MovieChat Forums > Side Effects (2013) Discussion > Dierdre

Dierdre

posted 9 years ago by TheManInOil
8 replies | jump to latest

I get why it's important dramatically to isolate the character of Dr. Banks, so I understand WHY the wife is so unreasonable, untrusting, and basically acts like she doesn't even know him or have any loyalty.

BUT, I'm getting really tired of this trope. Every *beep* movie where some character is being set up or for reasons of plot needs to be all alone in his beliefs or actions inserts this same bitchy wife character. Every time.

Please, let's come up with new ways to illustrate that a guy is all alone in his pursuit of the truth. There's no less interesting character in movies than the non-supportive wife.

[–] hccman2000 9 years ago

Wow, I just watched this for the first time and I thought the exact same thing. This is exactly what bothered me. I did not expect anyone else to post the same feeling.

[–] Lady_Elaine_Fairchild 9 years ago

I half expected her to be involved in the scam as she was a total Debbie Downer. No trust for her husband no given him the benefit of doubt? Should have known the blonde in movies almost always = angelic.

This movie reminded me of a time back in the 1980s the divorce rate was exploding & there was a huge influx of these "women as evil" movies.
The Tramp, the Vamp, the raven-haired temptress and the Femme Fatale movie tropes. The women setup the moral and righteous men up via their supernatural beauty, wounded bird, helplessness/distress, or promises of sex. What made this movie better then those IMO was Jude Law's character and how he fight back and gains the upper hand.

I dreamt of a roaring river and a woman that was a fish. Dead she drifted, with red tears...

[–] LordManhammer 9 years ago

There's no less interesting character in movies than the non-supportive wife.

I agree, and I'm glad you were able to see this as a screenwriting problem and not a real-life problem. Most people on this board are saying things like "wives are always bitchy and unsupportive! Wasn't that woman awful!" using the character as evidence of what all women are really like.

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Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"--Pres. Merkin Muffley

[–] fluffchop 9 years ago

So you're married with a 7 year old I take it? The character is not 'evidence' of what wives are like, the character represents what wives are like. That's why it rings true with many posters. Deidre was pissed off with him for not picking up their son. At that point in the marriage it's only about the child and providing a home. So she was rightly unhappy with him because he was obsessing over something that had cost them nearly everything. To keep the 'home' she got a job.

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Scientologists love Narnia, there's plenty of closet space.

[–] LordManhammer 8 years ago

the character represents what wives are like

Did you miss my point about the difference between characters and real people, or do you genuinely think all wives are the same? It's one thing to say this character might remind people of their own wives (certainly there ARE unsupportive wives in this world), but it's another thing to suggest this character represents "what wives are like."

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Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"--Pres. Merkin Muffley

[–] spookyrat1 9 years ago

There's no less interesting character in movies than the non-supportive wife.

I think you raise a good point, but to be fair to the characters in the film and the scriptwriters, I think there is more story time passing than appears obvious at first sight. We see there is also turbulence in Deirdre's life where she has lost her job. After Jonathon is kicked out of his practice, we see his situation come to totally dominate his life at the expense of contributing positively to the family stability over a fair period of time, so she bails, until he sorts himself out and later they get back together. 🐭

[–] mmitsos-1 9 years ago

Good points all the way around, pro and con the character of the wife. BUT, even if I were suffering joblessness troubles, difficult as they are, if my husband were being so blatantly set up and HIS profession were becoming in jeopardy, I would absolutely be as supportive for him as possible, and try to even do whatever I could do in getting him a good attorney, and building his defense.

[–] lemonhead1 (424) 2 years ago

Thank you! I couldn't stand the c*nty wife. She had loyalty at all!