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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[–] s_twcramer 12 years ago

I think it's pretty clear that they are more than just friends. However, much like movie audiences in the early 90s, people wouldn't accept lesbians in rural Alabama in the 1930s. That being said, toning it down to just a strong friendship does make the film more universal. The whole thing is about "friendship". Though it would be far more dramatic if the movie was a literal translation of the book.

[–] pv61 12 years ago

I think we all interpret the same movie differently. If after the movie I stand by the door and ask everybody what movie they just watched, each person will tell me a different story, because we see what our brain gets and we all have unique feelings. I say this because when I go to the movies with my friends, we each have a different perception and a different take on the same movie.

I saw Idge idolizing her brother to the extent of imitating him, so when he dies, she feels devastated. When Ruth start trying to bring her back home, Idge agrees because Ruth is the only person who she feel is closest to Buddy. And then develops toward her the same love she felt for his brother. The only love I felt it was brotherly love, or in this case, between sisters.

I think it was a very good movie, and the only scene I didn't like, was when Buddy Jr gets hit by a train (again! like nobody ever warned him of that danger) and loses his arm. I guess I should have tried to avoid another tragedy after the first one, but, all in all, I liked it. Towanda!!

[–] Ithilfaen 12 years ago

If it doesn't matter, why are you so adamant it's not about lesbians? You say it yourself, it's about love, labels don't matter.

Believe it or not *gasp* lesbians love each other too! It's not only about sex. Wow.

What makes you and other posters homophobic is the starch refusal it could be about a love that's not platonic (which is not necessarily true even if they are lesbians). As if it took away from the love they have for each other. Like you say, it doesn't matter.

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!!

I don't think you have ever loved like they did then. I am in love, I don't spend my time thinking about the end. I think about growing old together, having children, grandchildren. What you're talking about is infatuation, not love, maybe that's where you don't get the love part in the movie and it just *has* to be about friendship.

(not going crazy here but you know you can read and fix your spelling before you hit "Post Reply", right?)

For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco

[–] NorthSoul 12 years ago

I watched this movie when I was around 17 or 18. They may not have been very clear about it in the movie, but I immediately picked up on the romantic feelings between Idgie and Ruth. Yes, the movie focused more on their friendship, but the romantic love was always there. (At least, that's how I interpreted the story).

[–] ChristmasStan 11 years ago

They were a gay couple but it was filmed between the lines. If your not gay you wouldn't understand why this makes people in the gay community angry. There is NOTHING WRONG with being gay but because the filmmakers decided to not "say it" people in the gay community were pissed and rightfully so. This film was made in 1991. Before 6 years before "ellen" was out and the made the world a better place for every gay person

If the film was made today the film makers MIGHT not ignore the issue!

Where I come from the birds always sing a pretty song & there's always music in the air!

[–] brockmeeks 11 years ago

The author is a lesbian.

In the book, the whole town knew what their relationship was. I know you will argue that they are two completely different animals. Not true. The movie is a watered down version of the book. Without one, the other wouldn't exist.

I always assumed that the producers toned down the lesbian theme and made it much more ambiguous. I think this was the safe route. The only thing that bugs me is that people want to forget the book exist.

This movie may be about friendship, but its obvious that in this version Idge had some feeling for Ruth she could not express. She took care of her like a husband would.

People liked the movie before they knew what it was. They find out the root of this friendship and have to do some mental gymnastics to get away from the lesbian thing.

If you've read the story you know there is no denying it. I don't see why it's such a big deal. If the story is about love then why does it matter if its two women, men or a man and a woman?

My grandmother used to watch this with me. I asked her one time if she knew Idge was in love with Ruth. "We'll, yes. But like in the movie it's just something you don't bring up." It's a generation thing.

[–] Chefeetaboopers 11 years ago

The part of the book that depicts them as gay is when Ruth mentions that she loves Idgie more than anything. That Frank raped her on their wedding night and she took it because of the thoughts and love she had for Idgie and how it was God's punishment to her. The same thing with the beatings, too.. saying how her love for Idgie was a curse and ruined how her marriage became and it wasn't until the death of her mother that she realized there was really nothing wrong with her love.

[–] S_i_n_g_i_n__R_a_i_n 11 years ago

Wait.. its a homo movie?

Meh.

Im not gonna buy it then.

Me=^.".^=oW

[–] amnesia_vivace 9 years ago

It doesn't matter, obviously. This movie was fantastic no matter how their relationship was portrayed, or what one reads into it. I know people say this all the time, but I am not homophobic in the slightest. One of my very best friends came out while we were roommates, and I didn't even flinch. In the mid-70's, that wasn't common.

All of which leads up to what I want to say about that aspect of this movie. I think I like it better as a straight friendship story. No pun intended. There is something so strong and unfiltered (I almost used the word "pure", but I don't think I'll push my luck with a loaded word like that) about them - to the point of joining a murder conspiracy. You know what they say "A good friend will help you move. A great friend will help you move a body."

Anyway, great movie, sexual overtones or not.