Caricatures of homosexuality in legally blonde...- Page 3

[stage_door76]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 9:58am

Mealz1042 i totally argree with your noticing the stereotypes etc etc - but as toodarnhot says the entire premise of the show is about stereotypes and predictable imagery of different types of people...


i was initially pretty outraged i have to say - but now i think it's nothing worth much discussion. the show is not about gays (as divine as we are)...it's about elle...end of story

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 10:53am

While I liked LB much more than I ever thought I would: I think Gay or European is my least favorite number...and I can't fully tell you why. Maybe because its the EASY laugh. And that drives me nuts.

I suppose what's difficult about portraying a non-stereotyped gay role is: Then isn't it a character who's sexuality is not a priority? If the plot isn't about BEING gay, then an actor makes the choice that he/she IS gay...how does that read? Actor's don't make a point to show their characters are hetero unless it's part of the plot.

As a drama teacher, when I have my 8th grade boys ask if they can create a gay character...we talk about WHY is their sexuality important to the scene? If it's NOT important (and it seldom is) then I tell them no. If it is: I tell them how much more interesting it is to not go stereotypical and let the scene BE what it is: two people that care about each other. (or are breaking up, or WHATEVER.)

As far as SA: yes there is humor there, but I don't think it is without compassion: the lines in BOL are some of my favorites...particularly Ernst's line about "showering in gym class". The vineyard scene can go either way depending on the actor at the helm. Some of them 'play the laugh' and others
'play the scene'. When they actually play the moment/scene it is still funny because we understand the fear and the awkwardness of the scene. And I think the passion in that scene often is beautiful.