September 12, 2008 - Riffing off the American-Pie-inspired term MILF (or Mom I'd Like to F___) an offshoot term has recently spawned, cougar. No, they're not one and the same--whereas MILF isn't age specific, cougar implies a mid-30s and up woman who hunts for younger blood, usually in their youthful and na�ve twenties. She can be single, divorced or married, but is always driven and aggressive.
In celebration of the DVD release of You Don't Mess With the Zohan--which yes, has its own bona-fide cougar--we take a look at famed May-December femmes, who lure their hapless male prey into their lair of forbidden love.
Jeanine Stifler
American Pie
John Cho's declaration of Jeanine Stifler as a MILF in American Pie paved the way for term to become an every-day word--and she's not only a hot mom, but a full-fledged cougar. Jeanine Coolidge plays the sumptuous mom of Steve Stifler, a typical sex-crazed meat-headed jock that's classmates with the pie-loving protagonist. Paul Finch (eddie Kaye Thomas) is an aloof, geeky friend of Jim Levenstein, who fails to get a prom date after a disastrously faiIed plow to convince his school of his sexual prowess. He deems himself, however, when meeting Jeanine--although Finch is arguably the one doing the advances, Jeanine does little to dissuade him, and instead goads him on with seductive stares--thus making her a viable cougar as well as a MILF.
Samantha Jones
Sex and the City
Kim Cattral may disagree herself, but look at the match-up details and it's obvious: a successful PR exec whose had her heart broken after a failed monogamous attempt, paired with an aspiring young hulk of a waiter by name of Smith Jerrod? Most definitely. Samantha Jones projects confidence, has a healthy dose of libido--and somehow manages to remain STD-free in spite of capricious romps with partners ranging from farmers to powerbrokers.
Lana
Risky Business
Back in the days when Cruise's sexuality was yet unquestioned, he played Joel Goodson, who unleashes his wild side while his parents on vacation. Aside from famously dancing in his tightie-whities, Joel meets and pays Lana (Rebecca De Mournay) $300 for sex, which quickly spirals into drama as he gets engulfed into her world. Although her relatively young age in the film makes her cougar-status more debatable, her seduction of the much younger Joel marks it as one of the more memorable older-younger romances.
Mrs. Robinson
The Graduate
Whereas Jeanine is the archetypal MILF, Mrs. Robinson is the quintessential (and in cinema probably the original) cougar. First off, she tries forcing the "Graduate" Ben Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) to drink, very brazenly crossing her legs high. She dismisses notions of coming on to Ben with the famous quote, "do you want me to seduce you? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" and takes control of the situation. Her personality profile fits the description, too: she suffers from a sex-less unhappy marriage, chain-smokes, is forceful and an alcoholic. Then there's also the no-strings attached affair, where she uses him purely for the physical experience--elevating Mrs. Robinson to the highest tiers of the cougar family.
To see a new brand of cougar, be sure to check out You Don't Mess With the Zohan, as Adam Sandler sows his wild Israeli oats while trying to make it in the hair-styling business in America. The film is slated for release on DVD and Blu-ray on October 7th.
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