American film has a storied lineage of misogynistic films that range from the classic(Howard Hawks’ films) to the independent(In the Company of Men).  While a great deal of American film, namely Hollywood, has a great deal of misogynistic, albeit minor, overtones.  The Wedding Crashers is by far the most overtly misogynistic movie in recent memory.  While it may seem frivolous to point out the obvious, the sheer volume of misogyny is so staggering that I feel if it is condensed into print, it may provide a certain perspective.  As well, it should also be noted that this movie could also stand as a benchmark in misogynistic films in that its heroes showcase what could prove to be a new era in misogynistic heroes.

 Now, make no mistake, the actions of the film’s protagonists are thoroughly misogynistic.  The simple idea of using women for personal gain(read: pleasure) is a general hallmark of elitist sexism, but these characters elevate the game to a new level.  So, how is it that the men woo their women?  Why, they try to appeal to their baser instincts, or in other words, their maternal inclinations.  The conveyance of sensitivity, familial rapport, and the aping for sympathy are king.  So, if I may be so bold as to say, the characters are appealing to the aspects of womanhood that make them good women, as a means to bang them.  The simple idea of using someone’s better nature in order to suit your needs is callous at best.  Now, it may be argued that these women want the same thing as the main characters do(read: no-strings sex).  Now this may ring true, but under the circumstances(they’re at a wedding) the women are typically not thinking about sex, but about romance and the possibility thereof.  So, these men, knowingly, are appealing to womens’ desire for eventual romance(after all, what women in that environment doesn‘t find a sensitive man that‘s good with kids appealing).  After all, why would these guys choose a wedding over a club/bar, other than the promise of emotional leverage over these women?

 However, the most interesting and overwhelming examples of misogyny don’t necessarily reside exclusively in the character’s actions, but the world in which they inhabit.  This is a world in which all of the stereotypical characters are bolstered by a chauvinistic delusion of grandeur.  The most obvious stereotype is that all women are stupid/gullible at best and dumber than a sack of doorknobs at worst.  They fall for everything ranging from impossibly grandiose lifestyles, to believing that a man is suddenly deaf after two weeks, even though he seems to use sign language so flamboyantly that he may appear to be the first deaf man with Tourette’s.  The world is also filled with colorful characters such as the artistic/effeminate guy that couldn’t be anything other than gay, a red-head that’s passionate(read: bat-shit crazy), an impotent older man who couldn’t satisfy his wife, and the horny as hell housewife.  All of these characters fulfill the prejudice, fantasies, and downright ignorance of a chauvinistic mentality.  The narcissism that these heroes embody is so extreme that Vince Vaughn falls for the crazy redhead by virtue of the fact that she’s psychotically in love with him.  After all, the only person more in love with him, is well, himself.  This fulfills a bizarre narcissistic masturbatory desire to only want to be with someone as blindly in love with yourself as you are.  It is also peculiar that Owen Wilson is so in love with a woman who is in a 5-year relationship with a super jock(read: super-bro).  Did it at any time occur to him to question why this girl is in love with such a consummate tool; and if so, wouldn’t it occur to him that maybe this vapid attraction is indicative of her character?  This could be attributed to supreme arrogance or maybe I’m just digressing.

 As I said earlier, this movie attributes its heroes with what could be characterized by a new breed of misogyny.  While the beliefs remain static amongst all brands of misogyny, the belief structure is what separates these groups.  The prototypical profiles of misogyny were characterized by physically dominant men who felt emboldened by their physical superiority or a misogyny wrought by social status/ingrained sense of regality.  Although, the most common brand is the matter-of-fact sense of gender superiority, because it is just a simple matter of truth to them.  However, the characters in this movie seem to be misogynistic as a means to cope with mental inferiority.  What else could possibly explain their venomous reactions to the super-bro?  Typically, birds of this feather flock together, but their antagonism is far too prevalent.  Also, their inferiority complex would explain the compulsive need to exploit the conceived stupidity of women.  These are classic conditions of an inferiority complex; the desire to tear down others to build yourself up.  Whereas the typical misogyny arose from an alpha-male sense of gender superiority, this brand of misogyny is imply a means to cope with pervading sense of inadequacy.

 So, in this day and age of such progressivism as denying homosexuals marriage rights and an NFL team(in our nation’s capital no less) who is named after a racial slur(read: Redskins); why is it that a movie with such pervasive sexism becomes so successful?  With men, the movie allows them to vicariously experience their misogynistic fantasies as well as provide copious amounts of eye candy.  With women, it provides the fantasy of “bad boys” being subdued by the power of a woman’s influence.  This same demographic may also house the most women in abusive relationships(an obvious desire to fulfill the fantasy).  So, in closing, The Wedding Crashers endorses men to beat their women.

 (Bear in mind, the tongue was firmly implanted in cheek during the process of writing…except for the part about beating women…they usually have it coming.)

- Jacob