"The Fempire:" Female Screenwriters Give Hollywood a Run For Its Money
| Mon Mar. 23, 2009 10:58 AM PDT
Lotsa good feminist stuff on the wires today, like these four under-30 screenwriters kicking ass in Hollywood and watching each other's backs. Again, the Times:
"Mr. Spielberg will call her and she'll be afraid to answer the phone," Ms. Scafaria said of Ms. Cody. "I'll be like, 'Answer the phone!' "
Ms. Cody said: "I'll think it's all over. I’m a pessimist."
Ms. Scafaria said, "He’ll be calling to praise her."
Ms. Cody won an Oscar for her screenplay for "Juno." Ms. Scafaria is the screenwriter for "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist." ...
With their pals Dana Fox, who wrote "What Happens in Vegas," and Liz Meriwether, a playwright-turned-screenwriter, they make up a Hollywood powerhouse writing posse who call themselves "The Fempire."
You can find them at work in their Laurel Canyon homes in their pajamas, or sitting next to one another at laptop-friendly restaurants. To see them gathered amid the dinosaur topiary around Ms. Fox's swimming pool with their dogs (they all have dogs) is to see four distinct styles of glamour that bear little resemblance to traditional images of behind-the-scenes talent. Whenever one of them has a movie opening, they all rent a white limousine and go from theater to theater to watch the first audiences react...
I especially love the way they fly around the country supporting each other at premieres and, most importantly, giving each other permission to just fracking enjoy their success. To own it, something too many of us have a hard time with:
"This was never truer than during the hoopla surrounding "Juno," Ms. Cody’s story of a pregnant teenager who decides to have her baby and give it up for adoption. The other women lent or bought outfits for Ms. Cody, but that was the least of it.
"They supported me through the wildest time in my career," Ms. Cody said. "They helped me be excited for things when I was kind of shellshocked. They were the ones who had to literally take me aside at the 'Juno' premiere and say: 'This is fun. You will never forget this. Please enjoy yourself.'"
From the mouths of babes.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Comments
Did you just say "kicking ass" in Hollywood? Perhaps you're just caught up in the GirlPower movement and haven't had a chance to check out the "kickasses" thes woman have had.
-Juno is hated by millions, most claiming Diablo a hack of a writer.
-What Happens in Vegas? Two of the worst comedic actors of all time in a poorly constructed and cliche riddled film that did poorly at the box-office.
-Nick and Norah? Oh, right, that indie darling that was directed towards 16 year olds. That didn't do so hot either and the writer gained no notice. The writer of the book did, but not the screenwriter. It's relatively easy to write a screenplay when you've merely to adapt it from a book.
Far from as "kickass" as you make them out to be.
But, hey, ya know... GirlPower! Even if these woman have nothing to do with woman's rights.
Yeah, "Diablo," I'm psyched even if YOU think they suck
Submitted by Debra J. Dickerson on Tue Mar. 24, 2009 2:21 PM PDT.
Debra J. Dickerson
I wasn't talking about quality but just about 'hanging'. Tell you what: when YOU get a screenplay SOLD, then actually FILMED: comment again. Why aren't you commenting about the 99.9% of screenplays written by men and actually filmed that suck? Also: nice touch with the cowardly screen name that is neither male nor female.
What does hater-ade taste like? Chicken?
That's your comeback? You write for a website? That's below "weak".
Nice touch with the cowardly screen name? What does that have to do with anything having to do with being male or female?
Is that the only comeback people have, "well why don't you write something?"
That's the most pathetic attempt at a rebuttal ever conceived. So do you praise movies like "Epic Movie" or "Meet the Spartans" or "Madea Goes to Jail" because, hey, at least they were written by someone and made into a film, right?
No, they suck. That's the point of criticism, to critique something. Roger Ebert hasn't made a single movie, why don't you go tell him that he doesn't know what he's talking about merely for that reason. He happens to share my opinion of Nick & Norah, as well as What Happens In Vegas.
Way to take the journalistic high road, you hack. It's not a male/female thing. It's about WRITING. And the woman mentioned in your article SUCK.
Why don't you write about good writers, woman who were up against Diablo for that same Best Original Screenplay Oscar: Tamara Jenkins for The Savages, or Nancy Oliver for Lars and the Real Girl. Both films were miles better than Juno and both writers are humble and intellectual, rather than the showboating "look at me" cunning of Diablo Cody.
Not to mention, she reallys get a strong message out there for those Pro-Woman views, doesn't she? I mean, hell, all you've gotta do is show your tits for a while and become an object, a sex toy, to men and you'll get your writing career lifted in no time. It's the equivalent of promoting a woman simply because she's a female in Hollywood, doing the acting thing, and then finding out she does porn.
Yay, Girl Power!
Choose a better idol to worship than one that contradicts your beliefs.
I'm a female and an aspiring
Submitted by FemmeWriter (not verified) on Tue May. 26, 2009 4:59 AM PDT.
I'm a female and an aspiring writer/producer/director, and I must admit....the problem in Hollywood is a two-way street. Sexism is HUGE in Hollywood, so huge, it's SHOCKING in this era. That being said, those who get lucky enough to break in somehow, are one hit wonders (i.e. come in with one big idea and have nothing to follow it up with)....or simply mediocre at best.
When you look at female directors like Karyn Kusama or Sophia Koppola (who only got her chance due to her last name)....they debuted with amazing projects (Girlfight/Lost in Translation respectively). What did they do after? Flops. And haven't been heard from since.
As for the writers mentioned above, they are nothing to brag about. I wish they were more than you know, but the reality is...they are not. The single most known writer in Hollywood right now is Cody. And yet, I personally found Juno to be a mess and aside from the performances, uber-highly overrated, especially from a writing standpoint.
We need Hollywood to stop being so d*ck-driven, and let more women have a chance to create, but in exchange, us females need to bring our A-game. We need to bring more to the table than just one idea. We need to bring quality. Only then will we be the future Tarantinos, Speilbergs, etc in terms of filmmakers and/or be steadily employed by studios as go-to writers.
It's a two way street. Sure, we have to do all the hard work, but it just makes it all the more rewarding if and when one of us truly succeeds. The first woman to bring more than one concept to the table, and prove to have true vision will be iconic for generations to come. And that person is not mentioned above by either of us. So please don't create a pride in people of whom which there's little to nothing to be proud of.
Post new comment
MoJo Comments: Send Us Your Feedback
We changed our spam software to better filter comments. Should you encounter any issues, please let us know.
