The Wife (2017) — Review and Commentary
When Men Steal Your Spotlight and Take Credit for Your Work…now don’t get mad at the truth
This article is a commentary on a cautionary tale. One that is more common than you think. It can happen to most women in the workplace or outside, even among friends or family. Now, reader, whether you’re male or female, this article is not another “cog in the wheel,” for discourse on the topic of men vs women or depiction that men are bad and out to get women, it is not about bashing men, it is more about the very real situations women find themselves at the crossroads in throughout their lives where they are not credited, listened to or valued. The movie The Wife, which I will unpack further, is about those nuances. This article is merely an eye-opener, an unpacking of experiences many women go through. The only way for women to be understood and to feel supported is to open up discussions, and not sweep rather interesting experiences under the rug. It is about passing on valuable information for everyone, especially younger up-and-coming generations of women to be fearless, to speak up for themselves and for one another and for men to understand the nuanced undermining that they do to women that makes it difficult for women to exist. This is a story about When Men Steal Your Spotlight and take credit for your Work… so, now, don’t get mad at the truth. As per the iconic words of Gloria Steinem, “The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off.”
The Wife is a genius movie. Full of Oscar-worthy acting, nuanced plot lines and crisp dialogue. I have never seen a film like this. It is a must-watch for everyone who has good taste and does not mind a slow burner and a drama. The Wife, 2017, is a feature film based on the 2005 novel of the same name written by Meg Wolitzer. Although it is fictional, the story and characters come off as if this truly happened.
Directed by Björn Runge, with screenplay by Jane Anderson and starring Glenn Close as Joan Castleman and Jonathon Pryce as Joe Castleman a married couple who through thick and thin after over three decades of marriage find out that Joe will be the 1992 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Along with their son, David, played by Max Irons, they fly to Stockholm for the prize inauguration filled with a luxury stay, classy events, media interviews and a full PR package for Joe lined up.
The Castleman’s are shadowed by the nosy and ardent Nathaniel Bone (Cristian Slater), a writer who is on a mission to write Joe’s biography about his splendid road to success. He goes as far as flying to Stockholm while they are there. The film is intertwined with flashbacks of the relationship beginnings between a young Joan and Joe. Although both writers, only one truly has the talent and potential to be a bestselling writer. And it’s not Joe… Its Joan. We see the unravelling of their relationship, their ups and downs, their struggles and ultimately Joan having enough of her talent taken advantage of. All the books published under Joe’s name and persona were of Joan’s ideation, Joan’s writing, her stories, some even based on her life. The two kept it a secret between only them. We see Joan getting brainwashed by fellow writers and professors in the 1950s when she was a hopeful and green aspiring writer, that her works would never be read and would be forever picking up dust on the shelf. This element of self-doubt is planted in Joan’s young psyche before she even tries giving writing a go on a professional level and taking away her naive excitement to develop her potential. However, Joe, sensing the golden nugget of opportunity, used his wife to push her talent but only through his name, as if he wrote everything. Before you know it, Joe became a literary sensation and Joan, simply a doting wife, who apparently does not write anymore. The flashbacks are effective to see their dynamic early on and their backstory. Glenn’s real-life daughter plays the younger version of her.
It wasn’t until after the Nobel Prize was finally awarded and handed to Joe, does the breakdown happened. We see Joan confront Joe. They confront one another, from the banquet hall to the taxi, to the hotel room. Although Joe’s prize acceptance speech is dedicated to his wife, the secret is too heavy for Joan to continue swallowing. During the height of their argument, Joe gets a perfectly timed heart attack and dies with Joan breaking down in tears.
At first, I didn’t question why Joe Castleman was insistent on having his wife listen in on the other line for the announcement of his winning the Nobel Prize in Literature at there start of the movie. I thought, well sure, I get that this man wants to to celebrate with his loving wife. Someone who supports his conquests. This was the first nuance that indicated that Joan played a bigger role in his success. I realised this later as the amalgamation of further hints about Joan exposed that this film is about her and her life. Joe Castleman couldn’t even remember the characters in his book. He let that hint slip early on. I would imagine if one would ask further deep questions or even banal ones about his stories, he would struggle to answer. But it can be an honest mistake, a man who wrote so much may simply forget some details of his stories. An honest mistake that even his son noticed.
I find Glenn Close magnificently captivating in this film. She was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar at the 2019 Academy Awards for this role but lost to Olivia Colman in The Favourite. I am familiar with some of Glenn’s work. I have only seen 101 Dalmatian’s where she plays the original Cruel DeVil and Fatal Attraction. Both unforgettable movies and unforgettable Glenn performances. She is so fierce, unique and stylish in these movies. Crazy but stylish. She plays quite polarising, villainous and explosive characters. I am often drawn to characters like these as they leave a huge impact, more so than a protagonist. I have always been aware of Glenn being historically snubbed at the Oscars. So far 8 nominations in Best Leading and Best Supporting categories, yet no wins. The Wife, for me, has cemented her as a master of acting. She is so different compared to the previous two roles I mentioned above. She is not so extreme in her emotions, we don’t see her outward rage. It is simmering below the surface though. She is just as much angry at her husband, at herself and at the world, as any other woman. She is sophisticated and restrained, yet confident in a composed way. Despite being 77 years old, Glenn has this twinkle in her eyes. They are so expressive. They are like her superpower. And Director Björn Runge, who I think did a fabulous directing job, values her eyes and face in The Wife. The closeups of Glenn tell her inner sentiment. Her sparkling eyes inject life into Joan, we know she still has a fire within her to start a new chapter in her life. It is never too late.
