No Respect For A Master Builder

[bloodyrosemccoy]

So I (FINALLY!) watched The LEGO Movie last night. Loved it. And I gotta say, you know how there's all this pearl-clutching* about how the very end joke is HORRIBLY SEXIST? I wonder how many of those people actually have younger siblings. Because I'm a big sister, and let me tell you, that ending KILLED me. Plus, it offered some insight for Finn into his dad's point of view--the distress over someone at a different cognitive/motor skills developmental phase barging in and messing with your stuff, conflicting with the desire to let them be part of your fun. (Okay, Finn might not be able to grasp all that, but he did come up with a pretty sophisticated plot for his game, so you never know.)

If I were to point out any sexist problems with this movie, it'd be the bizarrely common trope wherein no matter how incredibly talented, hardworking, and all-around qualified a female character is, she'll always be eclipsed by some talentless doofus who is supposed to be indefinably Special.** Yeah, I know part of the movie's message is that everyone is special, but come on, maybe we can give shout-outs to actual hard work and skill for a change? Let's retire that particular plot device. Both in movies and in real life, if possible.

Don't get me wrong, that didn't ruin the movie for me. It was just the soap-flavored cilantro in this movie's otherwise delicious pico de gallo. I need to watch it about 20 more times just to see what all is going on in those action scenes.


FAVORITE LINE: "Do you think zeppelins are a bad investment?"

FAVORITE VISUAL GAG: President Lord Business's evil flowing necktie cape.


*Inaccurate pearl-clutching, at that--I believe Unikitty was designed by Finn over in his own bin of Legos, which was suggested to be Cloud Cuckooland-- and furthermore, that it wasn't the unseen mother who suggested that the sister come down and play; it was Dad!Will Ferrell.

**Seriously, FUCK YOU, Kung Fu Panda.

Comments

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I read the article before seeing the movie (yeah, it spoiled me), and even with the inaccurate description I was like, "Dude, that's not sexism." And now that I've watched the movie--yeah, Princess Unikitty was obviously part of his creation, because his sister doesn't have Legos, she has Duplos.

Perhaps it's some allegory for the experience of women in the workplace? Or, more likely, it's just a plot trap they fall into when trying to make the demographics work.