I watched it. It is a bro movie about a bro-romance. Having a DH, sons, and brothers I am not averse to men finding their emotional side and that is what this.
At the beginning, Steele's daughter says she misses have a male role model in her life, but then mutters that she doesn't think it really matters.
A couple of the waitresses address Steele as "Sir" and are corrected by Ferrell. A car drives past and a bloke windows down to shout "you the man" at Ferrell to which he responds "and this is the woman" pointing at Steele.
Ferrell asks Steele about breasts who says they instantly felt "right". Like no teenage girl ever ever experienced on first developing breasts (or a rack, as they call them in the film).
Towards the end of the movie they go to a ramshackle house in a deprived area that Steele had bought for ten thousand dollars so that he could "be a woman" there. They both look at the wreck of a house in despair, that it could come to this!
As I say, it is a bromance. The pair of men are still friends, through and through, as the schmaltzy song, sung by Kristen Wiig, says "until the end". Ferrell buys Steele diamond earrings so he can "feel beautiful".
I could find that quite uplifting - men connecting with their emotions and all and good luck to em. Except I am of the sex that Steele is appropriating, have lived in areas of deprivation, have never had free reign to wander into bars as my "happy place", have been a daughter who has needed her dad. For sure, Steele is welcome to name change, and style change, and live wherever he wants in peace and safety. But the obtuseness of it, not seeing the insult to women. The complete and utter maleness of this film in every frame is apparent.
I do hope that they will read and consider some of the criticism that will follow. It seems to me that the usually well enough off, professional women who support them in this endeavour (these are mainly based in New York where they start their trip) are all perfectly happy to accept this appropriation of womanhood as the price of those well paid jobs and celebrity lifestyle.
The women working as waitresses or in the rough bars of Texas not lapping it all up are ignored or corrected and called hateful. The privilege and cognitive dissonance is obvious. Steele feels it too, and is in tears over it in parts. I actually feel for him a bit, as I do feel for men who can't connect to their emotions, but then do. But this is such a trashing of women. I hope they can see it eventually for what it is.
As a contribution to operation "let them speak" I think it might be valuable. It is always worth watching the other side of the argument to stress test one's own argument. I am more convinced that ever that this needs push back or woman simply become the sex to parody established in our role as bystanders to men (once again).
Why on earth, men can't just be men in dresses I don't know (well I suppose I do).
Anyone else watched it? What did you think?