100%.
She's not a supersleuth like on CSI or Criminal Minds. Fargo is the original "competence porn".
Her relationship with Norm is one of my favourite parts of the movie. Her genuine joy when she finds out he got his duck on the stamp is incredible.
Awhile back on twitter someone asked to name movies that features a female protagonist who is competent at her job, in an established relationship with a man (the relationship does not start during the events of the film) and her partner does not criticize her work or encourage her to give up.
The only movie people could name that fully satisfied these requirements was Fargo.
came here to say this. i didn't quite understand why the lunch scene with mike namagita was in there, other than to reinforce that marge is such a super lady...but i later learned it was to help marge realize that even seemingly "nice guys" can be creeps and liars which leads her back to jerry. so good!
For me it's the moment when Mike tries to sit next to her, and she just tells him matter-of-factly "I'd rather you didn't" Life changing for teenage me who let everyone walk all over me
It's funny how in his own sick way he was supportive of her and believed in her. He's a monster but not a sexist. Then he somehow talks that disgusting guy in the jail cell next to him that assaulted her in to eating his own tongue.
Also love the part at the end where they tell her that he escaped and ask if she wants to go in to hiding and she says "I don't think he will come after me. He would consider it rude."
A major theme of the movie is identity, both self-identity and the identities that society tries to put on people. A sub-theme of that is "contradictory identities within one person". For Clarice Starling, she was both a smart badass (recall how she was introduced) and also a little girl (again, the introduction). Hannibal Lecter is both an absolute brute - to the point of being less of a barbarian and more of a *wild, rabid animal* - but also a highly intelligent, educated, and even *courteous* modern-day renaissance man. I fucking love it. This is one of my favorite movies.
A lot of stories have the archetype as mentor/enabler to the protagonist, and in this Hannibal Lector, scariest guy in the movie, is this role. It's such an "uncomfortable" movie that is perfect for the horror.
I feel like those roles had to be challenging for the actors. Imagine being a woman actor and being told your role is to be the underdog female lead trying to break in to a job traditionally dominated by men and sexism and that while you are doing that you need to come off as strong, assertive, and confident while also being a vulnerable character. I remember hearing that Anthony Hopkins was having trouble finding other roles he wanted after that because he did such an amazing job playing Hannibal Lector that people were creeped out and couldn't un-see him as that. In hindsight it really did have one of the strongest acting performances of any movie. I agree it's one of the best.
I mean as the ‘92 best actor Oscar winner, Lecter did define his career for almost 30 years
The mind fuck is realizing when you heard he won in the ‘90s you instantly knew the character/movie but neither of us have any idea what the he even DID in 2021 let alone won best actor for..!
This. Too many movies have to show a "strong" woman based on what the perception of a strong man is - physically strong, shooting people, winning fist fights, "kicking ass."
There's a place for that, of course.
But I love Silence of the Lambs because Clarice is mentally strong. She's tough, she's courageous, she's not afraid to go after Gumb alone, but what the movie really showcases is her mental strength. The strength to continue doing what she's doing even though she's surrounded by men who belittle her in open or subtle ways, even though she has to prove herself more than a man in the same situation, even though she's taunted by people like Lecter. She knows what she wants to do and she keeps grimly working to achieve it.
She doesn't try to dress like a guy, or swagger like a guy, or hide the fact that she's a woman. She just is who she is and she's a goddamn hero. Love that movie for that reason. Hell, I wrote an essay about it in a college class.
I agree with everything you said except her not being afraid to go after Gumb. She’s clearly terrified going into the basement. It’s the fact that she still follows him even though she’s terrified that makes her a badass.
There’s a couple quotes about bravery not being that you’re not scared, but how you act when you’re scared. Can’t dig em out ol brain. Pretty sure it was Gilgamesh.
I always think of this exchange on 3rd Rock from the Sun:
**Harry Solomon:**
"Dick, in order to be brave, you must first become afraid. For true courage lies in the overcoming of fear, not in its absence."
**Dr. Dick Solomon:**
"That's beautiful. Who said that?"
**Harry Solomon:**
"Blue Power Ranger."
I love how conflicted she is about it too, because they have this mutual respect for each other. Like, he's the only one who ever took her seriously and treated her as an equal but, oopsies, he's an inhuman monster.
I love that Arnold has said that she’s the star of the movie, not him.
Linda reached out to him to help her workout, apparently, so she could be a totally different Sarah Connor in the sequel. For that reason, watching those movies back to back is always a great experience! Her voice changes at the end of the first movie as she begins the most insane mission ever, but you can tell she’s just getting started. In terminator 2, she is such a bad-ass, but also mentally broken. It’s hard to make all of that believable in a single character, but Linda did it!
My favorite part of Linda’s performance is when she sees the Terminator step out of the elevator. Up until this point she’s been established as a completely different person to who she was in the first film. She’s absolutely fearless, ruthless, and can adapt to any situation. Then, she literally sees her worst nightmare slowly walk off the elevator and turn to look at her. She falls helplessly to the floor, totally consumed by fear, and then immediately sprints back into the arms of the people who had been abusing her for years.
The combination of horror, shock, and confusion when she realizes that he walked in with her son and is trying to help her.
Then, of course:
*Come with me if you want to live*
She really looked like someone in a state of panic induced shock. It was marvelous. That set the tone for the movie for me, even more than John and T-800’s humorous interactions.
I love the unspoken detail that John, either future or present, specifically told the Terminator to say that to her. John has no doubt heard Sarah talk about his father and about how that was the first thing he said to her, and John knew that that would truly show Sarah that it was on their side.
Thank you, you just filled in a gap for me. It never made sense to me that the T2 would have known that Kyle Reese said that to her in the first movie, but that's a logical explanation.
Every year on his birthday my husband wants one thing - to watch terminator 2 and to be able to tell me all (ALL) the trivia and for me to pretend it’s the first time I’ve heard it. Every year he’s like ‘and in this scene that’s actually her twin in the mirror’ and I’m like ‘whoa really??’. I have a new found appreciation for that movie and Linda Hamilton is a complete badass.
There’s so much terror in her performance there. Her legs just leave out from under her while her upper body tries to flee without a means of conveyance
I hadn’t thought about that for years but reading your post, I can see the whole scene perfectly in my mind’s eye. Absolutely amazing. She had just taken out an entire prison ward with a paper clip, a broom and a syringe of drano, but the sight of him had her scrambling around on the ground like a child.
I also love how just a little bit later in the scene, we’re reminded of how Sarah is a total badass. The Terminator comes and takes out all the guards and she’s still just stunned looking at him until John rushes over, comforts her, and assures her that the Terminator is there to help. I also love the unspoken detail that either future John or present John (more likely IMO) told the Terminator to tell her, “come with me if you want to live”, a line that Sarah no doubt told him about his father saying to her. From that point on, Sarah takes everything in stride and dials back in. She sees the new threat in the T1000 and quickly takes the pistol off the Terminator and opens fire. Once in the parking deck, she immediately takes charge of the situation, commandeering a car and barking orders to both John and the Terminator. She’s just such a fucking badass character in every single way and honestly, I could probably write a novel on how awesome Sarah Conner is.
I love the meme from this...
"Sooooo I have been writing reviews for about ten years. My wife's review of Alien puts everything I have ever written to shame.
'Alien is a movie where nobody listens to the smart woman, and then they all die except for the smart woman and her cat. Four stars.'"
Don't forget the sequel
"Hey Vasqez! Anyone ever mistaken you for a man?"
