“I called the
cops, you were being noisy, I tried to get you to stop, and you won’t stop
partying” [1]
To what extent does
the film ‘Neighbours’ represent teenagers in a negative way and what is the
impact of this?
For many years now, young people have
been repeatedly represented in a negative manner. Whether it is shown through
books, documentaries or films, there has often been a consistent [1]negative
perception of them. This is evident and illustrated through Nicholas
Stoller's American comedy film, ‘Neighbours’ (2014) produced by Point Grey Pictures - Good Universe. In
Stoller's film, youth are constantly presented as out of control with no morals
or ambitions. During most of the film there is a negative representation shown
of youth; they are seen partying, drinking, taking drugs, and having sex: “Young people’ you hear
about them a lot in the media. Either portrayed as anti-social yobs that all
drink, smoke and have sexual intercourse on a daily basis. Or else they are
portrayed as victimised and the future of the world we live in.” [2] Furthermore, not only are the audiences shown a negative
representation of the younger generation, but one may argue that younger
audiences who view films such as ‘Neighbours’ may be impacted/influenced in a
certain manner. Many teenagers have felt that they are only presented in
one way, negatively. There have been various documentaries and interviews in
which teenagers express their opinion about the way the youth are presented in
the media. Additionally, there is a strong debate on whether or not the youth are
presented negatively or not: "To be
fair, the media are not misrepresenting teenagers, they are merely reporting
the bad side of them.”[3] This essay will
explore whether or not films like ‘Neighbours’ misrepresent or represent
teenagers in a negative way, and whether or not these films have a negative
impact on their audiences.
To begin with, Stoller’s Hollywood
film ‘Neighbours’ would mainly appeal to the youth of today’s society,
throughout the movie the youth are presented as out of control teenagers who
have nothing better to do than party and get drunk. The ‘Hot House’ scene in
particular shows the negative representation of the youth. This scene starts off with various medium shots that zoom into close-ups of the props
being used for the party. There are numerous fast- paced cuts, which is parallel to the speed of the
scene as it is a party scene. Throughout the first part of this scene there
is parallel, non-diegetic
music playing, that fits in with the atmosphere. It then goes into a scene
with the main protagonists in what looks like a Delta Psi Meeting. In this
scene we see Ted (Zac Efron) lighting up what looks like a joint and the scene
is quite calm, in comparison to history, with the non-diegetic music playing in the background. The type
of music that is played in certain scenes in this film along with sounds, is
key in this type of film, as there are were a lot of parties shown the right
kind of music had to be played to create the right environment. Jenny McCartney
from The Telegraph states: "The frat-house obsessions of sex, drugs and
drunken excess while also openly revelling in them – it’s more perceptive than
it might first appear." [4]
As there are
were a lot of parties throughout film, the right kind of music had to be played
to create the right environment. Also, the right setting and props used helped
to create a better narrative as it made everything seem more
realistic. After he speaks, we see the characters dropping large amounts
of marijuana into steel bins, which light up and the scene picks up a faster
pace once again. From this there are various shots of joints, people lighting
up bongs etc. and numerous people entering the frat house. The camerawork
throughout this scene is quite shaky, and hand - held to create more of a realistic
feel. The green tone of lighting throughout the scene creates more of an
idealistic scene as it is a frat party. We can also see numerous posters of
marijuana signs posted on the walls around the house reinforcing the idea of
the youth’s interests. This could therefore, reinforce Stanley Cohen’s theory
of “moral panic” as during this scene all we see is teenagers taking drugs and consuming
alcohol.
Additionally, throughout majority
of the scene we a dominant
representation of teenagers partying and doing silly things, such
as jumping down the stairs, smoking more than one substance at once, etc. We
also see girls shirtless, behaving recklessly and almost being objectified. We also see boys and
girls making out and behaving inappropriately in bedrooms. This reinforces
Mulvey’s theory of the ‘male gaze’ as they sexualise the girls in the movie.
Similarly, the idea of sexualising women would apply to Berger’s theory of ‘men
look, women appear’. It could also
create a moral panic for
the older generation, even though they wouldn't typically see a movie like
this, if they were to, it would create a moral panic as they don't agree with
the behaviour of teenagers these days and frown upon most of the things they
get up to; "Lifestyles, clothing and pastimes of
youth of young people of different classes and geographical origins come to
life in his novels and films, providing us with snapshots of changing youth
culture" [5] Furthermore, there’s a dominant ideology of the
youth portrayed throughout the entire film, linking with Stuart Hall’s theory
of ideologies.
