MovieChat Forums > Fried Green Tomatoes (1992) Discussion > A GAY MOVIE OR NOT??? WHY DOES IT MATTER...

A GAY MOVIE OR NOT??? WHY DOES IT MATTER!!

posted 15 years ago by inad911
39 replies | jump to latest

All i see on these message boards is people calling out other people for not seeing what they saw in the film!! THIS IS ABOUT THE FILM NOT THE BOOK!! This movie was about love and nothing more!! And here you people are getiing into rediculous name calling fights over a movie about love, how ironic!! You all should be ashamed!!!

I think when people said that if they made it clear in the movie the two were gay, they wouldnt have liked it as much, is beacuse people put much more emotion into their best friends!! When you make a best friend you dont ever concider your firendship ending, but when you take on a lover, you immediatly begin to think about the inevidable end to the relationship!! It has nothing to do with being homophobic!!

I never thought for one miniute that they were lesbiens, and that didnt rob me of the ability to understand and enjoying the movie! Sex is such a small part of all of our lives and relationships that if it were to not exist im sure many things would be the same as they are now!! ( im sure there will be those of you who say hey i love sex and it is a big part of my life, all i have to say to that *beep* You have sex , you arent sex, and you cant sex someone!! But love some one ..YES Be loved...YES!!! This world needs to get over it already!!

If anything, not showing the lesbien love in the movie showed just how unimportant it was to them!! They were best friends, they were soul mates, they were eachothers rock, they were the light of eachothers lives and that was not because they were lesbiens it was beacuse the loved eachother, nothing more!!

Im just so sick of people calling others homophobic becasue they didnt get a gay vibe to this or other movies!! That doesnt mean you are homophobic, it just mean that they have their own opinin!!

Also before all the high and mightys out there go crazy....No everthing here is not spelled correctly..my mind was movng too fast!! So go toot your horn some where elese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[–] okie_lady 15 years ago

people put much more emotion into their best friends!! When you make a best friend you dont ever concider your firendship ending, but when you take on a lover, you immediatly begin to think about the inevidable end to the relationship!!

Well to be honest, I've had several best friends over the years. Most of those friendships have ended. A few were due to a falling out, but most of them just faded into the past. People change, circumstances change, and friends move in and out of your life. Happens all the time.

Maybe YOU put more emotion into your friends than a spouse/partner, and maybe YOU are so negative that you immediately begin to think of the inevitable end to your romantic relationships the minute they begin, but that doesn't mean all people are like that. In fact, most people I know are not. I certainly hope that if I marry again someday, the person would be dedicated enough to our relationship that they do not immediately begin to contemplate its ending. Everyone deserves that much, otherwise why marry or involve yourself in a long-term relationship at all?

I never thought for one miniute that they were lesbiens, and that didnt rob me of the ability to understand and enjoying the movie! Sex is such a small part of all of our lives and relationships that if it were to not exist im sure many things would be the same as they are now!! ( im sure there will be those of you who say hey i love sex and it is a big part of my life, all i have to say to that *beep* You have sex , you arent sex, and you cant sex someone!! But love some one ..YES Be loved...YES!!! This world needs to get over it already!!

You are right about one thing. The relationship between Idgie and Ruth was not defined by sex, it was defined by love. It just so happens that their love was a romantic type of love and not a platonic type of love. Your issue is that YOU define lesbian/gay by sexual activity. It's no more about sex than a hetero relationship is.

I don't necessarily think you are a homophobe. I just think you are operating under severe misinformation regarding lesbian and gay people. They are no different in their relationships than straight people, except they are attracted to and have feelings for people of the same gender rather than the opposite.

[–] perorewen 15 years ago

Hear hear, okielady. Let's hope we never hear such misinformed rambling again.

**********
- Who's the lady with the log?
- We call her the Log Lady.

[–] inad911 15 years ago

Well I have never lost a huband or a frind so i guess, the issues you have destroy your platonic and romantic relationships!! Seems as though you arent good with relationships all together!!

So in order to understand and appreciate this film one must acknolege the romantic relationship?

