Foil

Character Role Analysis

Ginger and Sarah

Although Ginger's time with us is short, she provides an excellent foil for Sarah. Both are women in their early 20s who enjoy dancing to music as they primp for their Friday-night dates, leaving ironic voice messages on answering machines, and embarrassing boyfriends by letting them talk way too long on the phone.

Despite their similarities, though, we see a very important difference between them. When Sarah's date calls to cancel, Ginger takes the letdown way more seriously than Sarah, who is far more practical. Sarah thinks the cancellation is just the way things go, whereas Ginger considers it so offensive she's willing to go all mafia over the guy. In this exchange, we see a hint at the practical, self-reliant Sarah she'll become by the film's conclusion. Ginger? Well, it doesn't end too well for her. She doesn't even get to enjoy her post-sexy-time sandwich.