The Portrayal of Women in the Movie Something's Gotta Give

The 2003 movie "Something's Gotta Give" is a story of middle age love and the difference of dating rules for men and women who are in the peak of their lives. Diane Keaton (Erica) is the mother of a 20-something daughter (Merrin) who brings home a much older man. This premise turns into the trials and tribulations of men dating younger women, and older women being bitter, old maids.

The intended audience for this film is middle-aged males and females. This group can relate to some of the situations portrayed in the movie. However, the imagined audience is anyone from teenagers to middle aged people. Teenagers could possibly relate because there are a handful of younger characters in which they deal with dating as young people. Thus, a broad spectrum of audiences could viably be reached due to characters, situations, and life cycle positions.

There is cornucopia of portrayals of women in this film. Merrin, the 20-something daughter, is a career-oriented, self- determined young woman. She dates who she pleases and has no qualms about having 2 week flings. Her mother, Erica, is a 50 year old writer who has had her own success within her career. She is divorced and takes pride in being independent. However, later in the movie, she does feel the need for companionship. Erica's sister Zoe, a women's studies professor, is a feminist who sees the blatant stereotypes of women over 40. The portrayals of these women work well together because they are all confident women who are proud to be what they are. All three have a strong work ethic as well as strong opinions. They also contrast with one another. Zoe is a strong feminist who does not date, while Merrin is a vibrant young woman who dates around and has fun doing it. Erica, on the other hand, is completely content staying in "night after night after night" alone, working on her scripts. They all have a good chemistry together, even though the are portrayed differently.

The women and men in this film are virtually pitted against each other. Harry, the man Merrin brings home, is a rich man who is 63 years old. He seems to have a pattern of dating no woman older than 30. In the movie, he is viewed as a playboy. He lives the good life. On the other hand, Erica is viewed as an old maid, because she is divorced and does not go out. She is considered "damaged goods". This is interesting because they are virtually the same age, yet viewed differently because of their gender. However, Dr. Julian Mercer, who is in his 30's, takes an interest in Erica. Thus proving that older women can be desired by the young ones as well.


Economic representation is evident in this film. Erica has a house in the Hamptons , which is very exclusive and very expensive. This shows that she is financially independent. Merrin is an accomplished auctioneer for Christies, which is a world renowned auction company that deals with the most rare and expensive items in the world. Thus, she is depicted as being financially stable. Harry is the owner of many companies as well as a large hip-hop record label. He drives a convertible Mercedes and when he suffers from a heart attack in Erica's home and is forced to stay there, his staff of 10 comes to stay with him. This shows his financial stability.

The abilities of all the characters are evident as well. The main characters are all accomplished in their respective fields, Erica as a write, Merrin as an auctioneer, Zoe as a professor, and Harry as a businessman. Class is also comparable to the economic status in this particular film. This film shows that with money comes high class, which is not necessarily true. Sexual orientation is also quite evident in the film. All of the characters have a sex drive targeted towards the opposite sex. At one point or another, all of the characters are involved in a romantic relationship with a person of the opposite sex, except Zoe. This might elude to the fact that she is a lesbian, or that she just has no interest in dating. The characters also represent white people. There is no one ethnic in the film. This may show a lack of consideration to other cultures, meaning, other cultures can live like this also.

There are a few aspects of this movie that are taken for granted in this film. First, the fact that everyone could have a house in the Hamptons , like Erica, and go out to expensive dinners. Another aspect that is skewed is that all the characters thought about were the differences between men and women. By the end of the film, however, it is realized that focusing on the differences will not get one anywhere. Also, the belief that men can date younger women and older women are bitter about it is evident in the film. In the end though, the younger people end up together, and the older people end up together.

One lesson learned about society in this film is that older women and younger men can date and have something in common. Older men and younger can also date and have things in common as well. Age does not necessarily matter when finding love or friendship is involved. This film also shows that love can be attained later in life. Love is not only for young people. This point is evident in the relationship between Erica and Harry. Erica and Harry also prove that both people in a relationship can be career driven and successful in their careers. One person does not have to "take care" of the other.

I was personally in the dominant viewing position of this film. I could identify with some of the characters and their situations. I also agreed with many of the points made in the film, for example, a woman can be successful and still be desired, regardless of age. I also found the film purely entertaining and was not offended by any views or situations in the film. For example, even though Merrin was in her 20's, I was comfortable with the fact that she dated a 60 year old, purely based on his personality, not his age. I felt the film was generally accurate and the views were recent issues that society currently deals with. Dealing with age gaps and dating is a fairly newer issue in our society and the film dealt with it accurately and tastefully.