Diner and Old-Fashioned Sexism

            “Diner” is a film directed and written by Barry Levinson, and was noticed by the Academy for it's writing; this film is considered a “sleeper” classic amongst many film enthusiasts. It has because one of my favorites, mainly because of the young actors who would later become big and the location of a retro Baltimore… but the more I watch it, the more I start liking it less. Though the film is mostly just young men out of high school just “bullshitting” their nights away at a Diner, it has casual sexism laced within it’s plot.

            It’s misogynistic from its start. Steve Guttenberg’s character Eddie is about to get married but before he does he tasks his mother to make him a sandwich. While not exactly sexist, the way he treats her is like a servant. Later, they go to a film and to summarize what happens, Mickey Rourke’s character Boogie sexually harasses his date in the theatre and his friends laugh at this incident. This is done after a bet with his friends; the characters constantly make bets about “getting with women” like having sex with them is nothing but a goal to achieve.

            Daniel Stern’s Shreevie is one of the more irritating characters. He complains that he doesn’t have anything to talk about with his wife, but doesn’t take the time to talk to her, trying to ignore her when she tags along with the main male characters. When Shreevie notices that his records are out of order, being the music geek he is, he values the organization of his records over his wife’s feelings.

           

 (Don't Touch My Records scene)

            The scene that stands out the most and made me kind of angry at how subtly sexist it was is the scene where Eddie gives his fiancée a football test before he marries her. If she doesn’t pass, they don’t marry. Does his fiancée give him a test on something she is passionate about? No, she doesn’t. It doesn’t go both ways. 

The sexism is romanticized in the film, as everything seems resolved by the end in the wedding. It’s just how young men acted back then… like the phrase says “boys will be boys.” I think this problematic because it normalizes sexism and negative attitudes toward women, especially wives and mothers. It's kind of subtle, because although the film portrays the female characters in a respectful way in terms of their writing and character, how they are treated by men is "Mad Men" sexist. A reflection of the time, sure, but it’s just as sexist as it is today.

(Football Test scene)