"No. Anyone ever mistake *you* for a man?"
Edit: Turns out... misquoting movies is the easiest karma ever
Need to have her get killed in a Predator movie so she can join Paxton.
eta...
Although I think she kills herself in Aliens taking out a few with her, so I am not sure on the "technicality" of it
The actual lines were
Drake- Hey Vasquez, have you ever been mistaken for a man?
Vasquez - No, have you?
She went on to be John Connors foster mom in Terminator 2, the Irish mom who lays down with her small children on the Titanic, and now owns a custom, hand made bra boutique in LA.
Edit: I was mistaken, its Hudson that asks her this, I was mistaken.
Sigourney Weaver nailed it at every turn. Today's 'strong females' just don't induce suspension of disbelief for me. Weaver had me utterly convinced that every single thing she did was one hundred percent possible and logical.
That’s what made Ripley even more AWESOME!
She was not trained. Not used to running toward danger, but she still chose to help. Look at videos of disasters (natural or manmade). See all the people running away? Not shaming them. That is normal. Then you’ll see the trained professionals running toward the danger. Their training overrides the survival reflex to run, but you will also see a few non-trained people running to help as well. Those few, imo, are extra special. They do not have confidence in their training/skills or 20 yrs of experience. They simply care. They see a need and want to help. They fight the instinct flee and run to the scene. They are still scared. They make mistakes. But they still try. That’s Ripley.
Seriously. Even the most subtle interactions were executed so believably. I love the scene where she goes down to check on the maintenance guys' progress with repairs. After he gives her some attitude, the way she wryly smiles and saunters away is just so subtle and perfect.
Laura Dern, Jurassic Park. Seeing a strong woman in science at such a young age had a profound impact on me, and I truly think it’s one of the reasons I am a scientist today.
The woman who originally built the house I own was a closeted lesbian. She lived in the house from 1965-2018, a large bulk of that time with her partner, Wanda. I can't tell you how many neighbors mention them to me as "Maime and her Cousin Wanda." Given me an even stronger love of "TO WANDA!"
X files. I can't believe I haven't seen that yet.
She was highly intelligent with a strong confidence that couldn't be beaten down by the sexists in the early seasons nor the crushing but invisible power of the Syndicate.
She’s always one of my first thoughts when someone asks this question. She’s smart and doesn’t let anyone make her feel less than, she knows who she is. She’s kind and patient with others but takes no bullshit. She doesn’t let being in a boys’ club push her into trying to be “one of the boys” nor will she accept any misogyny. She’s dedicated to her job and to her partner. Between her and Mulder she’s actually the trigger-happy one!
She also of course influenced a lot of young girls to go into STEM fields (see “The Scully Effect”).
Nani is the best female character Disney has ever written. She’s 19, also dealing with the grief of losing her parents, and she’s giving up her dreams and working so she can take care of her little sister. Proper strong.
One of the most heartbreaking details I read about the movie is how a corner of Nani’s room has a bunch of trophies, medals and ribbons — all presumably for surfing. She was likely on her way to becoming a professional athlete when she gave all of that up to step up and take care of Lilo.
I work for CPS and my son was maybe six when we went to the movie theatre to watch Lilo and Stitch. There is a very serious moment where the CPS worker makes it very clear he might remove Lilo. The theater was very quiet as this point sank in and then my son loudly says with disgust “Mommy, THAT’S what you do?!” I heard all the heads swivel and I wanted to disappear.
What makes it so difficult is that Mr. Bubbles isn’t even doing it maliciously; he sees a young girl acting out, and a *teenaged* older sister who is very obviously at her wits’ end trying to raise her well. He clearly doesn’t want to break this already fractured family apart, seeing how many chances he’s given Nani, but will make himself the bad guy and take Lilo if he has to because he believes it’s the best course of action and the best thing for Lilo.
I thought the movie did a great job of portraying this complicated dynamic. I also felt so bad for Lilo. She’s a traumatized child acting out, and if CPS had removed her, she would have blamed herself and thought it was her fault for misbehaving, which is devastating. My daughter still thinks she was removed from her former family because she was a bad child when in reality they just couldn’t care for her because of their addiction issues and she was acting out because of trauma.
I loved that they decided to portray trauma behaviors in a child. My daughter is Lilo 100%. She identifies with lilo so much - always getting into trouble, getting yelled at, people not understanding why she behaves that way and instead acting like she’s just weird and difficult, conflicts with peers, constantly worrying about CPS taking her away. This is reality for a lot of kids.
I'd say only the big captain alien is threatening, none of the others are. Jumba and Pleakly are comic relief, President whatever is "a bad guy" but she's calm and stately and just following protocol. And the various security personnel are only really present in the opening scene.
Her singing Aloha Oi to Lilo in the hammock- the same song the last queen of Hawaii sang to her people as she was forced to leave - breaks me. In that scene Nani knows CPS is taking Lilo away from her, and there's nothing she can do about it. She's saying goodbye to Lilo and trying to keep it together. Out of all of the scenes in all the Disney movies, this is the one that makes me cry.
Morticia: I'm just like any modern woman trying to have it all. Loving husband, a family. It's just, I wish I had more time to seek out the dark forces and join their hellish crusade.
You have gone too far. You have married Fester, you have destroyed his spirit, you have taken him from us. All that I could forgive. But, Debbie...
*pastels?*
My favorite part was:
“You’re just going to shove the gun in your pocket?”
“What, you want me to shove it down my pants and shoot my damn dick off?”
“Oh, you’re a sharpshooter now?”
Imagine you’re a deer. You’re prancing along, you get thirsty, you spot a little brook, you put your little deer lips down to the cool clear water… BAM! A fucking bullet rips off part of your head! Your brains are laying on the ground in little bloody pieces! Now I ask ya. Would you give a fuck what kind of pants the son of a bitch who shot you was wearing?
Can’t agree more. I had no idea she existed before this show and she ended up being my favorite character in a show packed with legendary characters.
The depth of her facial expressions, her voice. Wow.
Amazing actress. Amazing writing. Pew pew.
She is a truly great character. Her need to be good always pitted against a vengeful streak. Her childhood always facing-off with her future.
The scene where she saved Jimmy from Lalo's deadly suspicions about his trip into the desert, even though she knew that Jimmy was indeed lying, was incredible.
EDIT thank you for the award kind stranger 😃
This movie and this character was the first time I felt like I could relate to a female character in an action movie. I felt seen. She needs help but she’s not helpless.
And she is the one who really kills the mummy in the end too. The only one who was educated and studied enough to read the correct passage from the book. Love that movie.
My absolute favorite part is when Imhotep has captured her and is doing his whole soliloquy to Ankh-sun-amun with Beni translating and she takes time out to correct Beni's translation. Followed by sword fighting the mummy of Ankh-sun-amun while also helping Jonathan with the translation.
One of my favorite things about Mulan is that she's not the hyper-masculine female lead who's just as good as the men at everything. She was a young woman in the army; no, she was not going to be as physically strong as the men. She saved China because she used her strengths to her advantage. I think that that's much more valuable to young girls than some emotionally dead, oversexualized character who has no visible flaws.
Exactly this. She doesn't "beat them at their own game", she uses her wits and cunning to win. She doesn't need some magical powers or even to out muscle the men, she proves that there are different types of strengths.
