Real Women Have Curves (film - 2002)
Real Women Have Curves (film - 2002) ***
It will be interesting if/when Leading Ladies ever makes it to the Netflix lineup to see if this is one of the movies that it gets linked to in recommendations. Their core themes are certainly not dissimilar: The neurotic, overbearing mom, the two sisters - one trying to follow the mom's path, one trying to figure out what her path is, the ugly duckling character finding self respect, balancing the needs of family with the needs of self. It's all there. And how can I not like this story on some level? I am constantly craving movies that show women with real bodies, learning to love themselves as is and live their lives on their terms. They are sadly few and far between, and this definitely fills a gap. I was completely smitten with the empowering undergarment scene in the sweatshop (trying to avoid too much spoiler), to the music of (personal favorite) Ozomatli, no less. This one definitely has its moments. What kept it from being truly great for me was that I alternated between feeling sympathetic toward the main character and just being angry at her. For a movie that seems to want to be all about empowerment, I would've liked to see more moments when she found her voice, and not just to scream, but to help change her environment in a positive way. In the key moments when this does happen, the movie starts to get truly wonderful. I just felt like they were a bit to few and far between. Still, it is more than your average sad bastard indy film, and I do think that it is worth a viewing.
It will be interesting if/when Leading Ladies ever makes it to the Netflix lineup to see if this is one of the movies that it gets linked to in recommendations. Their core themes are certainly not dissimilar: The neurotic, overbearing mom, the two sisters - one trying to follow the mom's path, one trying to figure out what her path is, the ugly duckling character finding self respect, balancing the needs of family with the needs of self. It's all there. And how can I not like this story on some level? I am constantly craving movies that show women with real bodies, learning to love themselves as is and live their lives on their terms. They are sadly few and far between, and this definitely fills a gap. I was completely smitten with the empowering undergarment scene in the sweatshop (trying to avoid too much spoiler), to the music of (personal favorite) Ozomatli, no less. This one definitely has its moments. What kept it from being truly great for me was that I alternated between feeling sympathetic toward the main character and just being angry at her. For a movie that seems to want to be all about empowerment, I would've liked to see more moments when she found her voice, and not just to scream, but to help change her environment in a positive way. In the key moments when this does happen, the movie starts to get truly wonderful. I just felt like they were a bit to few and far between. Still, it is more than your average sad bastard indy film, and I do think that it is worth a viewing.