[–] perorewen 15 years ago

That's not the point. The point is why refusing to accept something that is obviously there - which is romantic love.

**********
- Who's the lady with the log?
- We call her the Log Lady.

[–] okie_lady 15 years ago

Well you certainly gave a valiant effort in attempting to insult me, but it wasn't effective. If anything, you only further highlighted your own inability to commit to a romantic relationship and your tendencies to become clingy and obsessive within a friendship setting. But I'm entirely sure that someone who projects their own insecurities onto others will be unable to recognize their own shortcomings, so I'm fully prepared to read another attempt to discredit me. Please, enjoy it. I know I will. I certainly need the laughs right now.

Furthermore, you don't *have* to acknowledge anything. You don't have to understand the wrongful imprisonment of Andy Dufresne to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption. You don't have to acknowledge the emotional anguish John Coffee suffers as a result of his powers in order to appreciate The Green Mile. You don't have to realize that all those wonderful and amazing things happen to Forrest Gump not in spite of but because of his mental simplicity in order to like the movie Forrest Gump.

You don't *have* to. But it certainly deepens your appreciation and understanding of the movie(s) if you do. Otherwise, it's all superficial. You can laugh at the funny parts and cry at the sad parts, but the profundity of their situation is lost on you. But that's okay; there are lots of people who are content living a life unexamined, so I'm sure you will have plenty of company.

Have a great day!

[–] tracys86-1 15 years ago

Actually, I honestly believe that it was Idgie who was in love with Ruth. I believe Ruth was and always had been in love with Buddy. I think Rusth loved Idgie very much, but she wasn't in love with her. However, Idgie was in love with Ruth.

[–] sockscats 14 years ago

1. Anybody who didn't get that Idgie was lesbian must have been asleep the movie goes to great lengths to tell you that even when she was a little girl not wanting to wear a dress and asking her brother Buddy is God doesn't sometimes make mistakes. Her complete lack of feminine qualities, wearing boyish clothes, the fact she never has a boyfriend etc.

2.The character of Ruth is not gay she got married to a man. She loves Idgie for who she is and even though they live together for a while it is not as a couple.

3. This is one of the most politically correct movies ever made where most of the white men are evil and women and blacks are not. The use of Klan imagery used even though it really serves no purpose in the film and the fact that the 2 main black characters, Big George and Sipsy are fanatatically and heroically devoted to the main characters and have no flaws.

Whether you agree or disagree with the message of the film it is a very beautiful and effective film.

[–] puschit-1 12 years ago

Actually Idgie said she had several boyfriends at once. She didn't want to wear that dress because her other brother teased her. Being tomboyish doesn't automatically make you a lesbian (my first GF was much like Idgie, she plays soccer, drinks, smokes, plays poker, can beat a guy up, has short hair etc. etc. but has always been into men). Otoh Ruth getting married doesn't prove anything about not being a lesbian, alot of gays (men and women alike) still get married for various reasons, especially during those times.
But yeah, the movie gave us the usual hints what hollywood thinks gays are like.

[–] scissorhands__emily 12 years ago

Well Idgie says she has several male suitors after her, but never expresses an actual interest in any of them nor says she has dated any of them. I don't think the implication is that because Idgie is a tomboy she is automatically a lesbian. However, her actions seem to present her as such. Also the "I'm as settled as I ever hope to be" perfectly describes Idgie's life. She is happy with Ruth and doesn't need anything else.

Anyway, I do think the movie is open for interpretation. Personally I view them as a couple, but people have different views. I think some people get touchy about this issue because there are only so many gay films out there so many gay people feel others are trying to take away certain films or media they connect with as not being gay. This movie is open to interpretation, but that said, you cannot just claim that anyone who sees them as a couple is delusional. The writer of the book even said they were a couple so to deny people this view is ridiculous. Now again, I'm fine with people watching and choosing to view them as just friends. But people who watch and view them as a couple are not just seeing subtext they want to see. There is a strong basis for this interpretation and based on what Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary-Louise Parker have said, I believe they did base their characters' portrayal on the two being a couple.