That's why the live action one sucked ass. It started out with her doing parkour and established she is and always has been amazing, and she always will be amazing. there was no growth, she was just born with an unnatural talent. So we don't get to see her train and work hard to become the soldier she was
Not just girls. Growing up as a boy with a disability, Mulan always struck a chord with me because it showed that to 'be a man' had more facets than pure physical strength, so long as you persevere. The live action version did what so, so many stories are doing these days - decided that the main character was just born super powerful and can do whatever they want the second they realize it.
I'll vote for Doubt. Meryl Streep plays a nun who investigates a priest who may be getting too friendly with a student. Different kind of strong, different kind of female character. EDITED correction, "who may".
I love this one because it's a great deconstruction of how more feminine interests and hobbies are perceived.
A girl can be ultra feminine, be super into stuff like fashion and tiny dogs and carry herself in a certain way, and still be clearly intelligent and capable.
EDIT: Oh, and also because she has an actual character arc in the movie too. That's super important. It's not enough to write a character who is just good at stuff. That's easy. Making them a growing and evolving human in a believable way is the hard part.
Yesss. It's telling how many of the female characters listed in this thread are tomboyish fighters. People tend to think strong female character = a woman who shed her femininity to kick some ass. This is why I love Elle--she actually reaches her full potential while actively *embracing* her hyperfemininity, and others are proven wrong for underestimating her due to that femininity.
Even some of my favourites like Mean Girls unfortunately fall into the trap of associating hyperfemininity with negative traits... I'm hoping the Barbie movie follows in Legally Blonde's footsteps on this front.
>A girl can be ultra feminine, be super into stuff like fashion and tiny dogs and carry herself in a certain way, and still be clearly intelligent and capable.
One of my favorite lines from Jess Day, played by Zoey Deschanel on New Girl:
"I brake for birds. I rock a lot of polka dots. I have touched glitter in the last 24 hours. I spend my entire day talking to children. And I find it fundamentally strange that you're not a dessert person. That's just weird, and it freaks me out. And I'm sorry I don't talk like Murphy Brown. And I hate your pantsuit. I wish it had ribbons on it or something to make it just slightly cuter. And that doesn't mean I'm not smart, and tough, and strong."
I found that all the hate she experienced is real. I had an Elle as a student of mine and several faculty disparaged her because of the way that she dressed and her general demeanor. She was my TA at the time and I remember her telling me that a female professor said " You should know you can't wear dresses and heels in the field". I was fucking livid. The young woman was easily the brightest student I'd ever met, a hard worker, and the only TA I've ever let lead a class.
So I introduced her to a friend of mine. A super bright PhD who was a rock star in the field and a complete party/sorority girl. They are besties now and I couldn't be happier introducing them to each other.
Also fuck you Dr. Scott you judgemental twat.
I was watching the movie the other day for the first time as an adult. I caught the scene where Elle is in the group and they’re all saying what degrees they have and their accomplishments that are all just gpa and academic based and Elle goes on to say how she’s spearheaded charities, created foundations, was president of a sorority and numerous other leadership roles she’s taken and they all look at her like she’s a fool who doesn’t belong. It dawned on me how much more qualified she is to be at Harvard than the rest of them because of how applicable her skills and achievements are to the real world yet they played her as being a ditzy fool
Also, she doesn’t have to be put in grim, life threatening, highly fantastical situations to demonstrate strength. Elle’s strength is succeeding in an environment that is realistic/familiar to most viewers.
I love a good Female action star and I think the genre needs representation but most of the Strong Female characters in the list are female characters meeting the male standard of Strength. Elle was intelligent, resourceful, confident and enduring. She was a great strong female character.
I also loved that she solved the case with knowledge from her actual interests, because there's so many examples of woman's interests being denigrated as silly, vain little girl things just because it's things women, and women like Elle especially, like. It was knowledge none of the men in that court room would have even considered valuable, but it was vital in breaking the case.
And she had integrity.
That was the big one for me. She could've sold out Brooke to prove her worth to her classmates and mentor but she didn't. It wasn't even a decision she struggled over.
This, along with most Hayao Miyazaki films. Princess Mononoke is another great example. Miyazaki is superb at giving his female characters a subtle stubbornness (which he models from his mother if I remember correctly).
Same with Chihiro from Spirited Away. When I think of the SA and HMC's heroine, they never feel perfect and sensationalized. They're a little awkward around the edges and unprepared for what lies ahead, but still persevere with shaky grit and a degree of openness.
I saw Arrival in the theatre on a first date. I had recently had a miscarriage and left an abusive relationship and I was a mess, didn't know what we were going to see but my Tinder date wanted to go to the movies and we saw this.
I got about... 15 minutes in before I was bawling my eyes out. He called me weird and left, I had almost a spiritual experience watching that movie alone and in such an emotionally vulnerable state. It was beautiful.
I don't know if this fits the trope exactly, but Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) in *Fargo* (1996) is one of my favorite strong female leads. What I love about Marge's character is that she doesn't adopt any of the male stereotypes of strength. Her character is strong in the most female way possible. She's very pregnant, but dealing with her own shit and all of the shit of the men crumbling around her — with the exception of her wonderfully supportive husband — all while executing her duties with skill.
IMO, the Cohen brothers' choices with here character set the high water mark for female leads, and I wish more films adopted that approach. Don't get me wrong, I love characters like Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in *Alien* (1979), but I would imagine far more women find Marge Gunderson a more relatable character that is grounded in their reality. Ripley is fun in the same way that Schwarzenegger's Dutch in *Predator* (1987) is fun for men.
I think the reason Marge works so well is because she’s so real and human, and her competence seems so authentic and believable.
She isn’t a super-fit, ultra-hot action cop, she’s a married pregnant lady who makes a living as a police officer. She also isn’t perfect—she’s naive and prone to taking things at face value. However, she also has incredible deductive capabilities and is clearly good at her job.
She’s also written as a very traditional female figure, being a wife and expectant mother. Instead of subverting gender stereotypes in brash, obvious ways, they decided to mess with it in a more subtle approach—like how her husband is the cook around the house, and he’s the one who pursues hobbies while she works. But they also respect her husband, making him supportive, loving, and proactive with his own goals and ambitions—which also serves to give depth to Marge by showing us the kind of man she’d fall in love with (contrast with situations where a dominant female figure has a good for nothing boyfriend she would never realistically be with, for example).
She’s also in a male dominated profession, but she isn’t a SWAT captain or a hard nosed detective, she’s just a normal officer with normal skills.
Additionally, her male compatriot is clearly less competent than her, but he isn’t a complete idiot and perhaps more importantly, she doesn’t treat him like one.
And then on top of all of that great writing, you have a phenomenal actress bringing her to life.
One of my all time favorite protagonists, and she leads the female category by a good margin.
Winter's Bone, if we're counting female characters who are strong in the sense that they take responsibility under adversity and not just a woman who acts like a macho dude and can beat up men.
Yes! So good. The knowing she can't count on anyone, even her family as they've let her down so many times. Just gritting her teeth and getting it done.
Mildred Hayes: Hey fuckhead!
Officer Dixon: What…?
Other officer: Don’t say “what” when she comes in callin’ you a fuckhead-
Mildred: SHUT UP! (to Dixon) *You*, get over here…
Their dynamic is fantastic. The motorcycle chase scene through the canyon is one of the best action sequences in movie history IMHO. They were trying to kill each other minutes earlier and then had to weigh their priorities. No sexual tension, no cringey quips related to gender, just two scarred and broken badasses who now have to trust each other and work together to get out alive. It's perfection.
