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Reviews
That Gal... Who Was in That Thing: That Guy 2 (2015)
Very touching, sad but true look
I watched this as a fan of many of the actresses, and wasn't prepared for how touched I was by their experiences. I was a bit taken aback when I came here and saw the negative reviews of the film and it's content. It wasn't anything new - as a woman, it's easy to see that as we age, we see less and less ourselves reflected back in media as anything but mothers/grandmothers/the occasional woman in charge. And while women are all those things, we lose the concept of women being anything more than that; especially in TV and film. It's frustrating, and disturbing, and it was wonderful to see that recognized. The concept of sexism in Hollywood is not new; but it seems as though we are just starting to shine a light on ageism when it comes to women in Hollywood. In fact, I liked this documentary so much that I insisted 3 of my (female) friends watch it the weekend after it aired with me. We sat in stunned and sad silence as we saw the realities of aging "out" in an industry that values youth and beauty over experience and maturity.
It was also inspiring to see that these women continue to seek out roles, and I hope that they do so. Some of them talked about heading towards producing more, and while I love that they're seeking out new challenges, I hope they don't disappear from our screens. It's important for us to see women that look like us; that age and still have a "femininity and strength" as Jayne Atkinson says in the film. Women that have wrinkles, and grey hair, but are still shown in roles where they aren't relegated to mom/grandma/bitch alone.