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Harley Quinn just might have proven this statement to be true in Birds of Prey.
“You know what they say: behind every successful man is a badass broad.”
(( Harley Quinn; No-Guilt Life ))
What did audiences see when viewing Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey? A classic superhero film? Female lead kicking ass? Those are all the right answers. Now, take away all of those “superhero” elements: the D.C. universe, the explosions, the glittery weaponry. What’s left? The skeleton of a classic Hollywood rom-com.
Birds of Prey opens up as The Joker has just brutally dumped his ‘puddin,’ and it’s hunting season on Harley Quinn. She was left completely emotionally and physically vulnerable. So, what’s a girl to do? Burn down the place that started their love affair in the first place, but of course. Alright, well maybe she shouldn’t have done that, but this is Gotham, a place where a grown man dressed in a bat costume drives around in a “batmobile” and saves the day.
The point is Birds of Prey is fiction! It’s an exaggerated depiction of what a woman in love would do after the man she has been living for, for the past four years, throws her away like he’s taking out the trash. The same man who turned her into the person she has become, or has been trying to be at least. Let’s face it, before this story was told, nobody really knew who Harley Quinn was – and it seems that she didn’t either.
The Meet Crazy
The film takes place four years after Suicide Squad (2016), where Quinn is introduced as Dr. Quinzel, a psychiatrist in a mental hospital, who often meets with The Joker. They fell into what the pair would call love and what was a deranged, psychotic relationship.
Harley helps The Joker escape the institution, however, it’s still not enough to establish her loyalty. She tries repeatedly to prove her love, despite his twisted and manipulative nature. The Joker compels Harley to throw herself into a chemical tank. He believes that he’s finally broken her, that she is just as wicked and unhinged as he is, yet Birds of Prey demonstrates how a pure heart can never fully turn black.
Harley and The Joker have their fun; cruising around Gotham and causing anarchy. To Harley, The Joker is a God amongst men. Regardless of his horrific attributes, she stays in their relationship and he proceeds to damage her. His abusive nature is unbeknownst to Harley, as love has made her blind. Eventually, as seen in Birds of Prey, he becomes disinterested in playing with Harley and, all this time, she thought she’d always be the “Woody” to his “Andy.” (( Slash Film ))
No More Puddin’
“I lost all sense of who I was, I only had eyes for puddin‘.”
Harley Quinn
Birds of Prey depicts a never before seen Quinn. Kicked out of the home that she shared with her ex-love, Harley is a devastating wreck. Quinn has never been this version of herself without having The Joker’s hands around her neck. She’s lost all sense of identity. Naturally, she’s filled with a passionate rage and gets through what every female on the planet does after a break-up; cut their hair, throw irrational fits, eat all of the guilty pleasures and break a couple of legs! Okay, well, maybe not that last part.
The D.C. universe is what sets this film apart from a typical rom-com. This story is presented in a highly chaotic setting. The outcome of the break-up is bound to erupt into total turmoil. Harley’s revenge is taken to a whole new level as the impact of the break-up is tenfold that of a normal one. In reality, when anyone gets dumped, blowing something up seems like the most satisfying solution, but let’s just save that for the comics.
The Joker brainwashed Quinn into pursuing a life of crime. The film showcases a Harley that can’t go back to Dr. Quinzel and can’t continue being the Harley Quinn everyone knows. So, the question is, who is she supposed to be, now? That is the struggle Quinn is set in, in Birds of Prey.
“Being Joker’s girl gave me immunity.”
