The Queerness of Immaturity in American Film
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NEVER GROW UP: THE QUEERNESS OF IMMATURITY IN AMERICAN FILM by LAUREN R. DAVINE Bachelor of Arts Honors, Film Studies Western University, London, Ontario, 2007 Master of Arts, Cinema Studies University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, 2010 A dissertation presented to Ryerson University and York University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the program of Communication and Culture Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2018 ©Lauren Davine 2018 Author’s Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this dissertation. This is a true copy of the dissertation, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this dissertation to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this dissertation by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I understand that my dissertation may be made electronically available to the public. ii Never Grow Up: The Queerness of Immaturity in American Film Lauren Davine, 2018 Doctor of Philosophy in Communication and Culture Ryerson University and York University Abstract This dissertation examines the contradictory status of immaturity in our culture. While immaturity’s otherness to heteronormative adulthood is a source of fear and anxiety, this otherness is also what makes it desirable–that is, immaturity represents an escape from the pressures and standards of adulthood, signifying an oppositional subjectivity reminiscent of youthful rebellion. Indeed, the oppositional nature of immaturity is ultimately what gives it power as a source of political agency. Rather than seeing immaturity as something to be ashamed of, or as something to be avoided or defeated, this dissertation, following Judith/Jack Halberstam, views immaturity as a powerful form of resistance as well as a queer “way of being.” In fact, these two latter elements–resistance and queerness–go hand-in-hand; queerness within this project is primarily understood as an uncompromising “resistance to regimes of the normal,” specifically those pertaining to maturity and success. Beginning with a focus on male immaturity, I establish the fear/desire dynamic characterizing the immature male through close readings of the 1950s male-centered melodrama, combined with an historically-oriented analysis of postwar American culture. Next, I examine how comedy and dramedy films about childish men from the 1980s to the present day are also structured by this contradictory dynamic, as they both resist and reinforce heteronormative adulthood. My textual analysis of these films are grounded in theories of queer temporality. Finally, I focus on the female counterpart to the immature male, examining various constructions of female immaturity in recent cinema. Here, I iii utilize a broader range of queer temporal theories to demonstrate the political potential of immature womanhood, where “immature” gains agency through its queer and feminist resistance to the tyranny of heteronormative adulthood. While this dissertation ultimately seeks to demonstrate how immaturity functions as a site of resistance to (hetero)normativity, it also acknowledges how it can (specifically in the context of male homosociality), reinforce and reproduce oppressive structures, further underlining immaturity’s incongruous status. iv Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. John McCullough, and my committee members, Dr. Anne MacLennan and Dr. Steve Bailey, for their encouragement and constructive feedback throughout the writing process. Thank you to Dr. Philippa Gates and Dr. Naomi Hamer for their insightful comments and suggestions for future research. I would also like to thank Jo Ann Mackie, whose kindness and support were integral to crossing the finish line. Thank you to my friends and fellow scholars. To Lai-Tze Fan, for her patience and generosity in offering help and advice. To Joey Jakob, for understanding my Jewish neuroticism and for encouraging me to keep writing. To Aleksandra Radic, for continuing to invite me to things even though I was always too busy working on my dissertation, and for the coffee dates. To Celeste McCabe, for being a true friend and sticking by me, and also for reminding me to include the “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” in this project. To Zorianna Zurba, for her warm encouragement, our thought-provoking discussions, and for making me feel like I wasn’t alone in the PhD madness. I couldn’t have defended without her support. And to Steph Rogerson, my “war buddy” and punk kindred spirit, for giving me the empathic support and understanding that can only be offered by someone who has lived through it themselves. Finally, a special thank you to my family, whose unwavering love, encouragement, and support made the completion of this dissertation possible. To my father, Mel Davine, for instilling in me a thirst for knowledge, encouraging me to pursue my love of studying film, and for always managing to make me laugh. To my mother, Cathy Davine, for always believing in me, being the best problem-solver, and for making me an endless supply of “library balls” so that I didn’t go hungry. To my best friend, Stephanie Christopher, for continuously cheering me on, for being the best person to talk about life with, and for always seeing me clearly. To my younger sister, Toby Davine, for being my feminist voice of reason, for reminding me not to sell myself short, and for being the older sister when I needed it. And to my twin sister and other half, Ilana Davine, for going through the doctorate journey with me, for knowing me better than anyone else, for letting me be the “silent sidekick” when I was tired, and for always harmonizing with me. I would also like to thank my dog, Ollie, who has truly been the gift that keeps on giving. v Dedication For my parents, who have aways believed in me. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Author’s Declaration .....................................................................................................ii Abstract ..........................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgments ..........................................................................................................v Dedication........................................................................................................................vi Table of Contents ...........................................................................................................vii Introduction.....................................................................................................................1 Structure of Dissertation and Chapter Overview..................................................7 Review of Literature......................................................................................................16 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................43 Theories of Development.....................................................................................44 Definitions of Maturity and Immaturity...............................................................53 Definitions of Arrested Development...................................................................58 Definitions of Regression.....................................................................................59 Theoretical Context of Project..............................................................................60 Theoretical Orientation: Theories of Queer Temporality......................................78 Methodology ...................................................................................................................90 Chapters Two and Three.......................................................................................91 Corpus...................................................................................................................96 Chapter One..........................................................................................................105 Chapter 1 - Motherly Love: Maternal Lovers and Childish Men in Postwar Male-Centered Melodrama .....................................................................................................................112 vii Chapter 2 - “F**k Mature!”: The Boy-Man and His Vicissitudes in Comedy and Dramedy Films...................................................................................................................................148 Diner, “Bro Time,” and the Emergence of the Contemporary Bro-Ensemble Film..........................................................................................................................156 Boy-Men In Bromance: Wedding Crashers and I Love You, Man...........................172 Basement Boys (or, Boy-Men Who Still Live with Their Parents/Other Family Members).................................................................................................................182 Obsessive Boy-Men in Breakups/Divorce: High Fidelity and Sideways................197 Boy-Men Turned Surrogate Fathers: About a Boy and School of Rock...................206 Surrogate Fathers (Continued) and Adolescent Adults: The Way, Way Back...........211 Chapter 3 - Queering Female Adulthood: The Woman-Child in Contemporary American Film......................................................................................................................................217