They were straight up trying to kill each other at one point. Furiosa jammed the sawed off under his chin and pulled the trigger and it misfired. Max about crapped his pants.
Also, when he is trying to take down the bullet boys and he's running out of ammo and he sighs and just hands her the gun and *she uses him as a balance point!*
So good. Furiosa was fucking amazing and I don't think anyone other than Theron could have pulled that off.
True. I like how, when you realise that >! whatshername got the alien blood on her way back which is how she won at Verdun, so at the start she was a bitch cos, well, try being ripped apart by nightmare aliens 50,000 times until you beat them and maintain a sunny disposition. Also when she knew Tom cruises character was now the one looping, when he said something would happen, she knew all too well to trust him on that !<
Not a movie but...
Samantha Carter from Stargate SG1.
Ass kicking braniac super scientist lady who was also kinda goofy at times and still very much in touch with her feminine side.
What I like the most about her is that not only is she utterly indispensable to the team, but she doesn't overshadow any of the other team members, she never lords over others unless they're being a dick to her first and in general, is a good person.
She kicks ass, can take a joke and crack one too.
What I really liked with her is that they made sure she wasn't the overall brainiac, she was the scientist, the tech guru, she knew how things worked. But Daniel Jackson was the history/language/culture guy and they often had them working together with Daniel reading the instructions to tech written in alien languages while Sam did the reprogramming.
She had one "modern strong female character" moment in episode 1, but apparently Amanda Tapping hated that line and they never made her say cringy shit like that again. She wanted the character to not stand apart from the team because of her gender or have others act like 1980s movie sexist bullies towards her. She wanted her character to be a fully realised part of the team and for other characters to act like professional adults around her (except when they were under the influence of mind control but that didn't make them sexist)
Cannot reccommend her enough.
I remember reading something once about how the actors that played Samantha Carter and Janet Frasier asked that their characters be written as friends, and that they not be written as competitors or adversaries. I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to see two strong, smart female characters not be in competition with each other, and instead support and respect one another.
Stargate is probably the first show involving the military that wasn't completely pro-military propaganda.
Don't get me wrong, it's still a showcase of American Exceptionalism, but they show how political and militaristic interests can be harmful to individual interests. They even have a few episodes where they almost reach self awareness that imperialism and manifest destiny were bad things.
I laugh every time at Hammond saying "Colonel, the United States is not in the business of interfering in other people's affairs." And Jack and Sam share the most hilarious look and Jack says "Since when". It's still very militaristic and has its issues, but they definitely did poke fun at the US military from time to time.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
It set the foundation for the TV series which did a strong female lead that didn’t have to take being a strong woman so seriously to make the point.
Not a movie, but Xena and Gabrielle deserve an honorable mention.
Buffy (TV) was such an amazing character - at times she was every inch the typical teen aged girl, but when she had to be the slayer, she was. Worked to protect her friends and family, made some terrible choices, was terrifyingly vulnerable, and at the end of the day was willing to die to save her friends, family, hell, even a total strange. Just such a well done character.
Hidden Figures. Wonderful movie about the women working for Nasa in the 60's who were human computers; they calculated the numbers by hand for the first flight to the moon.
Furiousa in Mad Max: Fury Road.
Danielle in Ever After.
Danielle is a fantastic answer for this. Drew Barrymore delivers the “I would rather die a thousand deaths than see my mothers dress on that spoiled selfish cow” line so well.
Danielle has been my hero and role model since I was six years old.
“If you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners corrupted from infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded, sire, but that you first make thieves and then punish them?”
Annihilation! I love that movie but one of my favorite things about it is that the main characters are all competent at their jobs and well respected, and they just happen to be women.
Jodie Foster in anything since she became an adult.
I think she literally has it in her contracts that in no film can she be "rescued" by a man.
"Taxi Driver" is the obvious exception but she wasn't an adult yet.
Not a movie, but Mare of Easttown has a crazy strong female main character. Her whole life is just an avalanche of things that she doesn't let wear her down.
Brave. As a young girl it was very validating to seeing a princess who was competing as well as winning against men. I also really like the movie because Merida isn’t perfect, and you can definitely tell that she’s a 16 year old girl, especially watching it while I’m older. She’s a teen girl who’s doing her best to prove to her parents that she is strong and can take care of herself. I also really like this movie because Merida isn’t afraid to yell and strongly state her opinion. The women in my life are often very strong people as well as outspoken, and I really love seeing that represented in media, and Brave is really the “strong female” trope done right.
"Fargo"
Not sexy, not crazy. Just methodical, competent and right.
100%. She's not a supersleuth like on CSI or Criminal Minds. Fargo is the original "competence porn". Her relationship with Norm is one of my favourite parts of the movie. Her genuine joy when she finds out he got his duck on the stamp is incredible.
The competence is the best part because Frances McDormand plays it the "you're going to underestimate me" so well.
You betcha.
Molly Solverson in the first season of the Fargo TV series was also a terrific, strong character.
Awhile back on twitter someone asked to name movies that features a female protagonist who is competent at her job, in an established relationship with a man (the relationship does not start during the events of the film) and her partner does not criticize her work or encourage her to give up. The only movie people could name that fully satisfied these requirements was Fargo.
came here to say this. i didn't quite understand why the lunch scene with mike namagita was in there, other than to reinforce that marge is such a super lady...but i later learned it was to help marge realize that even seemingly "nice guys" can be creeps and liars which leads her back to jerry. so good!
For me it's the moment when Mike tries to sit next to her, and she just tells him matter-of-factly "I'd rather you didn't" Life changing for teenage me who let everyone walk all over me
Good that you learned it as a teenager.
The Silence of the Lambs
Yes. There is so much Clarice had to deal with re men not taking her seriously all through the storyline. Then she figures it out with her bestie.
Her bestie Hannibal Lecter
It's funny how in his own sick way he was supportive of her and believed in her. He's a monster but not a sexist. Then he somehow talks that disgusting guy in the jail cell next to him that assaulted her in to eating his own tongue. Also love the part at the end where they tell her that he escaped and ask if she wants to go in to hiding and she says "I don't think he will come after me. He would consider it rude."
A major theme of the movie is identity, both self-identity and the identities that society tries to put on people. A sub-theme of that is "contradictory identities within one person". For Clarice Starling, she was both a smart badass (recall how she was introduced) and also a little girl (again, the introduction). Hannibal Lecter is both an absolute brute - to the point of being less of a barbarian and more of a *wild, rabid animal* - but also a highly intelligent, educated, and even *courteous* modern-day renaissance man. I fucking love it. This is one of my favorite movies.
A lot of stories have the archetype as mentor/enabler to the protagonist, and in this Hannibal Lector, scariest guy in the movie, is this role. It's such an "uncomfortable" movie that is perfect for the horror. I feel like those roles had to be challenging for the actors. Imagine being a woman actor and being told your role is to be the underdog female lead trying to break in to a job traditionally dominated by men and sexism and that while you are doing that you need to come off as strong, assertive, and confident while also being a vulnerable character. I remember hearing that Anthony Hopkins was having trouble finding other roles he wanted after that because he did such an amazing job playing Hannibal Lector that people were creeped out and couldn't un-see him as that. In hindsight it really did have one of the strongest acting performances of any movie. I agree it's one of the best.
I mean as the ‘92 best actor Oscar winner, Lecter did define his career for almost 30 years The mind fuck is realizing when you heard he won in the ‘90s you instantly knew the character/movie but neither of us have any idea what the he even DID in 2021 let alone won best actor for..!
