Reese Witherspoon, ‘a true, modern-day feminist,’ honored by Cinematheque

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Here are some photos from the 29th American Cinematheque Award honoring Reese Witherspoon. If you’re anything like me, you thought to yourself, “Damn, they’re giving those lifetime achievement awards pretty early these days.” But while the American Cinematheque Award used to be more of a lifetime-achievement thing, in recent years they’ve been trying to give it to actors in “mid-career.” Some previous honorees include Matthew McConaughey (who was on hand to present the award to Reese), Matt Damon, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr. and more. Reese is the first female honoree since Julia Roberts got the award in 2007, so YAY for ladies, I guess. The event is actually a fundraising gala, so there’s that too.

Many of Reese’s friends and colleagues came out to support her, like Matthew, Alexander Payne, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Aniston, Sofia Vergara, Jennifer Garner, Laura Dern and more. The emphasis was on Reese’s role as a woman in the industry, with McConaughey saying something about Reese’s “powerful femininity,” and Hudson calling Reese a “true, modern-day feminist.” When Reese accepted her award, she said:

“Women make up 50 percent of the population and we should be playing 50 percent of the roles on the screen. We need more female surgeons, supreme court justices and soldiers — but on screen. Not just as the girlfriends to famous men.”

[From Variety]

That’s somewhat awkwardly worded. I would say, “We need more female surgeons, Supreme Court justices, soldiers in real life AND on screen, in artistic representation and real life.” Feminism isn’t just about putting more cute blonde ladies in front of the camera, you know.

I’m including some photos from the red carpet below. Jennifer Garner looked crazy-Botoxed, right? Reese’s gown was Dolce & Gabbana, by the way. Very pretty, but I feel like she’s worn that same gown about ten times in the past two years. Also: Ava Phillippe is basically Reese’s clone. A clone with pink hair!

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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64 Responses to “Reese Witherspoon, ‘a true, modern-day feminist,’ honored by Cinematheque”

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  1. Lahdidahbaby says:

    Oh, please. Seriously? Oh well.

  2. tracking says:

    Reese and her kids look beautiful. Jennifer G does look tweaked, never noticed that on her before.

    • kaye says:

      I agree. I always thought of her as being “all natural” but obviously that was naive. This is Hollywood after all.

      • Lahdidahbaby says:

        No, I don’t think we were fooled into our impression of her as a natural & unaffected type – I just think that what we’re seeing (and shocked as hell to see) is that even a natural and habitually unadorned girl like Jen Garner might react to the public humiliation of the nanny-scandal and its closeness in time to her marriage’s failure by trying too hard to look younger. It’s very sad.

      • kaye says:

        I think she’s “all natural” at heart and wouldn’t mess with her face if she wasn’t in the biz and had a regular job…

      • Neah23 says:

        If I remember right Jen had her lips done years ago her so she never been all “natural” to start with.

        She dose look Botoxy and thinner here.

      • Susan says:

        I think she’s a prime candidate for that kind of tweaking. Low self esteem…if the stories of taking Ben back are to be believed, she’s weaker than I thought.

  3. DaSH says:

    Ava is a beautiful girl! And lol for her award. Paid one?

    • MG says:

      Everyone says Ava is Reese’s clone but I think she looks just like her dad. She doesn’t have Reese’s face at all imo.

    • lola says:

      I’m sure it’s an award she bought, she and her industry friends are always buying some lame made up award, courtesy of their PR firm.

      As for her daughter, she’s looking more like Ryan, which is a good thing.

      Garner, I almost didn’t recognize, she has on so much make-up. I am tired of the Affleck drama, they have worn out their welcome. Go away, both Ben and Jennifer.

  4. Jayna says:

    Jennifer does not look good. The hair and makeup isn’t flattering. I’m sure when she smiles she looks prettier because she has a great smile. The dress is boring. Meh. I don’t think she’s tweaked. I think it’s the makeup. A lot of the light deflecting makeup applied heavily can make people look different. That pale lipstick seems way too thick and like her upper lip has been outlined in an exaggerated way or she had them blown up. Her false eyelashes aren’t working because her eyes look very puffy. If anything, she’s showing her age for once.

    Reese is right. They need more of those roles, not girlfriend or wife roles, but they are out there, just on TV/Netflix, etc.

    • Kitten says:

      ITA. I think we’re just used to seeing JG with no makeup. She does not look good here though.

      • Lauren II says:

        Jen’s face looks frozen and unmovable.
        Her lips were done years ago. Saw her in “Dude Where’s My Car” movie – I did not recognize her. Jen is not a natural beauty at all. She looks desperate and sad.

  5. Sara says:

    Ava looks like Alexis Bledel crossed with Mandy Moore.

  6. Tiffany says:

    Really. I think the kids look like Ryan. Ava has Reese’s chin but no denying the Phillipe genes.

    • LeAnn Stinks says:

      I think Ava’s chin is little less sharp. Her jawline looks similar, but softer.

