Minor spoilers ahead for Birds of Prey.
After years of waiting and development, Birds of Prey is officially in theaters. Cathy Yan's blockbuster is a pseudo spinoff of Suicide Squad, with Margot Robbie reprising her role as Harley Quinn. The newest DCEU installment gives Harley a group of female friends, each hoping to get emancipation in Gotham City for one reason or another. The group comes together for an epic battle in the movie's third act, including an amusing moment where Harley hands Black Canary a hair tie mid-battle. And now we have a better idea of how that moment came to fruition.
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) takes its time setting up the various members of the titular team, before bringing them together during the epic final battle at the Amusement Park. During the chaos Black Canary's hair is shown frustrating the femme fatale, before Harley skates over and hands over a hair tie. It's a quick moment, and now Canary actress Jurnee Smollett-Bell explained how it came to be, saying:
It's fun 'cause it's kind of silly that Black Canary's like, you know, she's fighting and – it's also a commentary on all of them [and] trying to keep the film grounded and more scrappy. I do think that comes from all of us just having conversations of like, 'Yeah, you know [when] you go to the gym, you're going to tie your hair back'. So it's literally just [a matter of], 'Well, what's practical?'
Birds of Prey is a movie that is very heightened, as its told largely through the perspective of the mentally unhinged Harley Quinn. This allows for musical numbers and over the top violence, but there's also a sense of realism since the characters are largely non-powered. Long hair isn't really practical when fighting off countless Black Mask thugs, cue the hair tie.
You can check out the moment in question below.
The brief clip of the hair tie pass was release ahead of Birds of Prey's release, and quickly went viral. Many moviegoers enjoyed it, especially as the movie was directed, written, and produced by women. A hair tie is something simple, but highlights how female voices are finally being heard within the genre.
Birds Of Prey offers something unique to the DCEU, as its an R-rated comedy romp not dissimilar to Deadpool. The final result is over the top, foul mouthed, and hilariously violent. The characters each offer something unique to the table, and fingers crossed that the Birds of Prey are able to fly again in a possible sequel. We'll just have to wait and see how much money it makes at the box office.
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