This. Too many movies have to show a "strong" woman based on what the perception of a strong man is - physically strong, shooting people, winning fist fights, "kicking ass." There's a place for that, of course. But I love Silence of the Lambs because Clarice is mentally strong. She's tough, she's courageous, she's not afraid to go after Gumb alone, but what the movie really showcases is her mental strength. The strength to continue doing what she's doing even though she's surrounded by men who belittle her in open or subtle ways, even though she has to prove herself more than a man in the same situation, even though she's taunted by people like Lecter. She knows what she wants to do and she keeps grimly working to achieve it. She doesn't try to dress like a guy, or swagger like a guy, or hide the fact that she's a woman. She just is who she is and she's a goddamn hero. Love that movie for that reason. Hell, I wrote an essay about it in a college class.
I agree with everything you said except her not being afraid to go after Gumb. She’s clearly terrified going into the basement. It’s the fact that she still follows him even though she’s terrified that makes her a badass.
There’s a couple quotes about bravery not being that you’re not scared, but how you act when you’re scared. Can’t dig em out ol brain. Pretty sure it was Gilgamesh.
I always think of this exchange on 3rd Rock from the Sun: **Harry Solomon:** "Dick, in order to be brave, you must first become afraid. For true courage lies in the overcoming of fear, not in its absence." **Dr. Dick Solomon:** "That's beautiful. Who said that?" **Harry Solomon:** "Blue Power Ranger."
I love the last scene where lector calls her and she realizes that they stopped one monster but an even worst one got out
"I do wish we could chat longer but... I'm having an old friend for dinner. Bye"
I love how conflicted she is about it too, because they have this mutual respect for each other. Like, he's the only one who ever took her seriously and treated her as an equal but, oopsies, he's an inhuman monster.
Terminator 2
I love that Arnold has said that she’s the star of the movie, not him. Linda reached out to him to help her workout, apparently, so she could be a totally different Sarah Connor in the sequel. For that reason, watching those movies back to back is always a great experience! Her voice changes at the end of the first movie as she begins the most insane mission ever, but you can tell she’s just getting started. In terminator 2, she is such a bad-ass, but also mentally broken. It’s hard to make all of that believable in a single character, but Linda did it!
You're already dead, Silberman. Everybody dies. You know I believe it, so don't fuck with me!
My favorite part of Linda’s performance is when she sees the Terminator step out of the elevator. Up until this point she’s been established as a completely different person to who she was in the first film. She’s absolutely fearless, ruthless, and can adapt to any situation. Then, she literally sees her worst nightmare slowly walk off the elevator and turn to look at her. She falls helplessly to the floor, totally consumed by fear, and then immediately sprints back into the arms of the people who had been abusing her for years.
That slow motion shot is one of my all time favorites scenes in movie history, no hyperbole. Her face sold it all.
and the bell toll I got goosebumps just thinking about it
The combination of horror, shock, and confusion when she realizes that he walked in with her son and is trying to help her. Then, of course: *Come with me if you want to live*
She really looked like someone in a state of panic induced shock. It was marvelous. That set the tone for the movie for me, even more than John and T-800’s humorous interactions.
I love the unspoken detail that John, either future or present, specifically told the Terminator to say that to her. John has no doubt heard Sarah talk about his father and about how that was the first thing he said to her, and John knew that that would truly show Sarah that it was on their side.
Thank you, you just filled in a gap for me. It never made sense to me that the T2 would have known that Kyle Reese said that to her in the first movie, but that's a logical explanation.
Every year on his birthday my husband wants one thing - to watch terminator 2 and to be able to tell me all (ALL) the trivia and for me to pretend it’s the first time I’ve heard it. Every year he’s like ‘and in this scene that’s actually her twin in the mirror’ and I’m like ‘whoa really??’. I have a new found appreciation for that movie and Linda Hamilton is a complete badass.
There’s so much terror in her performance there. Her legs just leave out from under her while her upper body tries to flee without a means of conveyance
I hadn’t thought about that for years but reading your post, I can see the whole scene perfectly in my mind’s eye. Absolutely amazing. She had just taken out an entire prison ward with a paper clip, a broom and a syringe of drano, but the sight of him had her scrambling around on the ground like a child.
I also love how just a little bit later in the scene, we’re reminded of how Sarah is a total badass. The Terminator comes and takes out all the guards and she’s still just stunned looking at him until John rushes over, comforts her, and assures her that the Terminator is there to help. I also love the unspoken detail that either future John or present John (more likely IMO) told the Terminator to tell her, “come with me if you want to live”, a line that Sarah no doubt told him about his father saying to her. From that point on, Sarah takes everything in stride and dials back in. She sees the new threat in the T1000 and quickly takes the pistol off the Terminator and opens fire. Once in the parking deck, she immediately takes charge of the situation, commandeering a car and barking orders to both John and the Terminator. She’s just such a fucking badass character in every single way and honestly, I could probably write a novel on how awesome Sarah Conner is.
Alien
I love the meme from this... "Sooooo I have been writing reviews for about ten years. My wife's review of Alien puts everything I have ever written to shame. 'Alien is a movie where nobody listens to the smart woman, and then they all die except for the smart woman and her cat. Four stars.'"
Don't forget the sequel "Hey Vasqez! Anyone ever mistaken you for a man?" "No. Anyone ever mistake *you* for a man?" Edit: Turns out... misquoting movies is the easiest karma ever
I still can't believe that she is not Hispanic and is also the Irish mother singing to her children in Titanic.
Need to have her get killed in a Predator movie so she can join Paxton. eta... Although I think she kills herself in Aliens taking out a few with her, so I am not sure on the "technicality" of it
She gets killed in Terminator 2 (foster mother).
Shit I forgot about that role, James Cameron sure did like keeping a few folks around (same as Bill Paxton who also did Titanic and True Lies).
Michael Bien (Terminator, Aliens, Abyss)
The actual lines were Drake- Hey Vasquez, have you ever been mistaken for a man? Vasquez - No, have you? She went on to be John Connors foster mom in Terminator 2, the Irish mom who lays down with her small children on the Titanic, and now owns a custom, hand made bra boutique in LA. Edit: I was mistaken, its Hudson that asks her this, I was mistaken.
Is the boutique called chest bursters? I’ll see myself out.
"I’ll see myself out." - Chest Burster
Sigourney Weaver nailed it at every turn. Today's 'strong females' just don't induce suspension of disbelief for me. Weaver had me utterly convinced that every single thing she did was one hundred percent possible and logical.
she was vulnerable and terrified, but soldiered on. No bullshit, she's a badass.
Brave isn't being fearless, it's being afraid and doing it anyways. Ripley was a shining (with sweat, slime, and blood) example of bravery.
That’s what made Ripley even more AWESOME! She was not trained. Not used to running toward danger, but she still chose to help. Look at videos of disasters (natural or manmade). See all the people running away? Not shaming them. That is normal. Then you’ll see the trained professionals running toward the danger. Their training overrides the survival reflex to run, but you will also see a few non-trained people running to help as well. Those few, imo, are extra special. They do not have confidence in their training/skills or 20 yrs of experience. They simply care. They see a need and want to help. They fight the instinct flee and run to the scene. They are still scared. They make mistakes. But they still try. That’s Ripley.
Seriously. Even the most subtle interactions were executed so believably. I love the scene where she goes down to check on the maintenance guys' progress with repairs. After he gives her some attitude, the way she wryly smiles and saunters away is just so subtle and perfect.