All that said, can we blame people for not viewing them as a couple? No. Straight people are used to seeing heterosexual couples so it is very easy for someone straight to watch this movie and just view the two as close friends. I mean it is never explicitly stated, and a lot of the implications are very subtle. There are several times when a closeup is done on one of the girls and they have a look about them that they are in love with the other, but these closeups are cut away from quickly so a non-gay person may not pick up on it.

Anyway these arguments are dumb to me. It seems whenever someone has an interpretation that is not straight people get annoyed by it. Yet people interpret two people of the opposite sex as possible love interests all the time in the media when there is even less of a basis. I mean I could start saying Grady and Ruth would have made a nice couple and people would just ignore me, but the second I imagine two women are a couple, people freak out. I am not trying to imply anything about anyone posting here, and as I said I don't have a problem with people viewing this couple as just close friends. However, I do see how some people get annoyed because you can say oh I view Ruth and Idgie as a couple and people pounce all over you for twisting the movie, seeing what you want to see, etc. It is tiresome and probably why some people get so defensive on such topics.

[–] jtf1986 9 years ago

Guess you missed the part where we found out Ninny is Idgie, and Ninnie is a widow.

[–] rob-949 15 years ago

I knew when I saw the ALL CAPS and the !!!!!!! all over the place that this person would be crazy, and sure enough ...

[–] dani-738-168072 15 years ago

your here!! HOW INTERESTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[–] roytoyota 15 years ago

if they had put the sex in it, the movie would've tanked. people in the early 90s were not ready for gay sex in movies yet (gays were still associated with AIDS) and no one would have gone to see it. brokeback mountain was a crappy movie but because of the gay sex, it was a big hit. i think the movie works without the sex and i didn't catch on to the relationship being more than friendly until i had watched the movie many times. it's a movie dealing with a close FRIENDSHIP and if people wanna imagine more than that, let them.

[–] trixie-k-88 14 years ago

AIDS has always been associated with gay men, not women. But yes, I agree they watered down the romance because of the time. I also agree Brokeback Mt. was a snooze, and that had nothing to do with homosexuality. However, like someone else said it is VERY clear that Idgie is in love with Ruth in a romantic way. Look at how she looks at Ruth when she kisses her on the cheek in the scene at the lake. In the movie it's not very clear that Ruth reciprocates the romantic love but... since I read the book I believe she does.

[–] Chrysanthepop 15 years ago

I agree with OP that this movie is about friendship (which is CLEARLY highlighted in the final dialogue between Jessica and Kathy) not sexual love.

'Well to be honest, I've had several best friends over the years. Most of those friendships have ended.'

I wouldn't say they were your best friends if it ended.

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

[–] dani-738-168072 15 years ago

Exactly!!! Thank you!!! I was trying to say that if the sexual part was even taken out of the book, it wouldnt take anything away from the story line!

[–] cshep79406 15 years ago

I don't think it matters at all--it's just an interesting element to the story. There are people who think the characters were gay, and people who think they were not, and it's been an interesting debate. I am among the latter--neither the book nor movie made me think they were gay. I was once in a similar situation--I had a very, very close friend named Joyce. We spent much of our free time together, we talked on the phone several times a day, she influenced my clothes, my choice of movies, etc., and educated me as to some of the finer things in life, and both of us are as straight as we can be. We were chatting in the office one day, and she linked arms with me as we walked down the hall. Someone later commented to me that people thought we were gay, and we just laughed like hell about it. She eventually got married and had a son.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] okie_lady 12 years ago

Are you still best friends with the person who was your best friend in kindergarten? How about fifth grade? Most of those friendships fade into the past. We don't hate one another, we just grew apart. If you have never experienced such a thing, I'd say you are the exception to the rule.

[–] Elizabethpaws123 9 years ago

Just because it wasn't sexual doesn't mean that they we're just friends. There are several different ways to go, friendships, romantic relationships with no sex, romantic relationships with sex, and sexual relationships with no romance. No sex doesn't immediately equal no romance. ¯\_(?)_/¯

[–] asdrews 15 years ago

I re-watched this movie for the first time in 10 years last night. Watching it again I think it's pretty clear that Idgie loved Ruth but kept it a close, platonic friendship out of respect for Ruth. I like the subtly of it.