4)
Riele, K. T., &
Gorur, R. (2015). P.9
5)
IBID. P.12
In addition, Blumler and Katz’s,
‘Uses and Gratification’ theory can also be applied as there’s the theory of Personal Identity: teenagers seeing
themselves reflected on screen, linking with Dyer’s theory of stereotype’s
being a projection of the real world.[2]Through
these scenes we can witness youth behaving in an almost disrespectful manner.
Additionally, through these scenes the youth of our society believe they are
not being presented in a fair manner; "It said four
in five teens felt they were unfairly represented in the media and, of these a
vast majority - 85% - said this was affecting their chances of getting a job.” [6]. Therefore, not only does this support my
hypothesis of teenagers being presented in a negative way, but it also shows
how today’s youth feel about the way they are represented, especially in the
media.+
In
addition, ‘Neighbours’ is not the only film that has created a negative
representation of the youth in today’s society. There are many more films, such
as Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s
’21 Jump Street’. Similarly, this film also conveys a negative representation
of the youth, however, it is still yet appealing to the youth of today’s
society; “Teen films hold a special place in the hearts of almost all
moviegoers since we have fond and frustrating memories of the films that spoke
to us in our adolescence.” [7] Furthermore,
ownership and control portrays what the media releases and allows audiences
to view, and throughout the film it only conveys a negative representation of
teenagers creating a moral panic. One may argue that the youth watch these films due to
seeing themselves reflected on screen or in fact for a diversion; and escape
from reality. Additionally, by there being more than one film out there in the
film industry presenting a negative stereotype of the youth may indeed create a
moral panic for the older generation, as all they see is teenagers behaving out
of control and may believe this will happen or does in fact happen in real
life; "As a group, ‘youth’
have become a ‘matter of concern’ – the target of various policies, schemes,
interventions and strategic attention.” [8] Furthermore, there have always been the dominant stereotypes of what
teenagers are like; “Dumb guys, deadly guys, bullies, buffoons, betrayers,
predators, punks and thugs. Their hooliganism is a stirring example of youthful
high spirits, their stupidity excused by naiveté” [9] this therefore, does convey that the youth of society do have a
negative stereotype constantly shadowing them.
[3]Both these films, ‘Neighbours’ and ’21 Jump Street’ are typical
American high school comedies that portray the negative/dominant stereotype of the youth in today’s
society. The major values in this film is to make the audience believe
that the younger generation are young reckless teenagers who just want to party
whilst doing illegal things, such as, smoking, underage drinking, sex and so
on. Moreover, one may argue that teenagers behave in a manner such as this in
order to fit in with their peers; “Adolescents are quite likely to emulate the
behaviour of popular peers. They have a strong investment in social comparison
and reflected appraisal and with meeting the demands of those considered the
most popular in their peer group.” By creating movies like this does not only
emphasis the negative portrayal of the youth, but it influences teenagers to be
like each other. Moreover, despite the fact that these films may create a
negative portrayal, some teenagers may argue that they aren’t represented
accurately or fairly in the media, “The social positions and experiences
associated with being a teenager in these films didn’t really describe my life”
[10]. Further creates the debate of whether or not teenagers are accurately
presented in a fair manner, “Teen film is generally thought more interesting
for what it says about youth than for any aesthetic innovations, and is
represented as closely tied to the historically changing experience of
adolescence” [11]. The
Additionally, in today’s society the youth are extremely vulnerable and
are the main target in the media stated by Jon Lewis, “But while much of the
recent work is compelling, youth culture has proven yet to be an exclusive
target.” [12] Due to the youth of today’s society being vulnerable gives the media
more of an opportunity to take advantage of them and present them negatively, "For youth who are vulnerable (or
‘at risk’, disadvantaged, marginalized or disenfranchised – terminology
varies) the interconnectedness of various indicators of vulnerability are a
phenomenon of life.” [13]. The youth are being presented this way as it wants society to
believe teenagers are reckless and have no goals or ambition. Instead, all they
do is get drunk and throw loud parties. Furthermore, the younger generation are
portrayed in this manner to show the huge difference between both generations.
[4]Moreover, one may
argue that the youth of today are more out of control due to having more
freedom than expected; “Teenagers had more opportunities to have an active
social life because they had become more mobile” [14]. Therefore, this connotes that people believe that teenagers
are out of control due to the amount of freedom they have. Not only this but as
a society we are led to believe that teenagers a reckless, misbehaved people.
Additionally, ‘General Multiplex’ represents the ongoing need to research both
youth and youth culture and believe that the youth of today’s society live in
their own world, “Planet youth” [15.] And do as they please. This once again
reinforces the point of the youth being completely out of control with no
boundaries whatsoever.
