In the past two decades or so, there's been a change in the way men are portrayed in movies and on TV. No longer are they cool, awesome and inspirational. Now, they tend to be dumb, hapless, insecure and incompetent and need to be bailed out by a female, preferably one who is “diverse.”
The problem comes in a number of different tropes.
Trope #1 The death of the stoic man
Male characters in earlier times were often reserved and exuded a quiet confidence and did not engage in to emotional outbursts. They did not talk about their “feelings” and set out to tackle the task at hand. When they showed aggression, it tended to be controlled and deployed at just the right moment for maximum impact. They were not likely to complain about insecurity or emotional fragility. In other words, they exuded stoicism.
Today's male characters now tend to come across as effeminate, talkative, expressive, reacting emotionally to what other characters say and do. They are easily intimidated by strong female personalities. They are almost never able to hold their own in an argument. They lack the self-confidence to assert control. They seem more like hyper-talkative and hyper-emotional children.
Trope#2 The deconstructed hero
Recent movies have transformed strong, brave, bold, assertive and ruthless heroes such as Luke Skywalker, Rocky Balboa, Superman and James Bond into sad, sullen, conflicted brooding and lonely characters. “Toxic masculinity” is definitely out.
Trope #3 Men are just dumb
In movies, TV shows and advertisements, men are often portrayed as stupid and incompetent. They need a strongr and smarter female character to get them on track. The smartest person in the room is never a man. And men never teach female characters anything of value.
Not to mention, in every cable tv series ( especially HBO ) there is an obligatory scene where you have 2 rump rangers going at it.Then there are the scenes where you have to have at least one guy walking around with his d**k swinging to and fro. The turd burglars have taken over the writing staff of all these series
Movies have been moving away from the “strong, silent male” for decades. Conflictedness and vulnerability have been hallmarks of movie heroes for some time. There was a lot of talk about how Paul Newman’s movies were different from earlier westerns and other film dramas. He was supposed to be more sensitive and wounded. It was similar with Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando, and James Dean. Society has been moving in the same direction. You had to be tough to get through the Depression and a World War. You don’t have to be so tough today. The culture as a whole values self-expression — or at least people can’t seem to stop talking.
Of course male characters are even weaker and more ineffectual now than they were 60 years ago. That’s a reflection of how much society’s changed. It also has something to do with the industry’s need to work “strong female protagonists into every movie. Have an omni-competent male hero and it’s “sexist.” Have an omni-competent heroine and it’s woke and up-to-date and “liberating.”
Director Howard Hawks:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001328/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
Most of the leading men today, the younger men especially, are a little bit effeminate. There’s no toughness. Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood don’t compare with John Wayne.