I have been watching a lot of TV. In an effort to keep expenses to a minimum until my pension kicks I watch a lot of, far too much of TV. Lately everything I watch that has families makes me cry. I have always been a weeper during movies, documentaries, and TV shows. My daughter didn't like to go the movie with me because I would laugh when no else did. I told her it wasn't my fault that I got the joke and the rest of audience didn't.
Families have an interesting position in films and TV. Nearly all are far more interesting than mine. That is the nature of the beast, because these made up families much hold the attention of a variety of viewers. The more complicated and darker families dwelled on daytime TV for the most, with the happy and positive families living on sitcoms. I Love Lucy was favorite in my home when I was young. It came as no surprise to me that slept in twin beds, because my parents didn't even sleep in the same bedroom. That was normal to me, "Your dad snores so loudly I can't sleep." Was the answer I received when I asked, I have no memory of asking however. My family was typical white middle class of the 50s and 60s, though my mother did work outside the home and I had a nanny. Watching TV during the 60s I saw reflections of myself and my family. Until other races started popping in sitcoms during the 70s I never thought about other races. There were none, other than the Chinese family who owned the Chinese restaurant, in my frame.
My parents were good to me. My dad was wonderful. My mom distant and also pushing me to a variety of activities I didn't want to do. Even then I had anxiety being in groups of people I didn't know. I had a few friends as a young child, I believe all vetted by my mother. It wasn't until Junior High that I found friends on my own and Julie and Sue were BBFs through middle and high school. We lost touch after, primarily all my fault. I went to college made new friends, though at least three slightly vetted by my mother I believe. Now I have few who I call friend and that is all my fault. I made casual friendships with colleagues, but none deep and now I see them only on Facebook. I had one friend before moving here who was my polar opposite; she is outgoing and loud. I fell away from her for some reason I cannot put words to, we kept in virtual touch until she lost her mind and became a Trump supporter hook line and sinker. Another former colleague who I kept in touch did the same thing. I'm not sure who unfriended who first, but both are no longer on my feed.
I'll talk boyfriends later.
Back to parents on TV and film. Now families are much more reflective of society, somewhat. Though still there are far too many middle class families who live in homes I am pretty sure most middle class people in the real world can't afford. I was not a Friends fan, I did watch it from time to time, but not a fan. Later of course it was criticized for having working class 20 somethings living in a loft in New York City. During college I watched far too much day time dramas, General Hospital, Young and the Restless, and whatever drama Ericka Kane lived in. Families in sitcoms lived the good life for the most part, even those who didn't seem to have jobs that paid enough the homes they lived in. Sanford and Son was, for me, a new look into lives I had no clue about. Accurate? No idea. Without doing any research, a good portrayal of a working class family. Archie Bunker was, I think, a more accurate portrayal of a white working class family than most.
Today, film and TV still have issues with accurately portraying families. But again, would we watch if it wasn't interesting or a reflection of what we all think is the American Dream? I watch a lot of animated films, because they are an interesting mix of families who love each other and even hate each other. Jealousy usually being a dark thing that corrupts the holder of the jealousy and, for a time, hurts the objects of the jealousy. When I watch Encanto, which I love, I see the grandmother being controlling and behaving much like my mother, or at least how I saw my mother behaving. There was only me to control, ok and my dad, but molding into her image what her family should be is very much my mother. How the family is perceived by others being the driving force. Disney has a knack for the good and satisfying ending. They have branched off from that model and are stumbling. But the grandmother in Encanto they are tossing that which doesn't fit their current belief.
Disney is removing films and shows for some reason, I realize there was some kind of purge which included Hulu, but their rationale is beyond me. They are making mistakes about their programming and either refuse to see or can't see what they are doing is a mistake. I recently logged on to Disney+ and discovered that while they are removing some fairly decent shows and replacing them with a bunch of old and maybe new unscripted reality junk like Storage Wars, which I admit I watched until the channel, A&E?, they were on cancelled Longmire. Longmire now sits on Netflix and either Paramount or Peacock. Disney's mistake may be that they listen to reply rather than listen to learn. Yes, I stole that from meme or other. Disney+ has Marvel and Star Wars and is not listening, this is a time where you should look back and learn and see. Loki does well because as an antihero he is someone we like. Love and Thunder failed, because in my opinion Disney is listening to a bunch of incels who can't grasp a female hero. Also likely why Captain Marvel hasn't had a second volume. If you look at Marvel's films, I can't speak for the graphic novels/comics, you see a bunch of male heroes being assisted by strong women, even saving the universes. The Red Witch becomes evil after losing her lover, because that is what women do, especially those who are witches. They embrace the dark and evil and retaliate. The Winter Soldier is redeemable, but she is not? Natasha sacrifices herself because Clint has a family.
I feel that Disney has difficulty with strong women who cannot or will not be labeled princesses. Families in Disney are side stories, they rarely take center stage. They are there in the background, usually supportive and loving, but never in the forefront. Pepper comes to the Avengers aid in Endgame and teams with the other women: Shuri who will become Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Wanda, Hope, and Valkerie. That is a match up I would like to see in a movie.
Families have been an interesting mix in novels, film and TV. Sometimes portrayed accurately and sometimes not. Families are complicated.
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