Written by Robert Scucci | issued
Have you ever seen an 80’s teen romantic comedy fantasy movie that was as troubled as it was progressive? If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the 1986 one. Willie Millie. If you haven’t heard of this title, you might want to look into another one. i was a teenage boy and something specialbut also know that you can stream it now. Willie Millie As of this writing, it is available for free on The Roku Channel.
There’s a lot to unpack here, so you better get started right away.
“Grass is always greener” scenario
Willie Millie The main character is Millie Niceman (Pamela Adlon), a 14-year-old tomboy who is obsessed with astronomy. Knowing that her father Fred (John Glover) always wanted a son instead of a daughter, Millie finds it much easier to be a boy than a girl, and decides to accept her decision in life. I am dissatisfied with my position.
Everything changes for Millie when her best friend Stephanie’s (Mary Tanner Bailey) eccentric brother Malcolm (played by a young Seth Green in an early role) sells her a magical wish-granting spell. Masu. If she follows his specific instructions during the upcoming solar eclipse, her deepest, darkest desires will come true. As it turns out, Millie’s deepest, darkest desire is to be a boy, which manifests itself physically in the form of a penis under her nightgown when she wakes up the next day.
Although her mother Doris (Patty Duke) is displeased, Millie decides to change her name to Willie and live as a boy, initially upsetting her father. That is until he realizes that he finally got the son he always wanted. Realizing that it is impossible to explain that Willy was once a girl named Millie, Fred arranges for his son to be transferred to a new school so that he can have a fresh start after his transformation.
Unfortunately for Willy, he learns that being a boy has its own challenges as he tries to navigate teenage life with a new identity. Things keep getting more complicated Willie Millie When Willy befriends Alfie (Eric Gully), a boy in a wheelchair, Alfie struggles with his attraction to Willy, who was a girl only a week ago.
Amazingly progressive, but an unfortunate product of its time
Considering that Willie Millie I saw the 1986 release and I have to say it was actually quite ahead of its time, socially speaking. When Millie transforms into Willy, Fred does his best to make sure his son is comfortable in his new body. Fred leans a little too much into the gender norms he’s accustomed to as a man entering middle age in the 1980s, teaching Willy boxing and swearing so he can become an alpha male, but he quickly learns to value Willy for who he is. I came to understand. He mistakenly tries to make his ex-daughter, who has decided to live her life as a boy and never call him “girlfriend” even after her gender change, feel seen as his son. However, there have been several well-intentioned attempts.
However, although Fred supports his son’s social transition, Willie Milliehe still views the world through the lens of what today would be considered an egregious example of toxic masculinity. Although I have to commend Fred for doing the best he could given the circumstances. Willie Millie By the time we get to the third act, when Alfie confesses his love to Willy and is so ashamed of his feelings, he can no longer withstand today’s intense scrutiny.
Additionally, the typical teen sex comedy beats in this context may feel a little on the creepy side. As it turns out, Alfie and his nerd pals have a secret junkyard where they hide from bullies and try to hook up with girls, despite having no game at all romantically. Locker room talk can sometimes be misconstrued as incredibly forced and bordering on misogynistic, so every time Willie goes on a rant trying to show off his sexual savvy, I find myself I was paralyzed.
one of the best movies of all time
Willie Millie “” is one of those movies that has to be praised for being extremely ambitious, but definitely deserves criticism for not fully committing to that part. On the one hand, this work tackles some of the gender issues we face today in a way that allows people struggling with their sexual identity to feel seen and heard. Masu. But all progressive discourse (intentionally or not) Willie Millieultimately fails to land due to how much it leans into the stereotypical gender norms that have become so prevalent in the past few decades.
If you’re up for a wholesome, raunchy adventure, you can stream it Willie Millie As of this writing, it is available for free on The Roku Channel. If you want to know more about this movie, check it out below. genre vision Check out the podcast for more insights and observations.
