My Girl (1991)

There is an underlying focus on toxic masculinity and actively combating this throughout the films of Brendan Fraser, which often utilize the kindhearted himbo trope, creating a new ideal focused on mutual respect and understanding.

Films such as George of the Jungle, Blast From the Past, Encino Man, and many more throughout Brendan Fraser's career feature sweet ‘Fish Out of Water’ characters, and in some cases, these characters are shown in direct contrast to male characters focused more on maintaining and showcasing their masculinity to the extent of not being able express any traits that have been deemed too feminine.

What sets apart the himbo ideal brought to the forefront with Brendan Fraser’s 90s roles from how the ideal fantasy man had been represented in film is that this himbo ideal focuses on a fantasy of equally emotional and physical attraction rather than a male aspirational power fantasy. The overly masculine hero commonly viewed as the ideal romantic man is more often aimed towards other men, showcasing the importance of masculine features, and creating distance from emotional traits often seen as too feminine.

Brendan Fraser also embodies some traits of the classic screwball comedy hero, and the importance of the female characters in these films also reflect similar screwball tropes.