Hollywood Double Standards: Are Lesbian Films More Acceptable Than Gay Male Movies?

Lesbian filmmaker Lisa Cholodenko’s new film “The Kids Are All Right” has received overwhelming praise from the mainstream North American press.

Mainstream heterosexual Hollywood movie stars Annette Benning and Julianne Moore star as the lesbian couple. However, there is a subversive vein of homophobia and sexism to this movie.

For example, lesbian relationships are acceptable as long as the lesbian couple conforms to heterosexist beauty standards.

North Americans don’t mind watching movies with  pretty, slim, white lesbians kissing or having hot sex on the silver screen.

“The Kids Are All Right” doesn’t seem like a movie that is geared towards the gay and lesbian community. This movie is just like a boring TV movie of the week

that should be on the Lifetime channel.  “The Kids Are All Right” presents homosexuality that is supposed to  “normalizes” our sexual orientation  for the rich white

suburban crowd.

It is obvious that Lisa Cholodenko made this movie to attract heterosexual men and this movie is a straight male fantasy.

Annette Benning and Julianne Moore are gorgeous, talented, actresses, and feminine lesbianism is basically now mainstream.

By contrast, Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor’s gay male romantic comedy “I Love You Phillip Morris” is still having trouble obtaining distribution in North America.

“I Love You Phillip Morris” has already been released in Europe but in North America the release date has been pushed back to October 2010.

The negative press “I Love You Phillip Morris” has received in America is not just abhorrent but also not surprising.

Today, mainstream media outlets such as New York Magazine have posted clips of Jim Carrey engaged in an explicit gay sex scene with another man.

So what is the difference? It is clear that North Americans are fearful of gay male homosexuality, it is a threat to the masculinity of the Hollywood powerbrokers and the people in power in Hollywood.

McGregor and Carrey’s film is a refreshing change to the image Hollywood wants to present about male homosexuality. In the film “I Love You Phillip Morris”, Jim Carey’s character has no conflict about his homosexuality.

The love scenes between McGregor and Carrey are tender and the actors illustrate that gay male love exists. Perhaps the problem is the marketing of “I Love You Phillip Morris”?

Straight people love films such as the pedestrian “Brokeback Mountain” or “Milk” both movies are so repulsive and stereotypical it makes me want to vomit!

“I Love You Phillip Morris” shatters the stereotype that all gay men we  have this anguish, angst, and agony about being gay.

The gay sex scenes in “I Love You Phillip Morris” are important because gay men we do have sex. I guess the idea of Carrey and McGregor kissing upsets the

Hollywood powerbrokers.

The fear of North Americans is, the discourse exists that male homosexuality is abhorrent, frightening, and deleterious. “I Love You Phillip Morris” has some groundbreaking scenes of explicit gay male sex scenes.

Hollywood doesn’t want to present gay male relationships as loving, sexually charged, or real.

There are still anxieties about male homosexuality that disrupts the beliefs of heterosexuals.

“I Love You Phillip Morris” was created for an  adult audience, so why is there still this fear of gay male love?

The double standards of the mainstream North American press is not only homophobic but also disappointing and annoying.

Meanwhile,   “The Kids Are All Right” is about a white, lesbian,  upper middle class, suburban family. The movie is derivative and lacking in details.  Now I know I will be in a minority for saying this, I just wish there was more diversity in relation to gay and lesbian films.

I am so tired of these movies about  white, upper class, gays and lesbians getting all the media attention.

Where are the films about Latina lesbians, Asian lesbians or black lesbians or Aboriginal lesbians on the silver screen?

I yearn for the day when a  Holywood superstars of colour such as Samuel L Jackson,  Shemar Moore, Will Smith, Jimmy Smits,  Halle Berry, Lucy Liu, Angela Bassett, or Jennifer Lopez can headline gay movies.

The dilemma is, homosexuality is still taboo in communities of colour.

Benjamin and Peter Bratt did release their wonderful film “La Mission” a few months ago. “La Mission” is an independent film that challenged the homopbobia,

in Latino American communities.

The Bratt Brothers said they had problems finding financing for “La Mission” because Hollywood believed Americans are not interested in a movie about gay men of colour.

On the  internet, some Latinos are upset that the issue of male homosexuality was explored in the film. However,  La Mission has grossed over $1 million dollars

proving there is an audience for movies about male homosexuality in communities of colour.

Another  quandary is, homosexuality is still viewed by the mainstream as a symbol of whiteness. The ideology is, gay people are white and gays of colour we don’t exist.

I think gays and lesbians of colour we really need to become more organized, mobilized, and create our own movies.

Another problem I have with “The Kids Are All Right” is,  why is Mark Ruffalo in the movie? I understand, the teen children of Annette Benning and Julianne Moore search for their sperm donor father.

I am just disgusted that Julianne Moore’s character Jules has an affair with Mark Ruffalo! Does this make sense? A real lesbian would never have sex with a man!

This movie is presenting the homophobic message that some lesbians are sexually attracted to men. Any woman that  seeks out men for sex is not a  real lesbian

because real lesbians are not interested in having sex with men.

I believe is very irresponsible of Lisa Cholodenko to present this belief that lesbians actually want to have sex with men.

Why didn’t Lisa Cholodenko have a female love interest for Jules if she was going to have an affair?

It is clear to me that Cholodenko was interested in trying to reach a heterosexual, middle class, audience.

Mark Ruffalo’s character was created to make straight people feel safe and comfortable with their own prejudices about lesbian relationships.

There is a homophobic belief that lesbian relationships are not real and two women cannot sexually satisfy each other.

“The Kids Are All Right” was created for the so-called  “open-minded” straight people. You know, the kind of straight people who think they are “hip” and “cool” and totally accepting of gays that don’t upset their heterosexist beliefs and values.

Mark Ruffalo’s character is basically a plot device to placate the prejudices of  straight folks. This movie is not groundbreaking it is offensive and clearly anti lesbian!