That virtuosity, that dignity is in Joan’s DNA, something her husband never had, even after his death, after the truth is uncovered in private between the Castleman and Nathaniel, she still refuses and even threatens to sue Nathaniel the biographer if he ever dares to release the true story of the Castleman’s. Nathaniel Bone is on a serious mission to write and publish a biography on Castleman’s life. She still has her late husband’s back despite the circumstances.
I wonder had Joan actually followed through with publishing her work herself, would she have been as lauded as much as her husband? Or would her work be shelved? Also makes me wonder, had Joan, been a young writer in 2024, would she be a success story or would her husband still gain more reverence for simply being a man?
The father and son’s strained relationship is an important element because Joe is essentially insecure with himself and because he knows that he is not the mastermind and talent of a writer, he cannot find it within himself to praise his son, let alone give constructive criticism. From a place of jealousy, lack of confidence and skill and even shame, Joe cannot connect with his son, who so deeply values him, who so truly looks up to his so-called genius father. Little does he know, and eventually he does find out, that the person he really should have looked to for praise and advice is his mother.
Because Joan never had the right mentors to push herself and live up to her potential, so she fell into the shadow of her husband, who took advantage of her talent and skill. Ultimately, shamelessly becoming a success story, a literature god. And not only that, one that cheated relentlessly on her. I would also point out that their relationship we co-dependant. One where each side benefited by staying with the other.
Joan powered through things she didn’t really like. Joan spent the majority of her life enduring, from her early 20s to her 70s, in the shadow of her crook husband. His cheating, his lying, his strained relationship with their son, she had to swallow and choke on Joe’s inflated pride. He is narcissistic and self-indulgent and Joan is nurturing and noble. She is very sophisticated, and that upped Joe’s status too.
“I am a kingmaker,” Joan says so during a Nobel Prize dinner party. She can quietly take credit for shaping him to be a star, if it wasn’t for her, he would not be successful. If he is the king therefore she is the queen, and the queen may be more powerful than a king, for she has that access to power and access to the king in a way where she can make him do what she wants. As the saying goes, the man is the head and the woman is the neck. The woman can make the man’s head turn whichever way she wants. In a way, Joan has sorted a comfortable, secure and peaceful life for herself. An upper-class and very satisfying life. But deep down she feels unaccomplished, although in her 70’s she still is not finished with her chapter of success and creative satisfaction. In the final scene, we see Joan and her son on the flight back home. She stares at a plain blank page and looks up at the audience. Her eyes glimmer with hope. We know she is free, we know she will let her talent and passion thrive. But this time on her own terms. The award-winning books are based on her life, it is her biography. It is her writing, characters, and consistent genius that is venerated.
Does “be a good girl,” ring a bell? Or being told to just “ignore,” or “stiff upper lip,” when being treated in a way you don’t want to be treated? Or how about being “ladylike,” or “being nice,” make you feel somewhat cringe? All of these sayings have become so ingrained in most women of every generation that they become a part of our psyche. The playing field is unfair. While some women are playing a respectful game of chess, some men are out on the same field playing paintball. So when situations happen where a man is rewarded or just simply taken into consideration and a woman is ignored after she spoke of an idea before he mentioned the exact same one later, it is already discrimination based on gender.
One can also comment, and I have confirmed this after speaking to a group of friends that women steal and credit themselves from other women’s ideas and work too. It is not always men who do this. Because we live in a still patriarchal society women still have a scarcity mindset, as if there are not enough seats for women at the table or opportunities, and women compete with one another to be the most original, most heard, rewarded and desired in and out of the workplace. And this social climate makes women go against one another and commit very disrespectful things.
On the topic of “female rage,” I want to comment that more often than any other trigger, I think the notion of female rage, a woman reaching a boiling point where she explodes in anger is caused by the mistreatment of her. To the point where she cannot contain her anger and resentment any longer, she blows up. And understandably so. As women we are once again told to behave, to keep our cool and dignity.
I would like women to always get credit for their good deeds, their ideas, their hard work and talents, without anybody else claiming it as their own. I want women to stand up for themselves, fearlessly. Women to command attention, command a salary in line with their skills and women to not seek approval from others.
There are plenty of real-life examples of successful women who faced credit taken away by men. From Hedi Lamar and her discovery of wireless communication, Elizabeth Magie and her invention of the game of Monopoly and Marion Donovan the inventor of diapers. All three genius women had a high level of success but were never credited for their specific work that totally changed the world.
Further movies that depict rather powerfully and successfully the topic of toxic masculinity, men feeling threatened by women’s superiority and men taking credit for women’s work are Big Eyes, Hidden Figures, Joy and Fair Play. All four movies are a must-see and are all actually based on true stories, true people and situations actually, which is very telling of society.
Ladies now food for thought. Have you or women in your life ever experienced this? A man taking credit for your effort, ideas or work?
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