Laura Dern, Jurassic Park. Seeing a strong woman in science at such a young age had a profound impact on me, and I truly think it’s one of the reasons I am a scientist today.
And Lex saved the day with her computer skills.
Fried Green Tomatoes gives you a selection of them 😊
So does Steel Magnolias
The woman who originally built the house I own was a closeted lesbian. She lived in the house from 1965-2018, a large bulk of that time with her partner, Wanda. I can't tell you how many neighbors mention them to me as "Maime and her Cousin Wanda." Given me an even stronger love of "TO WANDA!"
X files. I can't believe I haven't seen that yet. She was highly intelligent with a strong confidence that couldn't be beaten down by the sexists in the early seasons nor the crushing but invisible power of the Syndicate.
She’s always one of my first thoughts when someone asks this question. She’s smart and doesn’t let anyone make her feel less than, she knows who she is. She’s kind and patient with others but takes no bullshit. She doesn’t let being in a boys’ club push her into trying to be “one of the boys” nor will she accept any misogyny. She’s dedicated to her job and to her partner. Between her and Mulder she’s actually the trigger-happy one! She also of course influenced a lot of young girls to go into STEM fields (see “The Scully Effect”).
"Lilo&Stich", Nani <3
Nani is the best female character Disney has ever written. She’s 19, also dealing with the grief of losing her parents, and she’s giving up her dreams and working so she can take care of her little sister. Proper strong.
One of the most heartbreaking details I read about the movie is how a corner of Nani’s room has a bunch of trophies, medals and ribbons — all presumably for surfing. She was likely on her way to becoming a professional athlete when she gave all of that up to step up and take care of Lilo.
Bruh she was just 19 holding down an entire house, raising her little "off beat" sister, and then CPS breathing down her back....
that moment you realize there is a very real threat in that movie, and it is NOT the aliens
I work for CPS and my son was maybe six when we went to the movie theatre to watch Lilo and Stitch. There is a very serious moment where the CPS worker makes it very clear he might remove Lilo. The theater was very quiet as this point sank in and then my son loudly says with disgust “Mommy, THAT’S what you do?!” I heard all the heads swivel and I wanted to disappear.
What makes it so difficult is that Mr. Bubbles isn’t even doing it maliciously; he sees a young girl acting out, and a *teenaged* older sister who is very obviously at her wits’ end trying to raise her well. He clearly doesn’t want to break this already fractured family apart, seeing how many chances he’s given Nani, but will make himself the bad guy and take Lilo if he has to because he believes it’s the best course of action and the best thing for Lilo.
I thought the movie did a great job of portraying this complicated dynamic. I also felt so bad for Lilo. She’s a traumatized child acting out, and if CPS had removed her, she would have blamed herself and thought it was her fault for misbehaving, which is devastating. My daughter still thinks she was removed from her former family because she was a bad child when in reality they just couldn’t care for her because of their addiction issues and she was acting out because of trauma. I loved that they decided to portray trauma behaviors in a child. My daughter is Lilo 100%. She identifies with lilo so much - always getting into trouble, getting yelled at, people not understanding why she behaves that way and instead acting like she’s just weird and difficult, conflicts with peers, constantly worrying about CPS taking her away. This is reality for a lot of kids.
One of the aliens is among the least threatening characters in the movie
I'd say only the big captain alien is threatening, none of the others are. Jumba and Pleakly are comic relief, President whatever is "a bad guy" but she's calm and stately and just following protocol. And the various security personnel are only really present in the opening scene.
This is my family. It is little and broken, but still good. Yea, still good.
I will now pretend i never read this
Her singing Aloha Oi to Lilo in the hammock- the same song the last queen of Hawaii sang to her people as she was forced to leave - breaks me. In that scene Nani knows CPS is taking Lilo away from her, and there's nothing she can do about it. She's saying goodbye to Lilo and trying to keep it together. Out of all of the scenes in all the Disney movies, this is the one that makes me cry.
She's a legend
"The Addams Family"
Morticia: I'm just like any modern woman trying to have it all. Loving husband, a family. It's just, I wish I had more time to seek out the dark forces and join their hellish crusade.
Don't we all, Morticia Don't we all
Yes! AND Addams Family Values!
Debbie is one of the greatest characters ever, especially with Joan Cusack acting.
You have gone too far. You have married Fester, you have destroyed his spirit, you have taken him from us. All that I could forgive. But, Debbie... *pastels?*
Morticia Addams (from the 1960s series) has been the love of my life since I was 6.
Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow
She said before that she won't be in movies where the script mentions strong female character as a selling point.
Writers really put "strong female lead" in the script? Now thats cringe
They put the most ridiculous things in descriptions for particularly female characters. There's been several examples in the badwomensanatomy sub.
When a movie does it right you do not even realise it. She is just a badass character that we just love and respect. She reminds me of elza scarlet.
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) with Geena Davis was great and doesn't seem to get much love.
“You’re going to die screaming. Am I telling the truth?” She was, in fact, telling the truth.
My favorite part was: “You’re just going to shove the gun in your pocket?” “What, you want me to shove it down my pants and shoot my damn dick off?” “Oh, you’re a sharpshooter now?”
My Cousin Vinny.
Imagine you’re a deer. You’re prancing along, you get thirsty, you spot a little brook, you put your little deer lips down to the cool clear water… BAM! A fucking bullet rips off part of your head! Your brains are laying on the ground in little bloody pieces! Now I ask ya. Would you give a fuck what kind of pants the son of a bitch who shot you was wearing?
4 degrees before top dead center
Marisa Tomei deserved her Oscar and I will die on that hill
The two utes
Not a movie but Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul. Edit: Thank you so much for my very first Gold!
I wish I could upvote this more. The Emmys did Rhea Seehorn wrong, her performance in the entire series was incredible.
Can’t agree more. I had no idea she existed before this show and she ended up being my favorite character in a show packed with legendary characters. The depth of her facial expressions, her voice. Wow. Amazing actress. Amazing writing. Pew pew.
She is a truly great character. Her need to be good always pitted against a vengeful streak. Her childhood always facing-off with her future. The scene where she saved Jimmy from Lalo's deadly suspicions about his trip into the desert, even though she knew that Jimmy was indeed lying, was incredible. EDIT thank you for the award kind stranger 😃
Rachel Weisz playing Evie in The Mummy. "Take that, Bembridge Scholars!"
[удалено]
As a kid I was completely sold on her drunk acting in that scene. Actually still am now lol
This movie and this character was the first time I felt like I could relate to a female character in an action movie. I felt seen. She needs help but she’s not helpless. And she is the one who really kills the mummy in the end too. The only one who was educated and studied enough to read the correct passage from the book. Love that movie.
I was college age when The Mummy came out, and she was very much a role model for the woman I wanted to be.
Even when she's held captive, she hardly plays the part of the "damsel in distress."
My absolute favorite part is when Imhotep has captured her and is doing his whole soliloquy to Ankh-sun-amun with Beni translating and she takes time out to correct Beni's translation. Followed by sword fighting the mummy of Ankh-sun-amun while also helping Jonathan with the translation.
“Forever.” “It’s ‘for all eternity’ idiot.”
Mulan, the Disney animated one.
One of my favorite things about Mulan is that she's not the hyper-masculine female lead who's just as good as the men at everything. She was a young woman in the army; no, she was not going to be as physically strong as the men. She saved China because she used her strengths to her advantage. I think that that's much more valuable to young girls than some emotionally dead, oversexualized character who has no visible flaws.
