The Weekend section of The Washington
Post published an article on 7 April 2016 with the headline: ‘Melissa
McCarthy wins no Brownie Points in ‘The Boss.’ What are Brownie points?
The Free Dictionary defines ‘Brownie’ as ‘a member of the Girl Scouts (Girl
Guides in England) from 6-8 years of age,’ who perform good deeds for people
and receive a badge to wear on their uniform. So do the Boy Scouts.
Lord Robert Baden-Powell (1857-1941), who established the scout movement
for children in England in 1907, used the term Brownies because a Brownie was
‘a small sprite’ who helped around the house or with any tasks, usually at night
when no-one was looking. The Brownie was like a secret helper. The British
writer, Juliana Horatia Ewing (1841-1885), wrote about helpful brownies in her
1865 children’s book called The Brownies.
A Brownie is also defined as ‘a bar of moist … chocolate cake, often with
nuts’ or ‘a brown trout (fish).’ The Brownie box camera is also just referred
to as a Brownie. The Phrase Finder defines ‘Brownie points’ as ‘a notional mark
of achievement or kudos for performing some creditable act.’
Why doesn’t Melissa McCarthy get Brownie points for the movie? The
article says that McCarthy plays ‘yet another selfish, cluelessly narcissistic
character’ – Michelle Darnell, the 47th richest woman in America – in her
recent movie, the comedy called The Boss.
The author describes the movie plot as ‘predictably schematic’ and concludes
with: ‘although her charisma is still undeniable, there’s also no denying that
McCarthy is capable of much more…’
Now, the plot of the movie is about Michelle Darnell – rich businesswoman –
helping a group of school girls make a profit selling cookies, instead of just
earning badges like the Girl Scouts. Darnell’s friend’s daughter has a recipe
for Brownies and it is intended to be the start of a get-rich-quick scheme.
The Scorecard for The Washington Post
headline is 99%. Although the term ‘Brownie points’ is not used in the article,
it is nevertheless implied in the movie’s Girl Scouts group, in which the girls
sell Brownies. It is therefore a reference to both the Brownies (the girls who
do good deeds in the Girl Scouts) and the Brownies (chocolate cakes) they sell.
When the girls sell the Brownies, they are making money instead of points that
go toward a badge for their uniform. So no points for Melissa McCarthy and no
badge of merit for the movie.
MARTINA NICOLLS is the author of:-
The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends
(2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan
Curse (2009).
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