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The Ex

Name: The Ex
Director: Jesse Peretz
Released: 2006
Duration: 90 min

Representation Score

5.8/10

Fair

2006

PG-13

Director

Jesse Peretz

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film successfully challenges traditional gender roles by featuring a high-powered female lead. This shifts the usual portrayal where the male protagonist dominates the narrative. However, the film lacks significant racial and LGBTQ+ diversity. The social environment is homogeneous, sticking to traditional mid-2000s romantic comedy structures. While disability is represented through Chip, his condition primarily functions as a plot device for interpersonal conflict rather than a deeper exploration of his experiences.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Ex have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film follows a traditional framework that assumes everyone is straight and cisgender. Non-cisgender identities are not prominently featured.

How does The Ex portray gender?

Fair

Sofia's high-powered position challenges traditional gender roles. Tom is portrayed as an underachiever, which flips the typical image of a successful male provider.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Ex?

Limited

The story unfolds in a predominantly white, middle-class urban setting. There is little racial or ethnic diversity among the main characters.

How does The Ex represent religion and culture?

Good

The film presents messy social behaviors as relatable traits. It adopts a postmodern approach to morality, avoiding a single prescriptive moral code.

Does The Ex include disability representation?

Fair

Chip is introduced as a paraplegic, offering visible representation of disability. However, his disability mainly serves as a plot device for romantic rivalry.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional gender roles by centering a high-powered female lead.
Uses a postmodern approach to morality, presenting relatable social behaviors.
Flips the typical image of a successful male provider by portraying him as an underachiever.

Limited or Absent

Lacks significant racial and ethnic diversity among the main characters.
Provides minimal representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisgender narratives.
Uses physical disability primarily as a plot device for romantic rivalry.

Official Synopsis

When his lawyer wife, Sofia, becomes pregnant, chronic underachiever Tom Reilly must take a job at his father-in-law's advertising firm. Tom has to adjust to the demands of a very high-powered job, and he finds himself in an increasingly hostile office rivalry with Chip, Sofia's paraplegic former lover.

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