The Male Midlife Crisis in the Movies

The male midlife crisis has been a fertile topic for Hollywood screenwriters for years. It provides an ideal setting for drama, conflict, humor and the ultimate rebirth of an individual. (See our list of movies that exemplify Hollywood's treatment of the midlife crises).

Besides the fact that the topic of midlife crisis hits home for many, why do so many movies cover the subject? To answer that all we have to do is look at the typical movie produced in Hollywood. According to "All About Screenwriting," the following is a the basic outline of an average movie:

FADE IN: Between pages 1-5: The HOOK, something that grabs our attention and pulls us in. Page 10: At this point in your script you should have the "MINI CRISIS". The "MINI CRISIS" should lead us into... Page 17: ...The DILEMMA. Creation of the team and what the movie is about. Page 30: The REACTION to the dilemma or situation. Page 45: First "REVERSAL" of the 17 minute point. This point furthers the characters and pushes them deeper into the situation or the dilemma. Page 60: The "TENT POLE" of the movie. Where the passive characters become active or visa-versa. Page 75: Second "REVERSAL" to the 17 minute point. To reaffirm what the story is about. Page 90: The LOW POINT of action. The place from which our main character has to rise up from. FADE OUT.

Right there from fade-in to fade-out, All About Screenwriting has pretty much described the experiences of someone having a midlife crisis. Even the term "Mini Crisis" is applicable. Like a good movie, a midlife crisis (or a midlife reflection or a midlife transition) ends with the main character rising up from the low point as a better person having learned what is important in life and more likely to succeed in accomplishing those things.

Perhaps even more telling on why movies like midlife crises so much is to look at the requirements for a cinematic character (as compiled by All About Screenwriting)"

* They must be EMPATHETIC, have an internal and external struggle. They must have an arc. * VULNERABLE, they must tell us what their vulnerability is. * Your character should be an UNDERDOG... * But also be LARGER THAN LIFE. * Give your characters STRENGTHS-Something that they are really good at, but... * They need FLAWS that could be fatal. Characters with doubts and faults are more interesting and believable.

Other than the "larger than life" aspect, the above typical movie protagonist lines up perfectly with an individual reassessing their life during a midlife transition. Reading this it's no surprise that Hollywood interjects characters encountering midlife reassessments. (While not a movie, how much better is "The Sopranos" with its lead character gripped by midlife questioning?).

The LifeTwo Midlife Crisis Movie list is far from comprehensive and a few are worth noting. First, "American Beauty" sets the gold standard for cinematic treatment of a male midlife crisis (albeit heavily exaggerated). Here the trigger event was Kevin Spacey's job loss. This was followed up by questioning essentially every aspect of his life from the non-existent relationship with his wife and daughter to the decision to find a job that carried the least amount of responsibility possible (he ended up at a McDonald's). He tries drugs, has fantasies about his daughter's friends, and in general loses it. Yet despite all of this, we enjoy the film.

"The Incredibles" is another midlife crisis movie where the trigger event for the protagonist is a forced career change--in this case from superhero to phone salesman. Having had is identity wrapped up in his worklife Mr. Incredible is ill-equipped to make the transition to mortal. For awhile he is able to live a double life, lying to both himself and his family--long a long term coping strategy for success. Unfortunately, the "resolution" in the film is that superheroes are able to come out of hiding so Mr. Incredible never learned how to cope with his indentity problems other than reverting back back to superhero status. One day he is likely to be too old to perform his crime fighting duties and might encounter a similar problem down the road. (Note: we understand that Pixar was aiming to make an entertaining movie and not to make a film that demonstrated proper adult coping mechanisms so our comments about the film are not likely to be found in the Hollywood Reporter.)

LifeTwo's other founder, Greg, questioned whether "Grosse Pointe Blank" should be on the midlife movie list, since it's protagonist (played by John Cusack) was only around thirty years old--a tad young for a midlife crisis. However the questioning he starts having about his lifelong vocation (freelance hit man), the interplay with his psychiatrist, his general angst, his re-engaging with his past (Minnie Driver), the overall change in what's important to him (including the developing of a conscience over killing people). It ends up having a great resolution and if nothing else shows that if a paid assassin can accomplish (and live through) a career change then we should be able to do so as well.

Please check out the list linked above and suggest additional movies that should be on our list.