If The Rob Ford Casting News Has You Down, Just Think About Dick
Is a movie inherently more interesting if the main character is patriarchy-approved?
As you’ve probably heard, there is a Rob Ford movie in the works — and people aren’t super thrilled with the casting. For one, noted non-obese actor, Damien Lewis will be playing Toronto’s infamous Mayor and Trump Prequel, Rob Ford. What’s upset most people however is the news that the role of the Journalist Trying to Uncover the Truth—a role that in real life was mostly played by noted female reporter, Robyn Doolittle—will be played by Ben Platt. On the surface, this seems like some truly foul smelling sexist bullshit. As Doolittle herself tweeted, “ why have the role played by a woman when it could be played by a man.”
But, because we are not ones to jump on an outrage bandwagon without first exploring the facts, we should clarify that, at least according to Platt, the movie isn’t about the Rob Ford scandal so much as a story that takes place during the scandal. Platt is a newsroom intern hoping to get noticed by looking into the scandal, but he’s not the one busting the story wide open, à la Doolittle.
You see, it’s not sexist at all! The filmmakers probably just saw the thrilling, real life drama about a young woman taking on a powerful, populist politician and realized that the real story that needed telling was a fictional, tangential story about how that real life drama affected a dude. Sure, the story of Doolittle would be extra relevant in this Trumpian, #MeToo / Time’s Up moment, but also, what about a dude?
To give the filmmakers the benefit of the doubt, let’s assume it’s a money thing. Unless they wanted to make a movie about a dogged Toronto reporter named something like, I don’t know, Roberta Seemore, they’d have to pay Robyn Doolittle a good bit of money for the rights to her book, Crazy Town. And so, sure, it’s cheaper to just tell another story.
But it’s also really dumb. And sexist, even if it’s not intentionally, or overtly so. It’s sexist in the same way a lot of films about race are kind of racist. Call it bigotry by omission. Like when they make a film about the civil rights movement, but the main characters are the white friends of MLK. It’s the idea that a story is inherently more interesting if the main character is patriarchy-approved.
It’s fine that they didn’t want to make a Robyn Doolittle biopic, or even a drama in the style of Spotlight, but it’s still a bit frustrating that the default fiction inspired by true events is about a man. There were probably some female interns who wanted to get in on the Ford action, too.
If all this is still bothering you, luckily there is a film where casting went the other way. It’s also about politics. And young people trying to take down a powerful politician. It also re-writes history. And it’s probably way better than you remember. Dick, starring Michelle Williams and Kirsten Dunst as two teens who wind up being the Deep Throat in the Watergate affair, might just be the only movie where a man in real life became a female character when it hit the screen. Odd that we haven’t made more progress like that in the past 20 years.
