In this Book
Rutgers University Press
- PRETTY PEOPLE: Movie Stars of the 1990s
- Book
- 2012
- Published by: Rutgers University Press
- Series: Star Decades: American Culture/American
summary
In the 1990s, American civil society got upended and reordered as many social, cultural, political, and economic institutions were changed forever. Pretty People examines a wide range of Hollywood icons who reflect how stardom in that decade was transformed as the nation itself was signaling significant changes to familiar ideas about gender, race, ethnicity, age, class, sexuality, and nationality.Such actors as Denzel Washington, Andy Garcia, Halle Berry, Angela Bassett, Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and Antonio Banderas became bona fide movie stars who carried major films to amazing box-office success. Five of the decade’s top ten films were opened by three women—Julia Roberts, Jodie Foster, and Whoopi Goldberg. “Chick flick” entered the lexicon as Leonardo DiCaprio became the “King of the World,” ushering in the cult of the mega celebrity. Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise defined screen masculinity as stark contrasts between “the regular guy” and “the intense guy” while the roles of Michael Douglas exemplified the endangered “Average White Male.” A fascinating composite portrait of 1990s Hollywood and its stars, this collection marks the changes to stardom and society at century’s end.
Table of Contents
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- Acknowledgments
- pp. ix-xii
- Introduction
- pp. 1-18
- Chapter 9 Michael Douglas
An Ordinary Man - pp. 189-205
- Chapter 10 Pierce Brosnan
Licensed to Sell - pp. 206-224
- In the Wings
- pp. 249-254
- Work Cited
- pp. 255-264
- Contributors
- pp. 265-268
Additional Information
ISBN
9780813553252
Related ISBN(s)
9780813552446
MARC Record
OCLC
784885426
Pages
288
Launched on MUSE
2012-06-08
Language
English
Open Access
No