Character

*****DISCLAIMER: SOME OBSCENE LANGUAGE AND REFERENCE TO UNDERAGE DRINKING*****

This is a scene from one of the most iconic and watched movies of our generation: Mean Girls. The movie is about a highschooler, Cady, who was homeschooled from her home in Africa and is shoved into the world of public high school. She encounters her two best friends Janis and Damian in the movie and their archenemies...The Plastics (only the school's most popular and most vicious girls). Janis convinces Cady to "get in" with the popular girls and spy on them to perform various undermining pranks. This scene is when Janis and Damian confront Cady about turning into one of The Plastics when Cady ditched Janis' art show to host a party.

 

(watch to 1:30)

 

 

 

I think that this scene perfectly encompasses Janis' character. As she talks about the popular girls her ever-present sarcastic dialogue that makes appearances throughout the movie truly shows how much she loathes The Plastics and how angry she is that her new friend has joined that grouping of people. Cady's changed character as a Plastic is also shown with her shallow comment blaming Janis for what she has become. Janis takes this as the last straw in their friendship and when Cady sees the painting of the three of them we realize Janis isn't as tough as she seems. She's sentimental and sensitive, especially about her friends which without this scene we wouldn't have even known about her. After she throws the painting she crouches down into the car trying to hold herself together while suffering the betrayal of a friend she trusted. It's this rare and unseen side of Janis that makes me love this scene of Mean Girls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Specificity Scene: Finding Nemo

"Finding Nemo" is about a clownfish father on a journey across the ocean to find his only son who was kidnapped by a diver and remains inside of a fishtank aquarium in a dentist's office. Marlin, the father, is accompanied by new found Dory who has an outgoing personality and a severe case of short term memory loss. In this scene, Marlin and Dory have found the East Australian Current (EAC) and Dory discovers a new kind of friend......

I liked this scene because the writer's were forced to put all the focus on the characters since the "scene" is the middle of the open ocean somewhere in Australia. The facial expressions emphasized by Dory really added to her character by showing her fascination and innocence (which may be in part due to the short term memory loss) by using her looks. Marlin is less developed in the scene but his personality still shines through as a protective parent when he rushes in to bat the jellyfish away from Dory. He is also shown as consoling and caring as he comforts Dory and examines her for injuries. I especially love the dialogue from this scene from Dory because even though her bubbly personality is present throughout the majority of the movie, here it takes up an entire scene and the audience members that are entertained or can relate to her character can see this example of where she is "extra Dory".