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Making Mr. Right

Name: Making Mr. Right
Director: Susan Seidelman
Released: 1987
Duration: 98 min

Representation Score

6.5/10

Good

1987

PG-13

Director

Susan Seidelman

Runtime

98 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Making Mr. Right excels in its subversion of traditional gender roles, giving the female protagonist the power to deconstruct and reconstruct masculine archetypes. This provides a refreshing departure from passive romantic clichés of the era. However, the film remains limited by the social standards of its time. It lacks significant racial and LGBTQ+ representation, focusing instead on a homogeneous, middle-class New York City milieu. While the central sci-fi conceit offers a metaphor for navigating social cues, it misses the opportunity for a deeper, more authentic exploration of neurodivergent experiences.

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Category Breakdown

Does Making Mr. Right have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on heterosexual relationships and does not include explicit LGBTQ+ characters or narratives that challenge the assumption that everyone is straight.

How does Making Mr. Right portray gender?

Good

Frankie Stone plays a significant role in driving the story, taking control and acting on her own terms. The film challenges traditional views of masculinity by presenting it as a skill that can be learned.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Making Mr. Right?

Limited

The film centers around a predominantly white cast typical of 1980s romantic comedies. There is no significant racial blending or diverse representation in the cast.

How does Making Mr. Right represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story offers a critique of consumerist approaches to human connections, but it does not aggressively challenge traditional institutional values.

Does Making Mr. Right include disability representation?

Fair

The Ulysses Robot serves as a metaphor for social 'otherness' or neurodivergence. However, this functions primarily as a science-fiction device rather than a nuanced portrayal of lived disability.

Present on Screen

The female lead actively drives the story, challenging traditional gender roles.
The film presents masculinity as a skill that can be learned, rather than an innate authority.
It offers a subtle critique of how identity is commodified in consumerist culture.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks explicit LGBTQ+ representation or perspectives.
The cast lacks racial and ethnic diversity, reflecting a homogeneous urban setting.
The portrayal of social 'otherness' through the robot remains a plot device rather than a nuanced disability study.

Official Synopsis

When image consultant Frankie Stone is hired by a tech company to teach a scientist’s “Ulysses Robot” how to be a man, she winds up developing very real feelings for the faux human.

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