Changing the norm, not embracing it

This week I wanted to discuss movies, specifically “movement” movies. You know the type: the ones that market themselves as having either an all-female cast, or an all non-white cast, etc. It’s great that these movies are out there, yet I think that Hollywood has forgotten the original goal.

For example, examine last summer’s Ghostbusters remake, marketed as having an all-female cast. Now, there is an all-female cast of Ocean’s Eight. I understand that this is Hollywood’s way of screaming to the world, “Look, we are advanced and support minorities,” but why can’t we give minorities better roles and original storylines, instead of giving them old, well-known roles? This takes away from not just the movies themselves, but also the work the actors put into it. Many critics and moviegoers compare the original and the remake, which is not what should be happening. The goal should be to change the norm, so that it is common for female, black, Hispanic, etc. actors/directors/screenwriters and staff to be involved in successful movies and be winning awards. The goal shouldn’t be to use that as a marketing scheme.

Black Panther, in my opinion, did a great job of this. Everyone involved in the movie discussed the quality of the movie itself, from the writing to the strong characters. Yes, it was an almost all African American cast, but that wasn’t the focus of the marketing team. If anything, everyone involved with the movie tried to avoid that stigma, and the media tried to bring attention to this. Everyone involved in the movie simply wanted for it to be known as a successful comic book movie, not as the most successful movie for an all African American cast.

We, as a society, need to stop focusing on the movements and instead remember why the movements were started. Yes, there should be more minorities in the arts, and yes, they should be paid the same. Yet, that doesn’t mean that we can say, “That was a good movie – for a female director.” The accomplishments of individuals should be discussed for their quality and achievements, not for the race or gender of the individual. We need to change the norm, not use it as a marketing ploy.