Movie Trailer: 'The Family'

This trailer is for the upcoming film 'The Family' starring Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfieffer about a family in the witness protection family. This trailer shows various gender stereotypes, but also challenges some too. Early on in the trailer Robert De Niro, playing the lead father figure is seen cooking. This is not a stereotype as it is often the women who cook. However, De Niro is cooking meat on a BBQ outside, which is very much a stereotype. Cooking in a kitchen is a stereotypically woman's role, but as soon as the food is being cooked outside over a fire it is the man's duty. It would have been more off if a woman was standing over the BBQ. The first challenged stereotype is that women are weak. A large group of people turn with guns, a large proportion of whom are women. Women are not usually tough or threatening but this is not the case in this trailer. This shows the theme of Mafia culture and the violence genre immediately. The first 30 seconds are focused entirely on Robert De Niro, showing the central and pivotal role is this character. Nothing is of more importance! It is not until 30 seconds in that we see Robert De Niro with his fictional family. Even then, the camera is still focused on him. His face is the only one we can see. All we can see is the back of his wife's head, which is blurred, and a side view of his children, highlighting again his importance. The son in the film is seen playing with a toy gun, which is a childhood stereotype, that all male kids are interested in guns and shooting etc. The daughter, played by Dianna Agron, defies the female stereotype by using a tennis racket to beat a man who harassed her. She appears fearless, strong and able to defend herself with ease, which are all opposites of what women should be - timid, weak and defenceless. Agron still has various stereotypes of a typical teenage American girl, with her long straightened blonde hair and pink alice band that are visible throughout. A stereotype of nationality is apparent when Michelle Pfieffer's character attempts to speak French in a supermarket. The cashier says once Pfieffer is gone "stupid Americans". There is a very negative representation of the French already, and there is also a negative stereotype of them as being intolerant and rude towards non-French speakers. In reality, most people appreciate non-Native speakers trying to communicate with them in their own language. Pfieffer was trying to be respectful, but following the snide comment proceeds to set the supermarket on fire in retaliation, again opposing the female stereotype. The camera cuts and the stereotypes return. The entire family, besides the man of the house, are in the kitchen preparing food, even the son. This shows the man of the house is respected and catered for. Robert De Niro dresses in a stereotypically mafia-esque style, often seen wearing a white vest, old dressing gown or smart black suit. Dianna Agron uses a gun and punches another girl in the face, again showing her opposition to the typical view of a woman.