sexy at the same time? Can I be tough, empowered, uncompromising in my views without scaring all the men away? Can I have it all?
In real life, the answer to these questions is at best up for debate. However, at a Julia Roberts or a Sandra Bullock film, the answer will always be a resounding yes.
And perhaps, all working hypotheses aside, that is exactly why we dig them.
She Said!
At Newport Mall in Jersey City, the Current surveyed 50 women and asked them this question: Is it possible for a woman to have a non-sexual “crush” on a female movie star?
80%: Yes
20%: No
We also asked which actresses inspired their adoration and why. Answers ranged from Angela Bassett to Vivian Leigh.v Here are the top 5:
1. Julia Roberts
2. Sandra Bullock
3. Jennifer Lopez
4. Angelina Jolie
5. Halle Berry v Julia Roberts: “She is powerful on screen and off-screen.” Anonymous, 21, of Jersey City
Sandra Bullock: “She is a strong, independent woman.”- Maria Freire, 34, of Manhattan
Jennifer Lopez: “I have to support my Hispanic women. It’s hard to make it in the business. She’s one of the few. And she’s beautiful.” – Evita Diaz, 20, of Jersey City.
On Angelina Jolie: “She’s powerful, strong and independent.” – Krystle R., 15, of Manhattan.
On Halle Berry: ” She is powerful, has business savvy and makes wise choices.” – Anonymous, 29, of Jersey City