(( Harley Quinn ))
All Hell Breaks Loose
Harley’s bender leads her into some serious trouble at a nightclub with the wrong person; the owner, crime lord, and a monster of a human being, Roman Sionis. Now, did she cripple his driver by breaking both of his legs? Yes. Did the driver insult her and definitely deserve the consequences? Who’s really to say? Harley meets the phenomenal club singer, Dinah Lance, “Black Canary”, who goes on to rescue Quinn from an abduction later on, in a truly kickass fight scene. (( TV Tropes ))
This is where the whole, “blowing up the Ace Chemical Plant” part comes into play. In Harley’s defense, in the D.C. universe, this is like changing your Facebook status to single. After the public explosion, detective Montoya is on the lookout for Harley as she believes she is in grave danger without The Joker’s protection. Does nobody realize that females are capable of protecting themselves?
Roman sends Dinah and henchman, Zsasz, to find a valuable diamond that belonged to the Bertinelli crime family, who were massacred years ago. Here, Cassandra “Cass” Cain is introduced, also known as the little girl who pickpocketed Zsasz and swallowed the said diamond. The girl’s definitely got guts. During the theft, Harley was abducted by Sionis. To avoid having her face sliced off, Harley promises to retrieve the diamond.
Harley snatches Cass from the police department in an extremely Harley Quinn, colorful and firework-filled fashion. Quinn takes Cass back to her apartment where the two get to know one another. The scene showcases just how badly Harley needs a shoulder to lie on after her heartbreak. Meanwhile, Helena Bertinelli, the only survivor of the massacre, is making her mark on Gotham. Helena winds up on Montoya’s list as the main suspect in the enormous number of mob killings around the city.
Guess Who’s Back?!
Towards Birds of Prey’s closing, Harley reluctantly agrees to give Cass to Sionis, as she believes she’s all out of ammo. At this point, all Quinn is craving is the protection that The Joker used to provide, and sees Sionis as her last resort. Harley takes Cass to an abandoned amusement park to make the deal. Dinah, thankfully, relays this to Montoya, but is caught in the act by Zsasz.
Sionis, in turn, shows up at the scene in his infamous black mask. Zsasz tranquilizes Harley and points a gun at Dinah. Oh, wait! Here comes Helena… and he’s dead. The women joined together as a badass team to defend Cass against Sionis and his army. It turns out that Dinah’s killer voice, well, does kill. The scene intensifies even further when Cass ends up in the hands of Sionis.
The showdown takes place at a foggy pier. Sionis is about to murder Cass when she pulls the ring from a grenade that she hid in his jacket. The girl definitely picked up a thing or two from Quinn. Harley selflessly put her life before Cass’ by throwing Sionis into the water and saving the girl from the explosion. Sionis’ army is epically destroyed. Dinah, Montoya, and Helena started a team of vigilantes with the money from the account numbers that were encrypted on the diamond. The name of that team? Birds of Prey. Harley and Cass fled, pawning off the diamond and starting their own contract killing business.
Quinn experiences cathartic character development. With the help of the girl gang, she’s able to rediscover her genuine self. Free from the poisonous shackles of her past, Harley has newfound empowerment and self-love. As seen in several “break-up” stories, the lead is on the path to letting go of a toxic relationship, and Quinn and The Joker are quite literally the definitions of toxicity. Harley is anything but someone’s puppet and Birds of Prey goes far enough to prove that point.
The Rom-Com Formula
Still not convinced that Birds of Prey is D.C.’s version of Sex and the City? Enter the Legally Blonde (2001) story (( Parade )). A rom-com about a woman who was seen as nothing more than blonde hair and big boobs. After being dumped by her superficial boyfriend, Warner, over not looking the part of his wife, Elle decided to prove herself to him by getting into Law School. Elle gets accepted, only to find out that Warner is engaged. Throughout the film, she continuously fought for his validation. It wasn’t until Elle won her first case that she was able to see her worth.
If I’m going to be a partner in a law firm by the time I’m 30, I need a boyfriend who’s not such a complete bonehead.
(( Elle Woods ))
Like Harley, Elle’s entire identity was “the girlfriend.” Both women believed that without their partners’ approval, they were worthless. Harley thought she had only made a name for herself in Gotham because of The Joker, and Elle believed that she was only relevant in L.A. for being Warner’s arm candy. The women needed to come to the realization that their empowerment was never intertwined with their partners’ value of them.
