Leading ladies should...

not be obnoxious. Yup, that's about it. Really women don't watch girly movies or boy movies for the women, hopefully that's obvious. All we ask is that they don't annoy us and distract us from the men in the film. This topic came to mind as I watched The Holiday last night and was reminded of how obnoxious I always find Cameron Diaz and how unobnoxious and wonderful Kate Winslet (but not in Titanic...or Sense and Sensibility) is. 

SO likable

 This doesn't mean that an obnoxious leading lady necessarily ruins a movie, think Margaret Hale from North and South never trusting Thornton even though he's the best man alive. North and South  is still and amazing movie. Obnoxious women that do ruin movies? Cameron Diaz in The Holiday of course. Jude Law finds her spazzy over-sharing ways so charming and alluring, barf. Meg Ryan back in the day, basically in Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail, was great at being the girl that you didn't hate and kind of liked, even full on liked sometimes. Sandra Bullock is also very likable.

I think it should also be said that 4 hour films with semi-annoying women are ok because usually by the end of 4 hours they've changed, like in North and South  and Pride and Prejudice. 90 minute rom coms on the other hand need to be quick about it so great writing is required to either create a likable leading lady from the get go or a believable arc to make her likable and worth the man by the end. I think more than anything I can't stand a leading woman that's obnoxious but fought over. Not only does one man see past her grating personality, two or three men do.

:-:Other female leads I can stand: Julia Roberts, Cate Blanchett, Ginnifer Goodwin, Amy Adams, Reese Witherspoon, Emma Thompson, Carey Mulligan, Tina Fey
:-:Other female leads I can't stand: Megan Fox, Katherine Heigl, Julia Stiles, Ellen Pampeo from Grey's Anatomy, Famke Janssen (Jean Grey from X-Men), Rachel McAdams in The Notebook (really just hate The Notebook),
 :-:Don't really care either way: Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston