Women Over 40 Rock!

My friend, Carol, organized a SATC girls’ night out for the opening weekend. She not only paid for the tickets, the hot dogs, soft drinks, valet parking but also gave each of us a chilled 12 ounce Cosmo filled Vitamin Water bottle (conveniently purse size). Carol is one generous woman who knows how to party! Seeing this movie with friends was the perfect setting for a film that pays homage to the strength of women’s friendships. The bond women have with each other was reflected not only on the screen but in the thousands of SATC parties across the nation. And our four SATC ladies, all over 40, looked gorgeous. In a town where actresses are in the final chapter of their career at 35, here is a film in which Samantha, still sexy and hot to trot, celebrates her 50th birthday. That was a ground-breaking moment for a mainstream Hollywood film. My friends and I highly recommend the film. It is funny, sweet and yes, even moving.
The reviews and blogs about this film have been mixed and many have been downright scathing. In Melissa Silverstein’s June 1 Women & Hollywood blog, she included quotes from “the misogynist” column of Jeff Wells from Hollywood Elsewhere. He called SATC a “Taliban Recruitment Film”. In another blog, he went on to attack the largely female audience for this film: “…an indication that a certain portion of middle-class American females — pre-teens, teens, 20- and 30-somethings, middle-agers — are, no offense, social dimwits and aesthetically clueless saps with the collective depth of three or four quarters laid on top of each other.”
Jeff-Jeff, chill, the movie is a light comedy and certainly there is a parallel to action films geared to a male audience. When “Fast & the Furious” came out, would you have attacked the mostly male audience that flocked to that film? Would you have been scurrilous in your criticism calling them testosterone fueled macho young men, mindless, reckless road racers, hell-bent on destruction? Jeff, you criticized the suburban women who attend SATC, implying they are shop-a-holics who “….use their f—ing credit cards to stay ‘in the game’ regardless of her age.” Perhaps you object to spending $525 for a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes. But a set of custom wheels could easily set you back more than $500 bucks? The shoes and the wheels both get you there in style, so what’s the difference?
But Jeff, why are you on the attack? Why are you picking on us? There is a huge segment of the population (perhaps your older sisters, your mother and aunts) for whom there have been few mainstream films that provide a little escapism. You can see by the turn out how hungry we are for a fun, upbeat film that speaks to us. It’s been years since we’ve had a film to flock to. The last one was “The Devil Wears Prada” in 2006; before that “Something’s Gotta Give” in 2003; there was “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” in 2002; and before that in 1996 “First Wives Club”; and, before that 1991 “Thelma and Louise”. Notice the number of years between these films – note, too, that everyone was a huge box office hit and yet was considered an anomaly. We get crumbs, Jeff, crumbs, so excuse us for being a little giddy about a film that’s a bit of a fantasy but a lot of fun and along the way celebrates women’s friendships.
Jeff, I also think you are totally missing the economic good that is being done by this picture. These are dire economic times, buddy, and in bad times we prefer to think about good times. Simplistic, but there you have it. One chief element that keeps the economy going is consumer spending. Not only are women turning out in droves to buy tickets and drinks and dinner for a night out, but also are given a chance to do a little fantasy shopping. These days there’s not a lot of actual shopping going on. Have you been to the malls lately, Jeff? In many stores, the sales staff out-numbers the customers. Things are bad, Jeff, according to The New York Times of 6.1.08, even the rich are selling the diamonds they don’t wear to make ends meet. So, maybe SATC will get women to spend their rebate checks (like the President wants us to) on stuff rather than use them to pay off our f—ing credit cards you said we’re so addicted to.

Jan Bina, blogger for In the Trenches Productions, The First Entertainment Website Celebrating the Power and Beauty of Women Over 40

“I write for a blog titled ‘Women Over 40 Rock!’” Whenever I say those words I force myself to stay quiet and observe the listener’s reaction. Invariably I get a look showing a lack of appreciation and am told that it sounds like it MUST be one of those anti-male, “feminazi” sites where bitter women do little more than complain about their lives and about men.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

“Women Over 40 Rock!” is a name that should be taken at face-value. It is the essence of our mission statement: to celebrate the power and the beauty of women over the age of 40. Women who, once youth begins to fade, have traditionally faded from the forefront of society along with it. Here, we women over 40 believe that our time is now.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find anti-male sentiment in our posts. We love men – really. It’s simply not necessary for us to criticize others in order to make ourselves feel superior. Here, throughout our posts, you will read stories of inspiration and of personal reflection. Visit our In The Trenches Productions website and watch a short but empowering video titled “Believe It Baby!” and we guarantee that you will come away with new insight… and perhaps even a smile.

In The Trenches Productions is a group of female writers, producers, and actresses whose mission is to ensure that mature women maintain their earned place in the media spotlight. These ladies learned the hard way that women in Hollywood, upon reaching the age of 40 or so, are quickly ignored and discarded like yesterday’s news. Troubled by the scarcity of older women in television and movies, they formed In The Trenches Productions and set out, together, to make things right. Throughout our blog, we strive to bring this, and other related issues, out and into the open.

Take, for example, Debbie Zipp’s recent post that addresses the wave of reviewers and commentators actively discouraging men from attending the new movie, “Sex and the City.” Why? Because it’s not a ‘guy thing to do.’ Guys are told that they don’t want to be seen at THIS movie! Films made for, and about, women are branded as “chick flicks” and are often reviewed with that same negative spin. Exactly why a movie such as this, which features four confident, passionate, determined women, should be considered negative is something that I am at a loss to understand. Here, unlike much of the mainstream press, we choose to take a more positive view of women in media.

It’s said that knowledge is power. Know this then – by the year 2010, women between the ages of 40 and 64 will be the largest age group in the United States, as well as at the height of their earning power. Women like us make up a sizable demographic and have the economic strength to make advertisers sit up and take notice. Our time IS now.

We dream of the day when the world will be able to routinely see mature, multi-faceted women portrayed on television and in the movies – in titles of every genre. We support – and encourage you to support — those productions that carry on our mission.

Quite simply, it’s important.

“Don’t stop dreaming. Dreams are essential to living.” — Debbie Zipp

Posted by Mandy Crest, blogger for In The Trenches Productions, The First Entertainment Website for Women Over 40!