Movies reflect the changing roles of men in the 21st century. Here is what our community says about the 2016 Oscar nominees for Best Actor.
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This post is part of our “Movies and Manhood” series that gives some of our regular writers an opportunity to share their views on how movies have impacted their thinking about men’s roles today. Our objective is to find the intersection between these films and the themes and topics we address here at The Good Men Project. Be sure to check out our other posts here.
This year’s Oscar nominees for Best Actor represent an interesting cross-section of masculinity on the silver screen. Bryan Cranston plays a controversial screenwriter in Trumbo, Michael Fassbender plays a brilliant tech icon but estranged father in Steve Jobs, Eddie Redmayne plays an artist who undergoes a sex change operation in The Danish Girl, and Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon play men who fight to survive in extraordinary circumstances in The Martian and The Revenant.
Our GMP movie panelists give us a few things to think about in their reflections on these movies and the actors who showed us a diverse array of modern masculinity.
Check out their reflections and let us know your own thoughts on these films.
The GMP Perspectives
The trio—Cranston, Damon and DiCaprio—really do reflect three particular kinds of stereotypical male conflicts. For DiCaprio, it’s man against men, with nature providing a dynamic stage upon which the revenge saga is played out. Damon faces the challenge of man against nature—albeit Martian nature—a man’s struggle to harness intellect and courage to sustain life in a hostile environment. And in Trumbo, Cranston faces a struggle of a man against his own culture, man against other men who guard and exercise that culture, crushing individuality and dissent.
Three men, three stereotypical masculine conflicts, and three stories in which the man in question ultimately prevails. What are the odds of that?
Ramsey Marshall, The Good Men Project Author
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I think Matt Damon’s character showed how men have to stop being so hard on ourselves in the midst of adversity. Although it’s a dramatic role, there’s still humor in it. Even in the troubleshooting phases of life, we need not take ourselves so seriously. We put so much pressure on ourselves to get things right the first time when in actuality, we have to laugh at our mistakes. Laughing does keep us from crying. But it also dispels the myth that masculinity has to be stoic and flat all the time.
James Woodruff, The Good Men Project Author
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During my second viewing of The Martian, Ridley Scott’s majestic Mars views and the tense situation of Matt Damon’s character, Mark Watney, overshadowed what I saw the first time. While watching with my children again this weekend, Mark’s vulnerability becomes clear, especially during those moments where his successes go south.
Blow up the Hab while learning to make water, check.
Air leak kills your ability to further grow food, check.
Realizing your friends don’t know you’re alive, check.
Yet he doesn’t give up—he can’t. His spirit won’t be broken. He knows that if he does, he doesn’t need to wait for starvation, dehydration, suffocation, or even atmospheric implosion. He’ll die from the inside out.
My children looked at me at each turn of his potential demise, yet they weren’t as concerned. Matt Damon’s portrayal was so human and so full of hope, that they knew he would overcome the next obstacle or problem in his way.
I don’t know if the Academy will choose his star power in the role. I think it may be a little too mainstream for their taste, but he wins the award for personal leadership in my book.
Sean Ackerman, The Good Men Project Author
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In The Danish Girl, I found that Eddie Redmayne’s character was an interesting look at masculinity. It shows how a man does his best to deal with an issue that even today is taboo. The movie actually looks at both masculinity and femininity. The greatest thing about this picture is how he decides to risk it all to take a chance so he can finally live a happy normal life.
The Martian was a very powerful masculine film. When something terrible happens to a man and he is put in a very dangerous and deadly situation, rather than cry about it he puts all of his effort into the most basic thing: survival. This movie takes a drastic situation and does a splendid job of putting in comedic moments because no matter how bleak things may look, if you tackle them with a smile and a good attitude there is no telling how far they could take you. This is one of Ridley Scott’s best films this writer has ever seen and one that every man can enjoy.
There are a few reasons why The Revenant is a good masculine picture. The core of this movie is never giving up and pushing on when it may seem like your number is up. It is true that part of it deals with revenge but there is more going on here than just that. This movie is a great example of how strong a man can be when he is not ready to leave this world yet. With help from some unexpected allies and a powerful will to live, this is a film that spoke to me as a man.
Jay Snook, The Good Men Project Author
Source: 30dB.com – Bryan Cranston and Trumbo vs Matt Damon and The Martian
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