This film is adorable. It’s a light entry in the MCU post-Ultron heaviness in both tone and theme. It also is situated right before Captain America: Civil War, and I think that it is timed perfectly to provide a bit of heart before a crushing divide in the next entry.
While I could talk about much that I love about Ant-Man, I think I really enjoy the idea of father-daughter relationships and second chances. Both Scott Lang, the title character, and Hank Pym, the former Ant-Man, have unresolved issues at the start of the film. Scott could be seen as a dead-beat dad after a short stint in prison. He doesn’t know his daughter well, and his now ex-wife is leery of him interacting with his daughter, Cassie, because he can be self-serving and self-absorbed. These same traits can also be found in Hank Pym—and that’s one of the reasons why I think Hank chooses Scott to be the new Ant-Man. He sees that Scott has potential and needs the second chance to be a part of his daughter’s life. As writer Paul Asay states, “Ant-Man’s smallish sagas hide a big heart in its father-daughter relationships, one that took up its beat from the very beginning. When Hank Pym first queries Scott about becoming Ant-Man in the first movie, he tells him this: ‘This is your chance to earn that look in your daughter’s eyes. To become the hero that she already thinks you are’” (https://aleteia.org/2018/07/14/3-cinematic-heroes-and-the-daughters-who-made-them-that-way/).
After all, Hank knows about estrangement: while he sees daughter Hope regularly, there is a distance between them since her mother’s tragic death. Hank also needs a second chance, but he is more focused on protecting Hope—and that leads to more distance emotionally between them. Father-daughter relationships aren’t always smooth, as this film spotlights.
I told the story of my mother in a previous entry—and how she was my best friend. I miss her every day. I am still lucky enough to have a wonderful father, but there was definitely a point of time where we had to evolve our relationship. While my dad would be the one to repair or glue or craft anything I needed, my mom was the one who listened. Here’s an example: my whole life, I would call home, and if my dad answered, we would exchange pleasantries, but he would hand the phone to my mom. I love my dad—don’t get me wrong—but I was definitely much closer to my mother. She and I talked for hours on the phone every day, and she would give me the best advice or just listen to my stories as a sounding board.
When my mom died, the shock of the loss propelled my dad and I forward, but then the first few phone calls were stilted as my dad and I had to learn how to talk to each other. He hates the phone—so the fact that he tried so hard to make conversation is one of the most heartwarming moments in our relationship. Funny enough: now we Zoom, and we never run out of topics.
Therefore, I think that what Ant-Man spotlights, then, is the idea of father-daughter relationships and the work that it takes to make them function well.
Scott realizes that Paxton—his ex-wife’s new fiancée—is great to Cassie. And Scott is man enough to acknowledge it. Hank realizes at the end of the film that trying to shield Hope from the truth of her mother’s accident doesn’t stop her from growing up or taking risks; it only pushes her further away. It’s only through bringing her into his life’s work, and acknowledging to her that she deserves her own suit (Go, MCU!) that he can choose a new path and build a better relationship with her. It’s not too late for him, and the film helps us realize it’s not too late for us, either.
So in the middle of all the comedic caper moments, and a cute ant acting like a dog, there is a real message here that life is more than just where we are; if we want a second chance, or a new future, we have to make it happen. It also showcases two very interesting father-daughter relationships, and I’m sure that this entry will be something that I talk about with my dad…the next time we Zoom.
So in the middle of all the comedic caper moments, and a cute ant acting like a dog, there is a real message here that life is more than just where we are; if we want a second chance, or a new future, we have to make it happen. It also showcases two very interesting father-daughter relationships, and I’m sure that this entry will be something that I talk about with my dad…the next time we Zoom.
Sandy, I love these insights. It took me some time to watch Ant Man after it was released, but I do enjoy the film. And I have pretty much grown up having a crush on Paul Rudd, so I'm sure that makes me like this movie even more.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the exploration of father-daughter relationships, and I like how you see this happening between two different generations. The masculinity and paternal ideals of Hank's generation are different than those of Scott's generation. You see the intense love they both have for their daughters, but it is expressed in two very different masculine approaches. I also really liked how they showed Scott and his ex-wife and her new husband getting along as a family. One of my friends and her boyfriend are like that with the exes - they are all do things together and get along because they care about their children. I wish more people could be like that.
But back to the father-daughter relationships. As you know from my comment on your last post, I also lost my mother. In March it will be 6 years. Although I was always very close with my dad and my sister, my mom was my best friend. My dad and I could always talk, but it wasn't the same things I could talk about with my mom. It wasn't the emotional stuff. My sister and I also didn't talk too much about the emotional stuff with each other, which is odd but we were very different growing up. For a while after my mom's death, I struggled to think who I could talk to about some of those things, and it was difficult for me to feel comfortable talking about those things with anyone but her. Her death brought my father, my sister, and I closer together because we learned to lean on each other and talk to each other in different ways. And my nephew helped a great deal with that, too, since my mom was very active in helping to care for him. Our father-daughter and sibling relationships have become stronger, and I'm glad that we're finally at a point where healthy father-daughter relationships are being highlighted in movies. And I think that was especially refreshing in MCU after seeing the tumultuous father-son relationship with the Starks.
CJ, I'm glad you are enjoying our blog, and sharing your comments. It's interesting to hear about your relationship with your family and how the film got you thinking about it. I was glad Sandy had written about that too. These films also got me thinking about my relationships with my sons, and especially I like how all of this sets up the wonderful reunion of Scott and his daughter in End Game.
DeleteChristina, your relationship with your mom sounds/feels much like mine. There is a hole in my heart from the loss of my mom (it's been almost nine years now, and it still hurts). But in exchange, I have a very different relationship now with my dad, and I am glad I got the opportunity to have this version. I'm glad you found the entry moving. I enjoyed writing it--this blog has been a bit of a way for me to sort out my feelings, too--putting words to emotions. I feel like I can see the glass half full more clearly through rewatching these films, chatting about them, and then writing about it. It's a bit like a public diary.
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