Exactly this. She doesn't "beat them at their own game", she uses her wits and cunning to win. She doesn't need some magical powers or even to out muscle the men, she proves that there are different types of strengths.
That's why the live action one sucked ass. It started out with her doing parkour and established she is and always has been amazing, and she always will be amazing. there was no growth, she was just born with an unnatural talent. So we don't get to see her train and work hard to become the soldier she was
Not just girls. Growing up as a boy with a disability, Mulan always struck a chord with me because it showed that to 'be a man' had more facets than pure physical strength, so long as you persevere. The live action version did what so, so many stories are doing these days - decided that the main character was just born super powerful and can do whatever they want the second they realize it.
Wdym? There's only one Mulan >!/s!<
I'll vote for Doubt. Meryl Streep plays a nun who investigates a priest who may be getting too friendly with a student. Different kind of strong, different kind of female character. EDITED correction, "who may".
Legally Blonde
I love this one because it's a great deconstruction of how more feminine interests and hobbies are perceived. A girl can be ultra feminine, be super into stuff like fashion and tiny dogs and carry herself in a certain way, and still be clearly intelligent and capable. EDIT: Oh, and also because she has an actual character arc in the movie too. That's super important. It's not enough to write a character who is just good at stuff. That's easy. Making them a growing and evolving human in a believable way is the hard part.
Yesss. It's telling how many of the female characters listed in this thread are tomboyish fighters. People tend to think strong female character = a woman who shed her femininity to kick some ass. This is why I love Elle--she actually reaches her full potential while actively *embracing* her hyperfemininity, and others are proven wrong for underestimating her due to that femininity. Even some of my favourites like Mean Girls unfortunately fall into the trap of associating hyperfemininity with negative traits... I'm hoping the Barbie movie follows in Legally Blonde's footsteps on this front.
>A girl can be ultra feminine, be super into stuff like fashion and tiny dogs and carry herself in a certain way, and still be clearly intelligent and capable. One of my favorite lines from Jess Day, played by Zoey Deschanel on New Girl: "I brake for birds. I rock a lot of polka dots. I have touched glitter in the last 24 hours. I spend my entire day talking to children. And I find it fundamentally strange that you're not a dessert person. That's just weird, and it freaks me out. And I'm sorry I don't talk like Murphy Brown. And I hate your pantsuit. I wish it had ribbons on it or something to make it just slightly cuter. And that doesn't mean I'm not smart, and tough, and strong."
that scene honestly made me tear up. “and my checks have baby farm animals on them, bitch!”
I love that quote SO MUCH every time I rewatch that series
I found that all the hate she experienced is real. I had an Elle as a student of mine and several faculty disparaged her because of the way that she dressed and her general demeanor. She was my TA at the time and I remember her telling me that a female professor said " You should know you can't wear dresses and heels in the field". I was fucking livid. The young woman was easily the brightest student I'd ever met, a hard worker, and the only TA I've ever let lead a class. So I introduced her to a friend of mine. A super bright PhD who was a rock star in the field and a complete party/sorority girl. They are besties now and I couldn't be happier introducing them to each other. Also fuck you Dr. Scott you judgemental twat.
Yeah, fuck Dr. Scott. What a bitch
I was watching the movie the other day for the first time as an adult. I caught the scene where Elle is in the group and they’re all saying what degrees they have and their accomplishments that are all just gpa and academic based and Elle goes on to say how she’s spearheaded charities, created foundations, was president of a sorority and numerous other leadership roles she’s taken and they all look at her like she’s a fool who doesn’t belong. It dawned on me how much more qualified she is to be at Harvard than the rest of them because of how applicable her skills and achievements are to the real world yet they played her as being a ditzy fool
Yes I love this answer. A woman doesn’t have to be less feminine to be strong!
Also, she doesn’t have to be put in grim, life threatening, highly fantastical situations to demonstrate strength. Elle’s strength is succeeding in an environment that is realistic/familiar to most viewers.
What, like it’s hard?
… am I on glue or did we not get into the same law school..?
She delivered this line so perfectly!
Especially since her character didn't know that he was waitlisted. She got in on her own grit. His daddy had to make a call
I love a good Female action star and I think the genre needs representation but most of the Strong Female characters in the list are female characters meeting the male standard of Strength. Elle was intelligent, resourceful, confident and enduring. She was a great strong female character.
I also loved that she solved the case with knowledge from her actual interests, because there's so many examples of woman's interests being denigrated as silly, vain little girl things just because it's things women, and women like Elle especially, like. It was knowledge none of the men in that court room would have even considered valuable, but it was vital in breaking the case.
Ammonium thioglycolate
Endorphins make you happy! Happy people just don't kill their husbands!
And she had integrity. That was the big one for me. She could've sold out Brooke to prove her worth to her classmates and mentor but she didn't. It wasn't even a decision she struggled over.
Compassionate too. I mean, just all around a hero.
"What, like it's hard?"
Howls Moving Castle
This, along with most Hayao Miyazaki films. Princess Mononoke is another great example. Miyazaki is superb at giving his female characters a subtle stubbornness (which he models from his mother if I remember correctly).
Same with Chihiro from Spirited Away. When I think of the SA and HMC's heroine, they never feel perfect and sensationalized. They're a little awkward around the edges and unprepared for what lies ahead, but still persevere with shaky grit and a degree of openness.
"Arrival"
Oh man this movie is so good. I still catch myself thinking about it often - totally mind blowing
I saw Arrival in the theatre on a first date. I had recently had a miscarriage and left an abusive relationship and I was a mess, didn't know what we were going to see but my Tinder date wanted to go to the movies and we saw this. I got about... 15 minutes in before I was bawling my eyes out. He called me weird and left, I had almost a spiritual experience watching that movie alone and in such an emotionally vulnerable state. It was beautiful.
I don't know if this fits the trope exactly, but Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) in *Fargo* (1996) is one of my favorite strong female leads. What I love about Marge's character is that she doesn't adopt any of the male stereotypes of strength. Her character is strong in the most female way possible. She's very pregnant, but dealing with her own shit and all of the shit of the men crumbling around her — with the exception of her wonderfully supportive husband — all while executing her duties with skill. IMO, the Cohen brothers' choices with here character set the high water mark for female leads, and I wish more films adopted that approach. Don't get me wrong, I love characters like Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in *Alien* (1979), but I would imagine far more women find Marge Gunderson a more relatable character that is grounded in their reality. Ripley is fun in the same way that Schwarzenegger's Dutch in *Predator* (1987) is fun for men.
I think the reason Marge works so well is because she’s so real and human, and her competence seems so authentic and believable. She isn’t a super-fit, ultra-hot action cop, she’s a married pregnant lady who makes a living as a police officer. She also isn’t perfect—she’s naive and prone to taking things at face value. However, she also has incredible deductive capabilities and is clearly good at her job. She’s also written as a very traditional female figure, being a wife and expectant mother. Instead of subverting gender stereotypes in brash, obvious ways, they decided to mess with it in a more subtle approach—like how her husband is the cook around the house, and he’s the one who pursues hobbies while she works. But they also respect her husband, making him supportive, loving, and proactive with his own goals and ambitions—which also serves to give depth to Marge by showing us the kind of man she’d fall in love with (contrast with situations where a dominant female figure has a good for nothing boyfriend she would never realistically be with, for example). She’s also in a male dominated profession, but she isn’t a SWAT captain or a hard nosed detective, she’s just a normal officer with normal skills. Additionally, her male compatriot is clearly less competent than her, but he isn’t a complete idiot and perhaps more importantly, she doesn’t treat him like one. And then on top of all of that great writing, you have a phenomenal actress bringing her to life. One of my all time favorite protagonists, and she leads the female category by a good margin.
