A Former "It" Girl

The Women, a not-yet-released remake of the 1939 George Cukor film.

I remember watching the 1939 George Cukor film, The Women, late one night. It was probably broadcasted by public television. It’s one of those films, black and white, reflective of its time that only a filmophile can appreciate, and no commercially driven private broadcasters would touch, even for the 1 a.m. dead zone (“is there anyone out there?”)

The 2008 remake of this film stars Meg Ryan, the ‘it’ girl from the late 1980s to the 1990s. Back then, watching Meg Ryan act in her various movies, I felt that this woman could have been one of my best friends. An unassuming, nice person, whose prettiness was accessible to any ordinary women. By accessible, I mean that you felt her prettiness can fit in your ordinary world, just one of the gals.

After You Got Mail, nothing noteworthy in terms of her career or her films entered my radar, except for the Russell Crowe blip. When I heard that Meg Ryan was going to star in the The Women, I was curious about two things:

One, I wanted to see how a 1930s pre-feminist world of class consciousness and upper-class marital relationships was going to play out in 2008.

And secondly, how has this former “It” girl evolved over the last 10 years, now that she’s in her late 40s. Aging gracefully under the glare of the paparazzi? Trying to stay relevant and employed in an industry that worships youthfulness? With all these pressures, I was rooting for her to stay above the artificiality of Hollywoodland, and remain true to that image that I had of her and that her movie characters reflected.

The first curiosity will be more easily satisfied than the second. And in the end, why should I care? I don’t know Meg Ryan and her movies have tangentially touched me as nothing more than fun escapism. So I say to her, “you go girl”.