The older woman has been very busy lately. By “older woman,” I am referring to the cinematic figure who is defined by her sexual and romantic relationships with younger men. Depending on your own age, you may know her as the “cougar,” the “Mrs. Robinson,” or the joke about “your mom.” Now she is the protagonist. And she has never had so many scene partners to choose from.
Let’s review her banner year. In a succession of streaming romance films, she was wooed by a boy-band member (“The Idea of You”), an action movie star (“A Family Affair”) and a finance bro (“Lonely Planet”). For Christmas (having been very good all year), she got a starring role in the erotic thriller “Babygirl” as a robotics company executive who fell into a submissive sexual relationship with her new intern — and fixed her life.