Elle won her case and Harley won her battle. These victories symbolize overcoming their fear of being “alone,” without the dependency on a love interest. It would be a shame not to touch upon “The sandwich.” At the beginning of the film, all that Harley wanted was this one special sandwich, her favorite sandwich, and after all the shit that The Joker had put this woman through, she deserved it. After finally receiving the one thing that was going to give her some satisfaction, Montoya chased her through the streets, leading to truly one of the most depressing scenes in cinematic history; the sandwich drop.
Sometimes, the only thing that can temporarily cheer a girl up after heartbreak is some good sweet or salty. Like Woods eating from a box of chocolates, or any woman in the world-devouring Ben and Jerry’s, Quinn’s sandwich is a symbol. The sandwich represents the first stages of a break-up. In the last shot of the film, Harley finally got her sandwich, and at the same time, she realized she was always in control of her own happiness.
“Isn’t this fun? It’s just like a sleepover! – we should order pizza, make cosmos!”
(( Harley Quinn ))
Let’s not forget the comic relief in this movie. Every scene is sprinkled with a bit of humor, which, yes, is common in many superhero movies, such as the Marvel Franchise or Deadpool, but also deeply relates to the rom-com genre. (( Collider ))
“I’m the one they should be scared of. Boo! Not you! Not Mister J! Because I’m Harley freaking Quinn!”
(( Harley Quinn ))
A Female Superhero Lead?!
Written/directed by and starring females, Birds of Prey is a rare feminist superhero film. (( Vox )) As opposed to Quinn’s depiction in Suicide Squad, where she was dressed in short shorts and a crop top, Birds of Prey portrays a completely new version of the character. In the midst of all the action, Birds of Prey pays close attention to its feminist agenda.
The girl gang are representations of feminism; strong, confident, and fiery. First off, there’s Helena, whose backstory screams independence; the only survivor of a family massacre, trained as an assassin as a child, and victorious in her killing spree revenge endeavors. So, basically, try not to get on her bad side.
Then there is Dinah, the black canary trapped in Soinis’ cage who eventually gains the strength to break free. Lastly, Montoya, a woman who fought hard to earn her spot in a police department full of arrogant men. Each woman came to the conclusion that they were always more than good enough and never needed outside validation. (( Digital Spy ))
“Aren’t you glad you wore that? Sexy AND bulletproof!”
(( Harley Quinn ))
How Ever Will This Work?!
While Harley and Dinah had a feminine style, Cass, Montoya, and Helena lean toward the masculine side, which works great for their dynamic. These women do not feel the need to appeal to a man’s liking. They dress how they want, do what they want, and if judged for it, maybe back up before one of them loads a crossbow, throws a punch, pulls some handcuffs out, or blasts a glittery firework out from a gun – Quinn really knows how to fashionably assert her dominance.
It’s difficult to find a box to place Harley in. Let’s say she had stayed a psychiatrist and never met The Joker. It’s hard to believe that she would have become the Harley Quinn everyone knows. Prior to the film, the audience is set to believe that the two mirror one another’s villainy. They’re actually nothing alike. Where the Joker is a heartless, mad monster, Harley is a surprisingly protective and caring human. This is evident through her relationship with the girl gang.
Birds of Prey’s, Harley Quinn, is the same type of female lead as Charlotte, Vivian, or Elle. She’s a romantic, she seeks affection, chased after the perfect man, albeit, The Joker is not a great example of that. Nevertheless, for Quinn, he made her feel special. Harley realized that while giving all of her love away to The Joker, she was neglecting herself.
Quinn is the rom-com heroine of the D.C. Universe and The Joker is just another guy who would never be able to see what he had, even when he lost it. It’s unusual to see a superhero film in this light, but peel the onion back and it’s a traditional rom-com dressed up in a bright, sparkly, feathered costume.