So I Was ... um ... watching Top Gun and ...

... noticed something strange. Not my normal viewing habits, of course, one of my room mates had never seen it, so we decided to sit down and give it a try. She and her boyfriend were quickly bored (as was I) but since I had just recently been reading about critical discourses in film, I became transfixed with a certain element of the film.
Although this film was made in the 80s, seemingly after the time of female liberation, there were some serious gender issues going on this 'o so loved' film. I was first struck by the power of the female lead "Charlie." She was the prototypical liberated female of the 80s, strong, in charge, and not taking any lip from the men anywhere in her life. She has complete control over her budding relationship with Maverick, and is soon to be given a promotion.
Enter Meg Ryan. Her wonderfully cute yet sexy personality takes over the screen. Did I mention she has a kid? (Goose's child). Did I also mention that she acts incomplete without her beau near? Oh, and she's wanting sex?
Continuing on with Mav and Charlie's relationship... after Mav has dinner with Charlie (which he showed up late to, she promptly forgave him,) he leaves without even kissing Charlie. Damn.
And everything flips. Suddenly Charlie is crazy about Mav... suddenly he has the upper hand. This 'resolution' of sorts really shook me. It made me realize how uncomfortable we are with a depiction of female controlled relationship (outside of sitcoms, of course). This may have changed a bit from the time that this film was made (20 years,) but I still see it today. This pattern seems to hold true most often in action films and those that are aimed for "manly men." ...anyway... at least I got something out of the film.