There is a controversy brewing over a scene in the new film “Observe & Report.” It seems as though Seth Rogen’s character, Ronnie Barnhardt,  rapes the character Brandi, played by Faris in the movie.  What’s really sad about this clip is that it shows Faris’ character, Brandi, is trashed on antidepressants and tequila.  She vomits all over the place, can barely walk, and yet in the scene tells Ronnie not to stop.

A clip of the scene is featured in the film’s R-rated trailer (at 2:35):

Seth Rogen discussed the scene in a recent interview:

SETH ROGEN: When we’re having sex and she’s unconscious like you can literally feel the audience thinking, like, how the f#@% are they going to make this okay? Like, what can possibly be said or done that I’m not going to walk out of the movie theater in the next thirty seconds? . . . And then she says, like, the one thing that makes it all okay: “Why are you stopping, motherf&^%$?”

But critics, including several prominent feminist writers, aren’t satisfied. Courtney at Feministing.com wrote on Friday:

It’s not funny Seth. First of all, one out of six women in this country is sexually assaulted in her lifetime. Which means a whole lot of your bromen are confused about what consensual sex is. Is the laugh you get worth making them even more confused? Basically giving them permission from one of the most adored dudes of the moment to not take rape seriously? Yeah, we didn’t think so.

Lindsay Beyerstein added:

Rogen excels at a brand of awkwardness-based humor where much of the laughter is tension release. Which means that the scene fails on its own terms, unless you believe that an unconscious person can consent. Without the unexpected “evidence” of consent, it’s just a rape scene. If you see the encounter as rape, Brandi’s slurred semi-conscious interjection just seems piteous. It doesn’t make anything “okay.”

What are your thoughts about this scene? Did this go over the line?

Forwomenonline.com