The Back-up Plan trailer (Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin)

[Aragorn]

The Back-up Plan (Apple.com quicktime)

Okay, really nothing special here. Another standard romantic comedy. Nothing worth mentioning on this board. But...

...if you decide to take a look at this trailer, going just by what you see, what do you think the odds are that the guy turns out to be the sperm donor in the end?

 

[Hermiod]

Hermiod Translates Romantic Comedies for Male Audiences #1 - The Back-Up Plan

Woman who looks a lot like Jennifer Lopez inexplicably can't find boyfriend. Woman goes to sperm clinic and is impregnanated. Woman then finds Man and tries to cover her pregnancy up so he won't dump her. Man is Idiot and does not notice obvious signs. Man finds out and dumps her. Man has ridiculous, unrealistic change of heart resulting in mad dash to find her at the end and then puts up with her having someone else's child because he loves her. The End.

(Note that most translations begin with "Woman who looks a lot like <INSERT NAME OF FEMALE LEAD HERE> inexplicably can't find boyfriend".)

Hermiod Explains What Would Happen in Romantic Comedies if They Were Set in the Real World #1 - The Back-Up Plan

Woman who looks a lot like Jennifer Lopez inexplicably can't find boyfriend. Woman goes to sperm clinic and is impregnanated. Woman then finds Man and tries to cover her pregnancy up so he won't dump her. Man is Idiot and does not notice obvious signs. Man finds out and dumps her. Man turns out to be the sperm donor. Man is sued for child support by Woman and is financially crippled for the rest of his life. Judge sides with Woman even though sperm donation was supposed to be anonymous. The End.

 

[TheSeeker]

^Dude, you seriously need to work you issues with women out. Seek therapy. I mean it.

 

[T'Baio]

That actually really is the plot. He really does end up being the sperm donor.

I'm serious.

Uuuhh...spoiler warning.

 

[Tom Hendricks]

I actually just watched this trailer before coming over here. I found the trailer to be funny and I actually sent it to my wife to watch. I'm not sure if I will see it in the theater but probably get it on Blu-Ray.

 

[Hermiod]

^Dude, you seriously need to work you issues with women out. Seek therapy. I mean it.

I have problems with women because I criticise romantic comedies ?

They hate women just as much as they hate men. From What Women Want which says that women spend every waking moment thinking about nothing else but men or Pretty Woman which says a woman's self-esteem is solely linked to the price of the clothes she's wearing or Maid in Manhattan which says a woman in a low paying job can't be attractive.

They're filled with beautiful, intelligent women, yet none of them have boyfriends even though it's clear they are looking. They're either saying that no man wants a woman like that or that all men are intimidated by women like that. Either way, they're not exactly sending out a positive message.

 

[TheSeeker]

^Dude, you seriously need to work you issues with women out. Seek therapy. I mean it.

I have problems with women because I criticise romantic comedies ?

No, because you take every opportunity to lash out at them. I was referring to the "real world" scenario you gave of us of the movie's plot.

Man turns out to be the sperm donor. Man is sued for child support by Woman and is financially crippled for the rest of his life. Judge sides with Woman even though sperm donation was supposed to be anonymous. The End.

This is just another in a long line of "Oh woe is me, I am a man and so hard done by" posts by you.

 

[Hermiod]

^Dude, you seriously need to work you issues with women out. Seek therapy. I mean it.

I have problems with women because I criticise romantic comedies ?

No, because you take every opportunity to lash out at them. I was referring to the "real world" scenario you gave of us of the movie's plot.

Man turns out to be the sperm donor. Man is sued for child support by Woman and is financially crippled for the rest of his life. Judge sides with Woman even though sperm donation was supposed to be anonymous. The End.

This is just another in a long line of "Oh woe is me, I am a man and so hard done by" posts by you.

And this is just another in a long line of boring, utterly pointless "Hermiod does this, Hermiod does that" posts that do nothing to discuss the subject of the thread. There are plenty of things you do wrong too, things that you and a few others do that put me off Misc entirely but I don't feel the need to ignore what you say and just attack you.

The movie's concept is the latest in a long line of dumb romantic concepts most of which would have drastically different outcomes in the real world. If you want to turn that in to "Hermiod hates women" then you go right ahead. I don't give a fuck.

