Kill your inner Carrie Bradshaw: why handsome men in ’90s romantic comedies are no longer relevant

We would never let ourselves fall in love with the protagonists of ’90s romantic comedies today, but ten years ago we were crazy about them like millions of viewers around the world. Charismatic handsome men, tough and uncompromising savages, disinterested bad boys or multimillionaires who can buy love for money – with their explosion of melodramas, the nineties gave us the archetype of the men everyone wanted. Or at least they should. It was Edward Lewis in Pretty Woman, John Preston in Sex and the City, nicknamed the “man of dreams”, even Caledon Hockley from Titanic, Rose Bukater’s failed fiancé (imagine and someone likes him) . One gave a friend unlimited shopping and a $250,000 diamond necklace, the other bought a loft and Jimmy Choo pumps without even considering the price tag, the third gifted the bride the Heart of the Ocean – and how can one resist here?

In fact, psychologist Andrei Zberovsky argues that women’s needs have not changed in the last few decades – only the economy and the type of men who can meet those needs. “IT workers, crypto workers, bankers, and businessmen aren’t like ’90s baseball bat guys, but they earn just as much,” he explains. In addition, the trend towards female independence and, as a result, she could not play the role of strong female characters, not only in reality, but also in cinema. Therefore, Chris Pine in “Wonder Woman” or Tom Hardy in “Mad Max” can no longer afford to treat the girl as an accessory, but trust them with their lives and give them the reins of power – a luxury that does not exist. same to Edward Lewis or Caledon Hockley. What was wrong with them and other romantic comedy heroes thirty years ago and we turned a blind eye?

Edward Lewis (“Beautiful Woman”)

Today’s birthday boy Richard Gere (73-year-old actor), played by Vivienne Ward, says Edward Lewis, “We’re both tr#$!&m for money.” He’s a corporate raider who buys and resells companies without caring about the fate of his employees, a cold-blooded businessman who rarely puts other people’s feelings first, and ultimately a man whose straightforwardness sometimes crosses the line (remember the fight scene, at least). But if all this can be attributed to a complex character, it does not justify his main problem – Edward Lewis in itself is unrealistic. In fact, Pretty Woman was one of the first movies to have us wear rose-tinted glasses, an adult Cinderella tale that’s sure to end with a “happily ever after.” Finally, if that happens, it’s time to acknowledge that it’s a pretty rare exception to the rule.

Caledon Hockley (Titanic)

Rose Bukater’s (Kate Winslet) fiancé is one of the so-called “golden youth” today. Coming from an aristocratic family, he believes that everyone around him owes him money, and therefore he manipulates both his bride and his mother, because their material well-being depends on this marriage. At five to five, feelings are not discussed among the newlyweds, but when Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) appears on the horizon, Caledon Hockley (Billy Zane) loses his head with jealousy. “It turns into a mania: he spies on the bride, threatens her with a gun, insults her. Unsurprisingly, she chose to hide her salvation after the Titanic sank, changed her name and no longer sees her ex-fiancee. It is not love that reigns in the life of this couple, but jealousy – a feeling that completely destroys relationships. It is often associated not with commitment to a partner, but with a fear of loneliness. In conclusion: control, surveillance and blackmail, ”explains psychologist Yevgeny Idzikovsky.

William Tucker (Notting Hill)

It’s worth starting at least with the fact that Hugh Grant is very attractive to his (especially the younger) character – a typical fickle loser who’s too childish at times to escape his consumerist attitude. And no matter how good she is, it’s hard to forgive her softness: when she encounters an incomprehensible man in her lover’s hotel room, she falls silent when she hears a conversation from her friend when Anna Scott accuses her of being corrupt paparazzi. unhappy love says there is nothing serious between them. True, in the end he was nevertheless seized by insight – a plus in karma for this.

John Preston (“Sex and the City”)

A good example of a man you need to run away from and not called a “dream man”. Firstly, Mr. Big is afraid of obligations and avoids them, secondly, he is clearly guided by the rule of “take you to no one” and therefore spoils Carrie Bradshaw’s relationship with other men, thirdly, he considers feelings weakness and does not take into account the feelings of his lover. I am ready to repeat like a mantra that this is not normal. And it’s time to remember.