Two Shows a 180 Degrees Apart
Editors’ Note: Filling in for TV Addict Debbie Zipp, is head tomato Cheryl Benton.
We have two shows to suggest that couldn’t be more different. Emily in Paris from Darren Star the creator of Sex in the City, is pure fairy tale fantasy, with beautiful scenes of Paris, fab clothes, a young heroine, and an older but very sexy French women boss. Then there is The Glorias, with Julianne Moore, based on Gloria Steinems memoir, directed by Julie Taymor that tells the story of the women’s movement. Worth watching to see the real Gloria at the end.
Emily in Paris is Just What We Need Right Now
While you may wonder why grownup women would want to watch a series about a twenty-something marketing executive from Chicago, who is transferred to Paris, breaks up with her Chicago boyfriend, lives upstairs from a super duper hunk, speaks no French, and works for a difficult boss (brilliantly played by French actress Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu), well watch just one episode and you will see.
First, it is beautifully filmed in Paris, and Lily Collins who is the titular Emily is charming and adorable and wins you over. She even has a few Audrey Hepburn moments. The series was created Sex and the City’s creator, Darren Star and the clothes, created by Sex and the City costume designer Patricia Field, are fabulous. Emily is all bright colors and young hip. And her sophisticated boss always looks elegant and sexy at the same time. It’s definitely fantasy and fairytale land, but isn’t that just what we need right now? Watch it on Netflix.
The Glorias Lacks Emotion
Now moving 180 degrees, the movie The Glorias (Amazon) directed by Julie Taymor is based on Gloria Steinem’s memoir, “My Life on the Road,” and tells the story of how Gloria became the feminist icon she is. While it has a great cast, Julianne Moore as the grownup Gloria, Bette Midler as Bella Abzug, Janelle Monáe as Dorothy Pitman, it somehow falls flat. Three actresses play Gloria at different ages in her life, and it jumps back and forth in time, which is a bit confusing. Then there are several fantasy scenes, when Gloria is confronted with condescending and sexist males, and the story stops, and a fantasy scene plays out on what she wished she had said at the time. They just don’t seem to fit with the story. The very best moment of the film is at the end when the real Gloria Steinem appears making a speech at the first Women’s March on Washington. That’s when you realize there is only one Gloria. It’s worth watching for the history of the women’s movement.
The tomato behind The Three Tomatoes.
Cheryl Benton, aka the “head tomato” is founder and publisher of The Three Tomatoes, a digital lifestyle magazine for “women who aren’t kids”. Having lived and worked for many years in New York City, the land of size zero twenty-somethings, she was truly starting to feel like an invisible woman. She created The Three Tomatoes just for the fun of it as the antidote for invisibility and sent it to 60 friends. Today she has thousands of friends and is chief cheerleader for smart, savvy women who want to live their lives fully at every age and every stage. She is the author of the novel, "Can You See Us Now?" and co-author of a humorous books of quips, "Martini Wisdom." Because she's lived a long time, her full bio won't fit here. If you want the "blah, blah, blah", read more. www.thethreetomatoes.com/about-the-head-tomato
