I have chosen to write on my favorite movie “Something To Talk About” starring
Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid. It is their characters that I will
be studying for this assignment. Grace and Eddie are married to one
another. I thought it would be interesting to look at both the female
side and the male side of the situations taking place.
Grace and Eddie both work for their fathers. Grace’s position is
as the stable manager on the family ranch where they train and race horses
in the Grand Prix. Although her position is in management she is
rarely involved in any major decisions. Grace’s father generally
reserves the right to keep the decision making up to him. I believe
that her position is very stereotypical to her gender role where women
are not usually given positions of high power or authority unless it is
undesirable to a man. For example, Grace’s father makes a decision
to buy a horse to run in the Grand Prix, without consulting her, then tells
her to inform the employee who was already scheduled to ride for their
ranch that he would have to wait until next year to ride. Grace tells
her father that it is wrong to do this and explains this employee will
quit. Her father replies by telling her this is a great opportunity
for her to use her people skills to make sure he doesn’t. This is
a perfect example of how women are portrayed as more sensitive or emotional
and are more suited for situations of this nature.
Eddie also works for his father and although we never hear exactly what
his position is we observe him in a business suit, going to the office,
meeting with clients, having dinner with clients, and having a secretary.
This again is very stereotypical to his gender role where men hold positions
of power. I found it interesting that both characters work for their
fathers, different types of businesses of course, but have very different
responsibilities.
Grace and Eddie have a daughter named Caroline. The parenting roles
played by both characters are very stereotypical. Grace, the mother,
is the caregiver who carries the everyday responsibilities of parenting
while Eddie, the father, is portrayed as the parent whose time with the
child is spent joking and playing because he is off providing for his family
the majority of time. While Eddie is shown as the businessman and
provider Grace is shown attending charity meetings with other women creating
cookbooks to sell and selling raffle tickets. Both are very stereotypical
gender roles.
The movie begins with men having more power than women buts switches hands
in the end. Harmony is also very important, as they find out after
they experience a huge conflict. Grace discovers that Eddie has been
unfaithful when she spots him outside a building kissing another woman.
After calling his office to hear that he is out for a meeting the rest
of the day and receiving a message on the answering machine at home, she
goes looking for him in her pajamas with her daughter in the car.
Eddie is found at a bar with the same woman she saw him kissing.
She confronts him and leaves to go stay at her parents’ house. This
is the conflict that will be so important and change her life and others.
Harmony is very important and Grace is reminded of that by both of her
parents. First, Grace’s mother comes to her office where she tells
her that Eddie just slipped and that all men do at one time or another.
She also tells Grace that from now on if she is having problems that she
should try to keep it a family thing and to just come to her in the future.
Next, Grace’s father tells her at the dinner table that he is sure Caroline
misses her father and that having problems is one thing but running home
without even trying to work them out is another. He tells her that
Eddie is a good father and a good provider and that is not so easy to come
by. The most important thing in the conversation is when he tells
her that he is involved with Eddie’s parents on a business deal and how
Grace leaving Eddie has made it uncomfortable for all of them. Harmony
is so important that Grace should just accept that Eddie slipped up, suck
it up, and forget about it to maintain peace and harmony for their daughter
and families. It seems that society determines good mothers by the
sacrifices they are willing to make for their children while determining
good fathers by what they can provide.
Eddie’s role throughout
the movie is stereotypical. Eddie portrays himself as a victim and
begins to defend himself by blaming Grace. Eddie’s response to all
of this is to get some counseling to work it out. Eddie meets Grace
for dinner at their house where he proceeds to explain to her that he doesn’t
like sleeping with other women but does it because she never touches him
anymore. How typical of a man to try to make himself out to be the
victim by blaming his actions on the woman.
Grace on the other hand goes from very stereotypical to astereotypical.
Grace first starts out by telling her mother that she will not stand by
and do nothing about Eddie’s cheating like her mother had done with her
father. This results in her mother kicking her father out and confronting
the way she has been expected to act. Next, Grace tells her father
that the other employee will be riding in the Grand Prix against him and
that if he wants to win it will have to be fair and square. She follows
that with her resignation. Grace then tells Eddie that she is not
ready to work things out and that she is going back to school to pursue
her dreams she had given up when she became pregnant with their child.
She stands her ground with her parents and with Eddie and goes against
the expected by simply not giving in.
Sexuality, in my opinion,
did not play a very big part in this film. I love this movie mainly
because in the end the females do not play the stereotypical roles that
are expected of them. Instead they do what is right for them.