Sociological Movie Review

**Writing Assignment 1: Sociological Movie Review: Due May 28th

• Length: 1-3 pages.

• Follow the same general directions for reflection papers

• Use the following ideas to help you write your review

• Double spaced

***Point: to demonstrate that you are using sociology to think about the world (or in this case, a movie)***

Movies are not only one of the most influential and prevalent cultural objects in popular culture, but they are also ripe with sociological data and observations. Movies are produced through collective activities, represent people in a particular social and historical context, and reveal various socio- cultural patterns and aspects of social life (e.g., forms of deviance, gender roles, patterns of inequality, etc.).

*How to Watch Movies from a Sociological Perspective: There are at least five criteria for evaluating movies from a sociological perspective, one or more of which may be highlighted in a review:

1. How does the movie reflect its social context?

What can we learn about social conditions in a particular time and place from the movie? How and why are the social conditions depicted in the movie different from social conditions in other times and places? For example, James Bond movies from the 1960s and 1970s have much to say about the Cold War, the rise of the United States and the USSR as superpowers, the decline of the UK in world affairs, and men’s attitudes towards women. After the early 1990s, social and political change influenced the way these themes were depicted. It would make a fascinating sociological project to review old and recent James Bond movies with the aim of identifying these changes and the reasons for them. Similarly, Tarzan, Superman, and Disney movies could be analyzed with the aim of identifying change in underlying social conditions as reflected in the movies.

**Adapted from Dr. Maggie Cobb

2. How does the movie distort social reality?

Although movies are mirrors to society, they are far from perfect reflections. Often they systematically distort social realities. Movies can therefore teach us a lot about the prejudices, ideologies, and misconceptions of particular times and places. Consider the 2000 movie, Miss Congeniality, starring Sandra Bullock. It is a Cinderella story in which events permit the heroine’s “true self” to emerge. But while the idea of a “true self” makes for a good story, it denies the sociological fact that one’s identity is always in flux. One’s self remains “true” only until social conditions require the invention of a new self. Why then do we find the idea of a true self so

 * Robert J. Brym (2006)

appealing that it reappears in many movies? Sociological movie reviews can often serve as opportunities for raising such important sociological questions.

3. To what degree does the movie shed light on common or universal social and human problems?

Movies likes those in the Terminator and Matrix series raise an issue that was first popularized when Marry Shelley wrote Frankenstein during the early stages of the Industrial Revolution and that has since become widespread if not universal: human inventions sometimes threaten their creators. Why is this anxiety so widespread? How do other movies tap into common anxieties or other social and human problems? Sociology’s ability to find the universal in the particular is one of its chief strengths. One way of writing an interesting sociological movie review is by identifying a universal theme in the context of a particular story. Doing so will help the viewer see the movie in a new way.

4. To what degree does the movie provide evidence for or against sociological theory and research?

The 2004 movie, Kinsey, starring Liam Neeson, tells the story of the revolutionary American student of sexual behavior, Alfred Kinsey. Some of Kinsey’s methods were primitive by modern standards. Consequently, although some of his findings have been substantiated by subsequent research, some are suspect. As the case of Kinsey suggests, a sociological movie review may provide an opportunity to highlight advances in sociological theorizing and research.

5. To what degree does the movie connect biography, social structure, and history?

The 1962 classic, Lawrence of Arabia, starring Peter O’Toole, tells the story of how British Colonel T. E. Lawrence helped to mobilize the Arab national movement during and after World War I. It brilliantly interweaves several stories: Lawrence’s heroism, delusions, successes and failures; how the British and Arab societies he straddled influenced him; and the way he became an agent and victim of historical forces more powerful than any one man. C. Wright Mills famously argued that sociology at its best connects biography, social structure, and history. Selecting a movie that allows you to showcase sociology at its best is a good starting point for writing a sociological movie review.

When you select a movie to review, make sure that it affords you the opportunity to illustrate the value of the sociological perspective. Use one or more of the five criteria listed above to help you choose a movie and a theme for your review.

Argument:

The main body of your review – all but the introductory and concluding paragraphs – should develop your sociological argument. This is where you tell the reader about the sociological significance of the movie, applying one or more of the five criteria listed above. Roughly two-thirds of the review should be devoted to this purpose.

Summary:

A summary paragraph should concisely state your main conclusion and leave the reader with something to think about after he or she finishes reading the review. You may provoke the reader by asking a telling question, identifying an intriguing paradox or mentioning an unresolved issue.