Don's Plum - The Legend of the Not so Legend Misogyny in Hollywood

Don's Plum

While lurking on the front page of the internet I found a gem of a controversy that still rears it ugly head in the industry today. I am of course talking about Don's Plum a film described as revolutionary as it is painful to watch. I found it fascinating and honest. It's isn't Oscar worthy but it is a slice of the 90's.

At it's core this movie is what many aspiring directors, actors and writers wish to do. Tell a story about their friends. A story about a group of young aspiring artists on the rise who got together and made something of their own. They were a group of friends who wanted to tell their stories of sitting around a table at a diner trying to score with whatever walks by with a skirt. And somehow in the process of making this movie their group, cliche, circle of friends fell apart. But why?

Well everything fell apart with a little lawsuit from two of the movie's rising stars Leo and Toby. Whether they prohibited the US and Canadian release because of the controversy of whether or not this was intended to be a short or feature length film. Or the fact that they only shot for one day.

Or maybe simply because the movie is known to be mostly improvised. Which is probably why it was never released. This movie showed me actual proof of the illusive "Pussy Posse" of the 1990's. This group was made up of young actors who kept bumping into each other at auditions. Including Leonardo DiCaprio, David Blaine, Tobey Maguire, Lukas Haas, and Kevin Connolly. But instead of becoming rivals in traditional Hollywood fashion they banded together. I am sure healthy competition seeped into the group. But once your leader is "King of the World" was there really much competition?

This group was known for their partying and playing "can you top this hot girl on my arm." Sex, drugs, pranks and skirt chasing were this groups main activities. Which is something that Don's Plum shows the viewer. We see the way they treat women, talk to them, disrespect them, the way they (specifically Leo) touches them, everyone passing Jeremy Sisto's real life sister around like she and the other women were just trading cards. So I can see why the rising stars of the group wanted to nip this mistake of a job in the butt. You can't paint someone like a french girl when you are too busy looking at their tits. You can't seduce Mary Jane if you are wrapped up in the web of all the girls' phone numbers you got this hour.

These actors had the smarts to know that their womanizing ways would not be acceptable to the average viewer. They knew that if they wanted careers they would have to prove that in fact chivalry is NOT dead. That they are the "leading man" that you hope sweeps you off your feet. Not the one who sticks his hand down your shirt (again something Leo does in this movie).

All in all. I think this film is worth the viewing. If only for the ridiculous 10 minute jazz club scene, Tobey's slow fade, and Leo's dry humping. I give it two feminist thumbs down and a critics thumbs up.