      • perplexed says:

        I think Ava isn’t smiling as wide in the photo as Reese. I think we’d know what the chin really looks like if she were to show her teeth. But even with the teeth not showing, I feel a lot of Reese’s chin is in her. They basically look the same to me — except one looks slightly younger. I guess I can see Ryan Phillipe in her face too, but Ryan Phillipe and Reese Witherspoon were one of those couples who looked like brother and sister to me anyway, except Ryan didn’t have that chin.

      • Sass says:

        My first thought was “Oh that is Reese’s sister and she is much prettier”. Lovely young girl! As for Jen Garner, I paged right past her and didn’t know who she was until I read the comments. Yikes!

    • G says:

      Yes! She looks like her but…and I don’t mean this to be rude…prettier. She has that sultry beauty like Ryan.

      • perplexed says:

        She’s only 16 though. Between 16-25, Reese had the same level of beauty if younger photos are any indication. Then I guess Reese showed off her real personality as time went on and became annoying like Julia Roberts. But I don’t see much of a difference physically between Reese and her daughter. There was a picture on Ava’s Instagram where she looked like Reese when she was in Man in the Moon.

  7. Jegede says:

    Disagree.

    Ava Phillips might have Reece’s appearance, but that face is ALL Ryan.

    • sills says:

      Yeah that top photo, all I can see under the pink hair is Ryan. She’s cute though. If you’re going to look like your dad, better Ryan Philippe than Bruce Willis (ducks tomatoes).

  8. “Don’t you know who I am?”

  9. dee says:

    Kate Hudson looks amazing

  10. Rockin Robin says:

    Lmao @ Reese winning this award.

  11. frivolity says:

    What a f&cked-up world!

  12. Talie says:

    I just can’t get past the feeling that she’s a monster in private.

  13. perplexed says:

    Reese’s daughter got Reese’s chin. That’s what helped me figure out without looking at captions or anything that they’re mother and daughter.

    Looks like the son might have gotten the chin too.

    Has Jennifer Garner gotten thinner?

  14. Penelope says:

    Wow, does she have great-looking kids.

  15. minx says:

    I just……really?

  16. Cran says:

    Seems the award system gave up on itself years ago. She’s been in the business for a lot of years, made a lot of movies including some exceptional performances but I don’t think her career achievements to date come close to receiving a lifetime award. I simply don’t see her career trajectory moving in that direction.

    I can see how she is a big draw in terms of this groups fund raising efforts. Reece has worked with some of the best and her husband is a big CAA agent so I can see how this would fit.

  17. Saywhatwhen says:

    Is that Jennifer Garner? Did she start dipping into the botox stock> Her face looks like it’s put on too tight.

  18. FingerBinger says:

    Reese has some attractive kids. She must be tiny. Her daughter is the same height and her son is almost as tall.

  19. Bucketbot13 says:

    Am I the only one who feels like Sofia Vergara looks gaudy gor this event? I can’t make out if its just the colour or what…

    • Harryg says:

      It’s the hideous dress. It’s like she’s going to present the prize in Jeopardy.

    • brincalhona says:

      Yeah, people criticise the fact that her dresses look the same but look what happens when she tries something different.

  20. Anastasia says:

    Reese’s daughter is prettier than her, and her son is going to be drop-dead handsome as a man,

  21. boredblond says:

    I find the feminist label for her very appropriate..even in her earliest roles she portrayed the one who outsmarted everyone and formed her production co for unconventional roles like Wild. I know she catches shade here a lot, and I don’t know why, but I’m a fan.

    • Kk says:

      I agree, though I don’t think ms American citizen and I would get along on a personal level, I respect her professionally and she is definitely a feminist. No doubt about that.

    • Prolly says:

      I think she lost a lot of fans with the whole American citizen debacle but I also agree that the feminist label is appropriate. She seems like an assh*le but I must admit I’ve enjoyed a lot of her movies.

  22. Rainbow says:

    Her daughter is so cute,I love her pink hair!
    I am twice her age but I wish I had her hair. I’ be tried pastel blue highlights in the past but the faded quickly,this look is lovely!

  23. The Eternal Side-Eye says:

    Meh, with a side order of apathetic shrug.

  24. Greenieweenie says:

    BUT IS SHE AN AMERICAN CITIZEN????

  25. tacos and tv says:

    Wow, Reese’s daughter Ava is just gorgeous. A great mix between both parents. Deacon is adorable and I’m sure will grow into a handsome man as well.

  26. Veronica says:

    So modern that she criticized Jessica Simpson as anti-feminist, then turned around and made a movie about a successful, happy business woman giving up her dreams and abandoning her fiancée at the alter in order to return to the Good Ole South to reunite with her manipulative ex-husband and make babies.

  27. Cinnamon Date says:

    It’s amazing how her daughter looks exactly like Ryan Philippe but with her mother’s head shape and face shape. She looks exactly like her father.

  28. perplexed says:

    In some early photos I thought Ava looked like her dad in the eyes. But it seems like the make-up artist did her eyes in a way that they now resemble her mother’s. Weird.

    The kid is pretty — surprised no announcement has come yet about her making her first appearance in a movie.

  29. cd3 says:

    This story made me really, really sad. Reese is our benchmark for feminism? Really? The woman who actually said “do you know who i am” when pulled over for DUI?

  30. serena says:

    Really? I think Ava is the spitting copy of her father, not Reese.