Why does it have to be spelled out one way or another? Why does it have to be labelled a gay movie or a straight movie? It doesn't matter. The important thing is how much they cared for each other and changed each other's lives for the better. Whether there's ever a definitive answer (which there never will be) or not, it's not going to change my love of this film.

[–] perorewen 15 years ago

There's one thing that always bugged me with discussions like this:

No matter what view people have on this film, everyone seems to agree that Idgie loved Ruth because she's a so-called butch lesbian (wearing pants and shirts). But because Ruth is more feminine, wearing dresses, and because she once made one poor judgement and married a man* some people cannot accept she was a lesbian. Like lesbians cannot wear dresses? Not all lesbians were mens clothes, far from it.

*It's even mentioned in the film that Ruth married Frank not because she loved him, but because it was expected of her as a good Christian girl.

**********
- Who's the lady with the log?
- We call her the Log Lady.

[–] djestic03 13 years ago

Thank you, asdrews. My feelings exactly. I didn't see this movie as being 'about gays.' It's simply a compelling story. Gayness is not driving the plot.

"you need a bigger boat..."

[–] arti-7 14 years ago

As for why it matters, in 1992 the GLAAD awarded this movie "The Outstanding Movie" of the year for it's positive and excellent portrayal of a lesbian relationship in film. (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)also awarded Brokeback Mountain the same award years later.)This movie was a huge step for positive gay movies in the "main stream".
As for why it doesn't matter. Everyone who sees a film, or hears a piece of music, sees it from their point of view. It is about friendship. Idgie and Ruth are friends first. Fanny Flagg has made that clear. If someone choses not to see the strength of the community, their support, and unconditional love for Idgie, Ruth and Stump as the family they are , they are missing an important part of this film, but not all of it, if they hold on to the importance of true love and friendship, which is what is important if you are gay or straight.
This is how I feel today.

This is how I feel everyday!

[–] angelsoul68 14 years ago

Ok, let's get this one "straight" lol
This IS about 2 lesbian women. For all of those who can't HANDLE it, read about Fannie Flagg and she will say it is, and SHE WROTE IT!
The reason why it seemed more platonic was because in 1991, they had to make it appear less gay.
Re- the OP, gay and lesbian love is not defined by sex as much as a connection, just like any other relationship. You can see a hetero love story and they may never show them having sex. Please get over it. I am not calling you homophobic but you do seem to care a bit too much about telling others that they were not gay.
Yes , they absolutely were, it's just that nearly 20 years ago, it would have not worked in mainstream theatre. It doesn't matter that they were lesbians, but if you don't see it that way, it takes away a lot of meaning.

[–] Elizabethpaws123 9 years ago

BLESS you put that much better than I ever could have.

[–] makelifebeautiful 13 years ago

Why does it matter whether Jurassic Park is about Dinosaurs? Why does it matter whether Titanic is about a love story between a man and a woman? Why does it matter whether Brokeback mountain is about two sheep herders falling in love? Why does it matter what a movie is about?

I don't know why people would be obsessed with Fried Green Tomatoes NOT being (among other things) about a romantic relationship between two women... it certainly is. Oh, they don't look into the camera saying "for all those who don't get it otherwise... we love each other, always have, and when nobody looks we even do the wild thing together, but we won't show that in the movie because people would shocked!"... no they don't do that... too bad. Just look at the way the two of them look at each other, and it is clear that this is not just friendship, it is friendship +.
But then again there are people who were surprised when Jake and Ennis had sex the first time.... or maybe they didn't, after all it was so dark in that tent, I really don't get why people keep saying Brokeback Mountain is about two sheepherders in love..... I bet it was just a very intense friendship, and they only had sex because the preferred men to sheep... *rolls eyes*

BTW, it really amuses me that people see the fact that Ruth married a man as proof that she was straight... I bet there weren't too many role models around at that time to show her it is also possible and totally okay to have a relationship with a woman.

[–] 13 years ago

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