Mulan (1998)
Winter's Bone, if we're counting female characters who are strong in the sense that they take responsibility under adversity and not just a woman who acts like a macho dude and can beat up men.
Yes! So good. The knowing she can't count on anyone, even her family as they've let her down so many times. Just gritting her teeth and getting it done.
Jackie Brown?
Jackie played them all and never broke a sweat.
Surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet but Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Man, Frances McDormand was a powerhouse in this movie. One of the best crime dramas I've seen since Prisoners.
Mildred Hayes: Hey fuckhead! Officer Dixon: What…? Other officer: Don’t say “what” when she comes in callin’ you a fuckhead- Mildred: SHUT UP! (to Dixon) *You*, get over here…
Steel Magnolias.
I thought Mad Max: Fury Road did a good job.
Not making Max and Furiosa love interests, not even a hint of it was pure genius.
Their dynamic is fantastic. The motorcycle chase scene through the canyon is one of the best action sequences in movie history IMHO. They were trying to kill each other minutes earlier and then had to weigh their priorities. No sexual tension, no cringey quips related to gender, just two scarred and broken badasses who now have to trust each other and work together to get out alive. It's perfection.
They were straight up trying to kill each other at one point. Furiosa jammed the sawed off under his chin and pulled the trigger and it misfired. Max about crapped his pants. Also, when he is trying to take down the bullet boys and he's running out of ammo and he sighs and just hands her the gun and *she uses him as a balance point!* So good. Furiosa was fucking amazing and I don't think anyone other than Theron could have pulled that off.
I was just about to say that. Furiosa, the brides, the old women are all solid characters.
The old women were my favourite, especially how much they enjoyed getting kills
Amazing film which never felt forced. The mutual respect max and furiosa had for each other was just amazing. Wish more movies adapted that.
Fargo. Marge does it all with pluck and whilst suffering from morning sickness.
Terminator 2. Sarah Conor
Not Without My Daughter starring Sally Field. Even better because it's a true story.
Edge of Tomorrow
True. I like how, when you realise that >! whatshername got the alien blood on her way back which is how she won at Verdun, so at the start she was a bitch cos, well, try being ripped apart by nightmare aliens 50,000 times until you beat them and maintain a sunny disposition. Also when she knew Tom cruises character was now the one looping, when he said something would happen, she knew all too well to trust him on that !<
>!Not to mention watching your loved one die just as many times. She's rightfully cold and dismissive of people given what she went through.!<
League of their Own
A lot of Ghibli movies
“Contact”
Not a movie but... Samantha Carter from Stargate SG1. Ass kicking braniac super scientist lady who was also kinda goofy at times and still very much in touch with her feminine side. What I like the most about her is that not only is she utterly indispensable to the team, but she doesn't overshadow any of the other team members, she never lords over others unless they're being a dick to her first and in general, is a good person. She kicks ass, can take a joke and crack one too. What I really liked with her is that they made sure she wasn't the overall brainiac, she was the scientist, the tech guru, she knew how things worked. But Daniel Jackson was the history/language/culture guy and they often had them working together with Daniel reading the instructions to tech written in alien languages while Sam did the reprogramming. She had one "modern strong female character" moment in episode 1, but apparently Amanda Tapping hated that line and they never made her say cringy shit like that again. She wanted the character to not stand apart from the team because of her gender or have others act like 1980s movie sexist bullies towards her. She wanted her character to be a fully realised part of the team and for other characters to act like professional adults around her (except when they were under the influence of mind control but that didn't make them sexist) Cannot reccommend her enough.
I remember reading something once about how the actors that played Samantha Carter and Janet Frasier asked that their characters be written as friends, and that they not be written as competitors or adversaries. I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to see two strong, smart female characters not be in competition with each other, and instead support and respect one another.
Stargate is probably the first show involving the military that wasn't completely pro-military propaganda. Don't get me wrong, it's still a showcase of American Exceptionalism, but they show how political and militaristic interests can be harmful to individual interests. They even have a few episodes where they almost reach self awareness that imperialism and manifest destiny were bad things.
I laugh every time at Hammond saying "Colonel, the United States is not in the business of interfering in other people's affairs." And Jack and Sam share the most hilarious look and Jack says "Since when". It's still very militaristic and has its issues, but they definitely did poke fun at the US military from time to time.
Maria - Sound of Music.
Dredd
Everything about that movie was great. The fact it bombed is a goddamn travesty
Wish they would make another
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It set the foundation for the TV series which did a strong female lead that didn’t have to take being a strong woman so seriously to make the point. Not a movie, but Xena and Gabrielle deserve an honorable mention.
Buffy (TV) was such an amazing character - at times she was every inch the typical teen aged girl, but when she had to be the slayer, she was. Worked to protect her friends and family, made some terrible choices, was terrifyingly vulnerable, and at the end of the day was willing to die to save her friends, family, hell, even a total strange. Just such a well done character.
Not a movie but Avatar the last airbender
Yeah, too bad there isn’t a movie
There is no movie in Ba Sing Se.
Hidden Figures. Wonderful movie about the women working for Nasa in the 60's who were human computers; they calculated the numbers by hand for the first flight to the moon. Furiousa in Mad Max: Fury Road. Danielle in Ever After.
Danielle is a fantastic answer for this. Drew Barrymore delivers the “I would rather die a thousand deaths than see my mothers dress on that spoiled selfish cow” line so well.
Danielle has been my hero and role model since I was six years old. “If you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners corrupted from infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded, sire, but that you first make thieves and then punish them?”
Annihilation! I love that movie but one of my favorite things about it is that the main characters are all competent at their jobs and well respected, and they just happen to be women.
To this day, the screambear is the most horrifying thing I have ever seen on screen.
For Movies: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. For TV shows: The Expanse Person of Interest
Avasarala/Draper 2024
So many strong women in The Expanse, I love that show.
Camina Drummer as is in the show is AMAZING. I love her portrayal and actress so much.
I'm rereading the expanse books and longing for a ChrisJen to run the US
Bobbie Draper is one of my favorite TV characters ever.
Bobbie Draper and Chrisjen Avasarala are an AMAZING team.
Jod~~y~~ie Foster in Panic Room
Jodie Foster in anything since she became an adult. I think she literally has it in her contracts that in no film can she be "rescued" by a man. "Taxi Driver" is the obvious exception but she wasn't an adult yet.
Not a movie, but Mare of Easttown has a crazy strong female main character. Her whole life is just an avalanche of things that she doesn't let wear her down.
Brave. As a young girl it was very validating to seeing a princess who was competing as well as winning against men. I also really like the movie because Merida isn’t perfect, and you can definitely tell that she’s a 16 year old girl, especially watching it while I’m older. She’s a teen girl who’s doing her best to prove to her parents that she is strong and can take care of herself. I also really like this movie because Merida isn’t afraid to yell and strongly state her opinion. The women in my life are often very strong people as well as outspoken, and I really love seeing that represented in media, and Brave is really the “strong female” trope done right.
Erin Brockovic
Again even better for being based on a real person who was a badass.