Stereotype English?
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Three Men and a Little Lady
headmaster-1 — 20 years ago(October 31, 2005 12:25 AM)
Although the film has a feel good factor, I have to say that the "Americans hitting little England" continues the crass portrayal of England as some quaint little world decades behind reality. There are a number of examples:
1)The idea of a top girls boarding school being an institution for turning girls into robots is insulting.
2)The characters chasing around quaint country lanes crammed in - you've guessed it - a mini to raise a few laughs.
3)Nasty English stepfather in the typical cold hearted Englishman so loved by Hollywood. Sexually repressed teacher wanting to throw herself at sophisticated yank.
4)Dotty English vicar still being in the 18th century.
There are many other examples, some very subliminal which portrays this country as a joke, which perhaps was a way of keping the laughs going. I do enjoy the film as much because it makes me chuckle how narrow viewed Hollywood is of what constitutes England. The problem I have is that it not only keeps up the stereotype, but also that people actually believe this generalisation is the truth. -
BethH24 — 20 years ago(November 09, 2005 04:59 AM)
im english aswell.yeah i know what you mean it might give a bad impression.also i think some americans think that all english people have the same accent as people in the south of england which they dont.im from up north.in every american film they have people with southern accents and never have northern ones (except in an american werewolf in london ).i thnk they should show up north more in american films
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gyrogypsy — 20 years ago(February 23, 2006 07:30 AM)
American girl responding (please don't call me a yankI'm from the South). I'll agree with you that American films very often stereotype England (actually, just about every country for that matter), but you can't exactly say that British films are without their stereotypes of Americans. I mean, I found out some fascinating things about my country from watching British films:
- All the girls are hot, skinny sexually malnurished sluts
- The men are all fat rednecks adorned with Hawaiian t-shirts and chewing tobacco
- There are only two accents ("Southern" and "Northern")
- American presidents are all horny creeps
Granted, it's all in jest, but sometimes I really wonder if people across the pond really believe this is true. I have a friend in Switzerland and when we first met, she was shocked to learn that my high school never had any shootings or mega violence/drug problems.
if you bust a cap on my ass, i'll go, "OOOWWW"
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xcelerate04b — 19 years ago(April 28, 2006 07:08 AM)
Thankfully those of us who've actually travelled across the pond know that the stereotypes aren't really true.
I love England and I love the people aswell. For those of you who've only made the trek across the pond in front of the tv, don't believe the stereotypes! Not all English people live in a huge manor house or have tea and crumpets everyday at tea time. I like crumpets better at breakfast with cheese on, mmmmm good stuff. -
JahanX2 — 19 years ago(May 16, 2006 03:15 PM)
ah we all have stereotypes that probably wont stop..Im not botherd by most of them except for 2:
- that we all speak cockney rhyming slang
") when we arent speaking CRS we sound like from London or Yorkshire.
and most American characters now dont seem to follow that stereotype described above.
- that we all speak cockney rhyming slang
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Maverick1981 — 19 years ago(June 17, 2006 05:52 PM)
plus everyone that lives in England knows that most pupils that go to all girls schools turn out to be sex craved sluts. visit a place called farnham, you'll find out.
Berg, I'm just not cut out to be a good person.
I know. That's why the Lord gave us good looks. -
o_th_fret_o — 18 years ago(October 13, 2007 03:10 PM)
I live near there and it's sooooooo true! our country of is full of uneducated low life scum that are on benefits. I'm going to move to the Netherlands where they obviously have a better education system because they speak better English than most of this generation.
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always300 — 19 years ago(August 24, 2006 08:10 PM)
Oh my goodness. It's on TV right nowas a kid, I loved these movies. But it's been like a decade since I saw it lastwow. Seriously, her accent is tragic beyond repair. I like Nancy Travis but this is not good. Why didn't they fix it? Voice Coaches, anyone? Oh mythe horror. It's just terrible. Time to change the channel.
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charrr — 19 years ago(January 03, 2007 04:43 PM)
Im English Btw.
I hate it when movies stereotype other countries. I hate it when other countries think that everyone in England has an accent which is either posh and upper class or cockney. That ticks me off. And Ive noticed recently that English people are always the baddies, or are really snobby. -
cage2377 — 19 years ago(February 28, 2007 12:17 PM)
the northern accents are really hard to understand tho, like newcastle liverpool etc, it just dosent sound as good on camera.
oh and not all americans are fat and dumb .just a high percentage!
p.s .Ron Paul for prez 2008!!! -
SueBee55 — 15 years ago(July 15, 2010 10:49 AM)
I thought her accent was better in the first film (3 men and baby)
- except for the bit where she says 'I can't believe how big she's gotten'. An Englishwoman would never say 'gotten'.
You're not too smart are you? I like that in a man!
- except for the bit where she says 'I can't believe how big she's gotten'. An Englishwoman would never say 'gotten'.
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montchoisy2002 — 19 years ago(March 03, 2007 04:01 PM)
The English think THEY'VE got it bad with American stereotyping you want to try being from Ireland and then you'll know what it's like to be stereotyped. Ireland is a TEENY country and yet 90% of Americans think they've spawned from it. There's nothing more frustrating than hearing this:
"Oh my gawd, you're from Ireland??" (really spoken with TWO question marks.
"Yeah."
"My mother's father's mother's great GRAND FATHER was from, like, County Wicklow or something." I get really frustrated by the whole I'm one millionth Irish.
Yeah and I'm one millionth Finnish but I don't go on about it. -
random_star_girl — 18 years ago(May 31, 2007 12:01 PM)
I hate it when American films refer to Britain as 'England'. Example: 'The Queen of England'.
What about Scotland, Ireland and Wales??
To the OP- I suppose yeah it is an outdated stereotype, and it does get annoying because even though I'm Scottish I know most English people are NOT like that and they don't all live in mansions!! lol.
I think it can be hard for some Americans who've never been out of their country so they don't know what the UK is really like. -
smck_82uk — 18 years ago(June 13, 2007 01:10 PM)
I hate it when American films refer to Britain as 'England'. Example: 'The Queen of England'.
What about Scotland, Ireland and Wales??
That REALLY bugs me too
They think we're the demons now - Prue Halliwell ~ All Hell Breaks Loose ~ Charmed