I am an unrepentant child of the 60s. My formative years were during this time of new roles, questioning authority and more freedom. My dear wife, on the other hand, is Gen X to the bone. One of our few regular areas of disagreement? The films of the 80s.
A case in point: Mr. Mom. Despite the appealing performances of Keaton and Garr, and two admirably sleazy villains (the always-good Mull and Tambor), this film comes across as a feature-length infomercial for traditional gender roles. Keaton is a true fish out of water as a fired exec now raising the kids, while bored housewife Garr returns to work and encounters sexual harrassment, overtime and mandatory travel. <SPOILER>Though both eventually succeed at the role reversal, in the end the marriage is threatened and Garr decides she is happier as a full time mommy, leaving the better-adjusted Keaton to the big, bad world of business.</SPOILER>
The year that this film was made (1983) is instructive. The new freedom of the 60s and early 70s was ancient history. The Reagan years and their resultant Social Darwinism were in high gear; women who could afford it were being advised to leave the high-powered jobs to the "more fit" men, go home and have babies. Mr. Mom represented an exaggerated depiction of this return to traditional, socially defined roles for men and women. Whether the media became more conservative in response to Reaganism, or whether entertainment led the way to more conservative views, is a moot point. The end resulta noticeable rightward shift in our entertainmentwas the same. Mr. Mom was one of the first Hollywood films to reflect the nation's conservative mood...there would be many others. These films are largely laughable today, and remain worthwhile mainly as an exercise in sociology, illustrating how movies both reflect and change the culture that produces them.
A case in point: Mr. Mom. Despite the appealing performances of Keaton and Garr, and two admirably sleazy villains (the always-good Mull and Tambor), this film comes across as a feature-length infomercial for traditional gender roles. Keaton is a true fish out of water as a fired exec now raising the kids, while bored housewife Garr returns to work and encounters sexual harrassment, overtime and mandatory travel. <SPOILER>Though both eventually succeed at the role reversal, in the end the marriage is threatened and Garr decides she is happier as a full time mommy, leaving the better-adjusted Keaton to the big, bad world of business.</SPOILER>
The year that this film was made (1983) is instructive. The new freedom of the 60s and early 70s was ancient history. The Reagan years and their resultant Social Darwinism were in high gear; women who could afford it were being advised to leave the high-powered jobs to the "more fit" men, go home and have babies. Mr. Mom represented an exaggerated depiction of this return to traditional, socially defined roles for men and women. Whether the media became more conservative in response to Reaganism, or whether entertainment led the way to more conservative views, is a moot point. The end resulta noticeable rightward shift in our entertainmentwas the same. Mr. Mom was one of the first Hollywood films to reflect the nation's conservative mood...there would be many others. These films are largely laughable today, and remain worthwhile mainly as an exercise in sociology, illustrating how movies both reflect and change the culture that produces them.