Today I went to the matinee of “I Don’t Know How She Does It.” Yes, I went to see a movie about an overworked working mom on a Monday, right after drop-off. And yes, the movie got one tomato on Rotten Tomatoes.
Mindless entertainment aside, what struck me as I came out was that Sarah Jessica Parker was such a different heroine from my all-time Go To favorite, Demi Moore in “A Few Good Men.” There is no doubt that my life has changed. I saw “A Few Good Men” when I was in business school, and single. Now I am working, have two kids and am running a household with my husband. So perhaps these different heroines appeal to different life stages. That said, I also believe that they appeal to our evolving ideals for what it means to be a powerful woman.
In “A Few Good Men,” Demi Moore is in full-on masculine energy. She is tough, much tougher than Tom Cruise or even Jack Nicholson. She is single minded and unwavering. She is also the woman behind the man. In “I Don’t Know How She Does It,” Sarah Jessica Parker is frantic and spread much too thin. She is also the woman in front of the man. Interesting evolution. What I noticed most in Sarah Jessica’s character, is that women today are pushing hard to be in their full identity as women at the office, and not be penalized for it. Now that we are managing so much, the only way we can do it all is if we can really, truly be ourselves and bring it all to every role we play.