There comes a time in every little boy's life that he decides he wants to become a mother and, when the time is right, "William's Doll" is there to tell all little boys everywhere that it is OK to wish to play with dolls. In the end, all we seem to come away with is a desire to strangle whoever decided to include the bad folk music included in the soundtrack.
This short film, based on the children's book of the same name, is a little piece of early-1980s gender politics. William has all the toys a little boy could ask for (a football helmet, a train set), a loving father and grandfather, and a group of friends. Interestingly, all women seem to be absent from his wife other than a cameo from a neighbor lady dad wants William to meet. Yet, despite all this, William yearns for more, a doll, and grandpa is only too happy to oblige.
The ultimate message of this film is that it is OK for boys to play with dolls. In the final scene we see that, despite William playing with dolls, he still wants to play football with "the guys." One could praise "William's Doll" for being slightly ahead of its time and attempting to give young men the confidence they need to be individuals despite what society tells them about what is normal. Yet, the movie is undeniably hokey, with the lead roll being played by a young man who has no other credits to his name. On top of all this, the folk music played throughout the film made me wonder if I was watching an educational short or merely being subjected to an old Folger's coffee commercial.
Now that this short is available from Rifftrax, I have a feeling interest will skyrocket in it. And, no matter how poor execution is, we must remember that the message this short was trying to get across was a noble one. Unfortunately, this is most likely one of those instances where a short probably made kids of both genders cast aside their dolls out of fear of becoming as creepy and unlikable as little William.
This short film, based on the children's book of the same name, is a little piece of early-1980s gender politics. William has all the toys a little boy could ask for (a football helmet, a train set), a loving father and grandfather, and a group of friends. Interestingly, all women seem to be absent from his wife other than a cameo from a neighbor lady dad wants William to meet. Yet, despite all this, William yearns for more, a doll, and grandpa is only too happy to oblige.
The ultimate message of this film is that it is OK for boys to play with dolls. In the final scene we see that, despite William playing with dolls, he still wants to play football with "the guys." One could praise "William's Doll" for being slightly ahead of its time and attempting to give young men the confidence they need to be individuals despite what society tells them about what is normal. Yet, the movie is undeniably hokey, with the lead roll being played by a young man who has no other credits to his name. On top of all this, the folk music played throughout the film made me wonder if I was watching an educational short or merely being subjected to an old Folger's coffee commercial.
Now that this short is available from Rifftrax, I have a feeling interest will skyrocket in it. And, no matter how poor execution is, we must remember that the message this short was trying to get across was a noble one. Unfortunately, this is most likely one of those instances where a short probably made kids of both genders cast aside their dolls out of fear of becoming as creepy and unlikable as little William.