 

[T'Baio]

It is true that the Hollywood romantic comedy is one of the most sexist and degrading things to woman out there in popular media.

And it's so bad simply because it's so subversive in its sexism and purports to be made for women, when in reality it's a male dominated enterprise creating a life script of what women are supposed to be.

 

[TheSeeker]

I totally agree that it looks like a dumb movie, but the problem is that you bring this negative slant you have on woman into so many threads it's hard to ignore.

If you had only included "Hermiod Translates Romantic Comedies for Male Audiences #1 - The Back-Up Plan" in your post I most likely would have quoted you and written "QFT". Instead you had to get in your customary little jab.

I don't mean to pick on you and I don't claim to be a perfect poster by any stretch of the imagination, but it's getting pretty old. If so many people point this out to you there must be a reason.

 

[Hermiod]

I totally agree that it looks like a dumb movie, but the problem is that you bring this negative slant you have on woman into so many threads it's hard to ignore.

Actually, it's very easy to ignore.

If you had only included "Hermiod Translates Romantic Comedies for Male Audiences #1 - The Back-Up Plan" in your post I most likely would have quoted you and written "QFT". Instead you had to get in your customary little jab.

I stand by what I said. I can think of quite a few where I'd have had a jab at the way the woman is treated as well - like Maid in Manhattan where Lopez would have ended up being the bit on the side while the man marries some socialite who can help his political career.

I don't mean to pick on you and I don't claim to be a perfect poster by any stretch of the imagination, but it's getting pretty old. If so many people point this out to you there must be a reason.

It's a specific few posters, all of whom are male, who seem to think that just because their lives are okay that means every other man's is too. It shows through in the way they talk to other posters, not just me. Anyone mentions feeling lonely, or sad that they don't have much luck with women they get a stream of patronising "I'm alright Jack" posts and are made to feel worse about themselves. Then someone will post a photo of himself and his girlfriend because that makes everyone feel much better.

They're so busy thinking they're so awesome that they can't see that life for other men, on this board and elsewhere, isn't so good.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

^Dude, you seriously need to work you issues with women out. Seek therapy. I mean it.

He's got a point that any woman who looks like J-Lo can wrangle herself a pretty compliant hubby who will put up with a lot, in exchange for the inherent bragging rights and envy of all his friends. She wants kids? There will be kids.

They're filled with beautiful, intelligent women, yet none of them have boyfriends even though it's clear they are looking. They're either saying that no man wants a woman like that or that all men are intimidated by women like that. Either way, they're not exactly sending out a positive message.

They're Hollywood actresses! Of course they're gorgeous. They are also stand-ins for the normal looking women who go to these movies, who might like to imagine they look like J-Lo, but hey, if they can't find a boyfriend, guess why? Because they look nothing like J-Lo. Average looking women have a tough time finding any guy who will stick with them, regardless of how nice a personality they have, their smarts, etc. All the guys are wrapped up in a fantasy that they can land J-Lo, even if they're a chubby, balding, completely average schlub. I've seen it a million times.

 

[Hermiod]

^It does not help, however, that a lot of the women in these films come off as needy, clingy and suffering from more than a few of the other top off-putting personality disorders.

The guys in these movies are never exactly chubby, balding or completely average either.

 

[Trippy]

Romantic comedies target audiences are women, just like Harliquin romances are. It's fluffy entertainment; fantasy stuff. Women doen't fantacize about their chubby, middle aged husbands any more than their husbands fantacize about their pudgy, domestic wives

It's just human nature, and harmless.

I actually want to see this one with Alex O'Loughlin in it Oh Moonlight I still miss you!

 

[T'Baio]

It's not harmless. The sexism displayed in most of these movies is damaging to the collective female psyche.

 

[Trippy]

Bullshit! My female psyche is just fine and dandy thank you!

We are intelligent enough to enjoy fantasy fluff as just that.

 

[T'Baio]

But are the 12 year old girls who watch it?

 

[Trippy]

If a parent is letting 12-year-old girls see RomComs, the parent had better be seeing it with them as most are 14A.

That said, does violent video games make boys serial killers? Not usually; it's just fantasy stuff.

So, RomComs hardly "damage the female psyche" any more at any age than video games do for the male psyche.

Girls are smarter than you give them credit for, even teenagers