God I hate these stupis stereotype movies that show men can't cook,clean,clothes wash and take care of two kids.
Good grief I could cook do laundry and vacuum when I was 12!
I know the movie is made in 1983 but that stupid stereotype continues unabated in todays commercials and appears to be getting worse
Great Point!!! Geeesh!
shareMy brother wasn't very good at that sort of thing until forced into the situation in his late 20s... and that wasn't too long ago. It's not a wholly unrealistic stereotype.
shareBut he learned how to do all that stuff and he got good at it. It was funny because he didn't know what he was doing in the beginning and probably didn't even care or want to learn because he just wanted his job back but once he put his mind to it and got his act together he did great.
I don't think there's anything negative about this showing him being inept when he first started.
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Dude, I'm sorry but it's really not that impressive that you did all that stuff when you lived alone. You kind of had to, right? It wasn't going to magically get done on its own.
I'm happiest...in the saddle.
Yea what's with all of these smug guys on this board thinking they're amazing because they know how to stock a BR with TP and take out the garbage. Big freaking deal man.
I can do all that stuff but the point with this movie was Jack wasn't used to the parenting aspect and it kind of came crashing into him really fast. He just wasn't used to it but once it became routine for him he did fine.
"I am Reality"
You could cook when you were 12? Really? Are we talking gourmet meals or Mac and Cheese?
I'm happiest...in the saddle.
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This movie is about one guy who can't cook, clean, etc. One guy. One. You are the one making the stereotype. It sure wouldn't be much of a story otherwise, now would it?
shareOh come on man its a comedy lighten up.
I'd agree that comedies in years past have made men to be buffoons while women can do no wrong but then that is why people stopped watching sitcoms, network ratings have gone into the toilet.
Still though the point of the movie was not that the man was stupid. The point is that the man was naive of the hard word that housewives do. However as the film progresses he adapts and has the house running in tip top shape. The point of the film is that the roles could be reversed but neither role is a walk in the park. In one sense it promoted feminism but also put career women (and men) in their place about housework not being work.
As for the men claiming they could do their own laundry since your 12...who cares. As if thats something to brag about. My sister could balance a checkbook when she was 10. Doing laundry don't make you a man. If you had to do it because your were a latch key kid I'm sorry to say but your mom turned you a bit into a little "ms. mop it". Laundry aint hard but its tedious and doing it all day is a pain in the ass. Anybody can cook but it takes time and effort to cook healthy, delicious food on a budget. I've had girlfriends who thought cooking meant dropping noodles into water and as for myself I can cook but because my mind is distracted or tired I burn my food half the time. I'm saying all of this because housework is not easy. I realize that living a singles life, cleaning up after myself. I can imagine how tedious it has to be to keep up a family household in proper shape. My mom stayed at home and I appreciated all the hard work she did keeping my dad happy and raising three kids.
I thought this movie made a lot of really interesting points -
1. When Terri Garr gave the speech about her motivation for being a good housekeeper and mother was pride in her work. In other words there's nothing wrong with being a housekeeper/stay at home parent; it's an important job.
2. People in the movie keep mentioning, "in these trying economic times". I know the movie was based in Detroit, and the 80's were a hard time for them, especially with the opening up of the Japanese imports, but back then you actually could maintain a pretty good standard of living with three kids on one salary. Trying times indeed!
3. There's a period of adjustment for both people - they just don't focus as much of it on Terri Garr's character. In fact, she just had a bad first day, after that she was promoted. Besides, we already saw the women in the workplace adjustments with Jane Fonda's character in 9 to 5. No reason to do it again so soon.
What to take away from this movie -
In time, anybody can adjust to anything, all they need is a little pride in themselves and their work.
For the record... I grew up in the 70-80s, and almost everyone family I knew fit that sterotype. The dad worked, and the mom stayed home and raised the kids. I never knew a dad who knew how to cook, or did the grocery shopping. And the few times I stayed home from school and went grocery shopping with my mom, is WAS almost all women at the store.
Of course this movie exaggerates things, because that's what comedies do... they are exagerattions.
The steryotypes are one of the enduring things about this movie. I love watching older movies and comparing how things have changed.