Additionally, there
has been an ongoing debate regarding the issue of whether teenagers are
influenced by what they see on screen. Many researchers have in fact said that
teenagers are easily swayed by what the witness on screen; “When individuals
see a behaviour portrayed in a positive way, they have a tendency to imitate
and adopt it.” It has also been stated that the media as a whole, has a massive
impact on teenager’s behaviour and influences; “These
indirect media influences: can suggest to teenagers that these are ‘normal’
ways to look and behave.” In result of this, teenagers have the mind-set that
what they view on screen over and over again must be considered ‘normal’.
Furthermore, Hall’s audience reception theory could be applied as he stated
that, audiences read/understand a particular text due to their cultural
upbringing. Therefore, if teenagers have been surrounded by a certain type of
environment, such as being around parties, consuming alcohol, they would
understand a movie such as ‘Neighbours’ better. Moreover, one may use the experiment
of the ‘Bobo Doll’ as an example of influence. This experiment consisted of children
watching a video of a Bobo Doll being violently attacked, the children were
then taken into a room with Bobo Doll’s, in which 88% of the children imitated
the violent behaviour. This therefore, adds to the debate that teenagers are
influenced by what they witness.
Furthermore, a historical text that has
a similar concept to ‘Neighbours’ is Allan Carr’s 1978 film ‘Grease’. This film shows a clear
representation of the youth and even though there are some similar behaviours
that can be seen in the society of today's youth, there's still a large
difference, and this film shows a clear example of that. The purpose here is to
be able to demonstrate the difference in society regarding the youth in the
70's in comparison to the youth in today's society. The film shows a completely
different side to society in comparison to the one today. Yes, the youth are
seen having fun, and there are characters who do smoke and drink; “The use of
marijuana by youth at this point had become more common, and the availability
of other drugs was making youth more eager to explore altered states of mind” [16].
15) Lewis, J. (1992), P.11
16) Tropiano, S. (2006), P.11
However, it's to a much less
extent and they aren't presented as out of control; "Traditional teenage gender roles are become more
blurred as society changes and Ideology moves on." [17] Furthermore, the film doesn't just show a
change in the behaviour of the youth, but it shows the difference in the way teenagers
dress, speak and act.
Similarly, the youth in the film are still despised by the older
generation, just like today's youth and during the Zeitgeist this has been
reinforced. In terms of ‘Zeitgeist’ one may argue that the youth in fact
haven’t grown/aged: “the young become a social problem only when they refuse to
grow up” [18]. Despite there being a majority of people who do believe the youth are
menace to today’s society, there is the minority that disagree with this; “most
young people were traditional, cleaning-living, hardworking kids unfairly
maligned by the actions of a few disturbed members of their generation”. [19.] This is also reinforced again with
the quote, “Teen film does not accurately portray the lives of the adolescents
despite its use of the fabulously consuming trivia of everyday teen life
(Martin 1994: 65) [20]. In addition, there’s always the
question of why teenagers behave in the way they do; “The older generation
feared that it’s diminishing influence and lack of control over young people
was making it possible for a youth culture , which many believed promoted
immortality” [21]. Moreover,
‘Grease’ demonstrates clearly that the youth back then were only slightly
different to the youth today as there were similar characteristics shown in
society then as the ones today; “Of course children and teenagers existed
before the twentieth century began, but social perception of the preadult
population was considerably different before the early 1900s” [22]. Furthermore, teenagers then also
felt as if the representation of youth was incorrect as well; "They
all admitted they were fans of The Breakfast Club, yet they were also quick to
point out some of the problems they have with the teen genre in general: - kids always hate their parents, female
characters are limited to supporting roles, male characters are only interested in sex" [23]. Therefore,
despite this film is old, it still has negative representations of teenagers.
To conclude, the hypothesis of the
youth being presented in a negative manner is proven through many films
demonstrating teenagers in an irresponsible way. From 1978 and early on decades
the youth have constantly had a negative shadow following them, however, it has
become more evident in these early ages through Zeitgeist. Many teenagers feel
as if they are in fact presented unfairly and which further goes on to support
with the hypothesis as in most of the media the negative side of the youth are
shown in comparison to the positive side. One may argue that the youth of today’s
society are only presented in one way and the other majority of teenagers who
do in fact, go to school and study hard aren’t shown in the media as much as
teenagers behaving poorly.
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Lord, P. (2012). [21 Jump Street]
Carr, A. (1978). [Grease]
7) Shary, T. (2002). P.7
8) Driscoll, C. (2011). P.12
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14) Lewis, J. (1992), P.12
