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| The Vicious Kind crew heading home for an extremely uncomfortable Thanksgiving |
The Vicious Kind, directed
by Lee Toland Kriegar, opens in a diner. For a few uncomfortable moments we
watch our protagonist, Caleb (Adam Scott) nearly weep to himself. This is the
first of many almost-sobbing scenes. Throughout the film we get sort-of-explained
chin wiggling, lips shaking and red eyeing. The first line Caleb utters –
almost into the camera – is, “You know they’re all whores, right?” And so the
tone is set for this dysfunctional family/Thanksgiving film.
Thanksgiving should be a great holiday for the center of
good ol’ American realist drama. But, it can draw directors that want to
explore the more obnoxious family dynamics over a colonialist turkey carcass. The
holiday functions as a device that can bring together characters who would
otherwise not associate with each other and force them to interact against the
not-so-distracting backdrop of one of the least commercialized holidays of the
season.
The Vicious Kind,
in particular, focuses on Caleb, who I think we are supposed to sympathize
with. It appears that way since we follow his story, and perspective. There are
moments where it appears he softens. And it is his story that is most resolved
at the end of the film. So, I think we are supposed to have some degree of
compassion for him. The problem is that he is misogynistic, abusive, jealous,
misanthropic and many more words that are only associated with detestable
characters. He has a paternalistic agenda to “protect” his younger brother,
Peter (Alex Frost), from women. Caleb does not approve of Peter’s new girlfriend,
Emma (Brittany Snow), making many snide and overt comments to suggest that she
is fickle and promiscuous. Caleb makes these claims without much evidence
beyond Peter telling him that Emma had cheated on her previous boyfriend. (We
all know that the relational and sexual decisions women make as 19-year-olds define
their character overall.)
Emma is a flat character who awkwardly shrugs off inappropriate
comments from her boyfriend’s father (J.K. Simmons) and pushes back against
Caleb’s aggressive advances. She is generally polite to everyone, but obviously
uncomfortable. Caleb calls her a “whore” in the grocery store. He tries to kiss
her. He makes awful comments in every in-between moment. But then, after she
and Peter makes an unsuccessful go at sex, Emma rushes out of the house to meet
with Caleb who has been lurking outside the house. Then they get to banging in Caleb’s
old bedroom. There isn’t much explanation for this. There is no reason we
should believe Emma would be attracted to Caleb since he has only been out
rightly horrible to her – save for a few creepy moments where he confesses
attraction. When she insinuates she had been a virgin, Caleb rushes out of the
room chiding her with, “Peter’s in love with you!”
How’s that for reinforcing the virgin-whore dichotomy?
The tone of The
Vicious Kind brings to mind heavy-handed movies that appear to parody
themselves in their portrayal of poor men being devastated by the wiles of
women. See: The Room. Caleb all but
says, “You’re tearing me
apart!” When in fact, he is the dominating tool that needs a more demanding
character arc. Emma leaves the situation distraught. Caleb gets to reconnect with
his father. Caleb can continue to be a misogynist in this setting – he is
rewarded at the end by a suggested reparation with his father. Emma, on the
other hand, is loaded down with guilt and self-loathing.
Pieces of April is another
film with unlikable characters trying to celebrate a family holiday. While it
features a female lead, April (Katie Holmes), it doesn’t represent gender much
better than The Vicious Kind.
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| In Pieces of April, April (Katie Holmes), plays with turkeys |
April is trying to host Thanksgiving for her family. Her
mother, Joy (Patricia Clarkson), is dying of cancer and she is working on
making at least one good family memory. But, her oven is broken. And, she has a
contemptuous relationship with her mother. She seeks help from her neighbors –
using their ovens. We also follow her family as they drive her direction.
Mostly, the traveling scenes are just interactions between Joy and family
members. She’s acidic and cruel. Watching April cook and interact is also
painful – she’s oblivious and self-absorbed.
Don’t worry though. There are some really rational and
considerate male characters. April’s boyfriend, Bobby (Derek Luke) is
thoughtful and intelligent. He pushes (sometimes literally) April through the
process of making dinner. Joy’s husband, Jim (Oliver Platt), is the literal and
emotional driver of the family.
See April and Joy cannot reconcile their disdain of each
other without the paternal help of the men in their life. They are both
immature and obnoxious in their own ways. Joy regularly storms off – implicitly
demanding to be chased. At one time she leaves the car and sticks out her thumb
with the intention of heading back home. April pouts on the stairs, blows
balloons, huffs and is incompetent in the kitchen. We watch her try to mash
uncooked potatoes in a too-long scene.
Thankfully, in Pieces
of April we don’t see the intense and near-violent anti-woman sentiment
that is in The Vicious Kind, but we
are still stuck with infantile female characters and the subtle assertion that
they are incapable without a man to lead them through their own problems.
While it will be good to get past the Thanksgiving flicks this
season, that unfortunately means that corporate and faith-fetishizing Christmas
films are next.
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