Rant against racist chick flicks (aka: why the hell is Jennifer Lopez white in Back Up Plan?)

[calmenda]

I’m going to use the R word. Yes, that freakin’ R word; a distant cousin of the race card. If there was ever a way to make mainstream America roll their eyes at you it’s by pointing out a very obvious truth: Hollywood seems to hate latinos. There, I said it.

Clearly, I’m being dramatic with my statement but let me elaborate.

Comments

A little late to the party, but

[smartorialist]

I agree heartily... your analysis was spot on.

Ethnic performers should NOT have non-ethnic on screen parentage without story explanation period because it will inevitably confuse and or upset both sides of the matter. I would have no issue with Chloe's family being white if it had been explained that at some interval in Chloe's early life she had been adopted by the non-ethnic relations. But perchance "LIBERAL" Hollywood feels that there is no longer cause for such explanations anymore. This being the twenty-first century et al. Ho ho.

Let us be realistic here for one minute and face the fact that J Lo is already an established enough film draw to at any moment demand readily the renaming of whatever movie characters she plays. Had she truly wanted for her character's name to be Rosita Rosalez you can be assured that Miss Lopez has earned enough clout in Hollywood to make changes to whatever film vehicles she is attached to.

Thus it is perfectly clear to me that La Lopez likes to play like she is white.

That said, I would personally still prefer some brief little mention as to why the brown bombshell has a white family... but that is just me. Although I am certain that white audiences, too, end up scratching their heads in wonder as to why Jennifer insists on playing obviously identifiable "white" roles in all of her movies... I mean if we are turned off and or curious by her stream of film choices, then of course white, black, blue, polka dotted audiences are paying atention in wonder, too.

Not that I even know her career that well but has she ever played a straight up Latina before, Selena notwithstanding?

Now, I have never seen Salma Hayek or Penélope Cruz play white parts in any of their films and they are by far much greater performers than Lopez so I do not for one second buy into the notion that ethnic leads playing ethnic roles can not carry a movie on their own. And I do not at all attribute their choice of roles to the fact that they possess undeniable accents as I am sure some people might want to throw into this particular argument.

To me, as I suspect to be true for them as well, it just makes sense that they play these kinds of roles because their performances inevitably resonate a level of seminally cultural gravitas that no non-ethnic actor could ever inspire no matter how talented... THEY TOTALLY GET IT!!! Of course being ethnic and having an accent is no longer an impediment for Hollywood actors. And as some will argue, this is in fact why we can have a clearly Latino performer playing such artificial parts à la Jennifer Lopez.

To be clear my problem here is not with Hollywood but with Lopez herself.

Ultimately it is she who selects what roles she plays and going by her list of credits it is obvious that she has some underlying issues with playing wholly un-assimilated ethnic parts, but then again, would white America ever accept her in a non glamorous non white-identified role? It might do her artistic integrity [should she in fact possess even a modicum of such] some good to focus on lower profile non-glam-non-DIVA independent-like work, I mean does she really need all those 20M paychecks?

Then again she does not strike me as the type of performer that worries about expanding her range as an actress and or solidifying her contributions as a Latina to Hollywood.

She is like Tiresias, greedy, and desirous of both worlds.

Perhaps we all should just lower our expectations of her and focus instead on actresses who are actually making meaningful waves in the industry like Kate Del Catillo, Sofia Vergara, and Ana De La Reguera.

J Lo is merely the 21st Century version of Rita Hayworth... vapid, soulless, and too eager to please.

UNLIKE...

A real diva like María Félix who refused to learn English whilst repeatedly snubbing Hollywood for only offering her small insignificant roles.

Now that is integrity!