A film review is just one person’s opinion of a movie, but it has the potential to start
a firestorm on the Internet.
In this day and age, fans have become obsessed with what critics think of the most anticipated
blockbusters, and any pundit who says the next comic book movie isn’t the best thing
since sliced bread draws the ire of audiences.
Wild accusations of bribes, petitions to shut down Rotten Tomatoes, and even death threats,
have become far too commonplace these days.
But moviegoers aren’t the only ones who will voice their displeasure with critics.
Actors and directors never like it when their work is ripped to shreds, so sometimes they
strike back.
Here are 10 actors and directors who publicly fought with critics.
Suicide Squad
Many hoped David Ayer’s Suicide Squad would be the critical hit the DCEU needed, but it
proved to be just as polarizing as its predecessors.
As the negative reviews stacked up, the cast and crew defended their movie.
Cara Delevingne claimed that critics don’t like superhero movies, and David Ayer reignited
the old “I make movies for fans, not critics,” debate – implying that reviewers can’t
also be fans of the material.
Actor Jay Hernandez took it another step forward by saying, “The critics can kiss my ass.”
They were all obviously frustrated, but at least Suicide Squad is a box office hit.
The Avengers
Those who feel Marvel is in the pocket of film critics should give A.O.
Scott a call.
The New York Times reviewer was one of the few who didn’t like the first Avengers movie,
saying it was full of “bloated cynicism” and “grinding, hectic emptiness.”
Many disagreed with this take, including Samuel L. Jackson.
The actor took to Twitter to say Scott needed a new job, one he could “actually do.”
Scott and Jackson went back-and-forth on social media for a while before they let it go.
The Avengers is considered one of the best superhero films of all-time, so it’s safe
to say Jackson “won.”
The Lone Ranger
This reboot of a classic property was a notorious box office bomb, and it certainly didn’t
help matters that the word-of-mouth was fairly toxic.
The reviews for Lone Ranger were pretty awful, and stars Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer took
issue with the levels of criticism lobbied at the film.
Depp felt that a majority of the reviews were written months before the movie premiered,
and Hammer felt that reviewers were purposely lashing out against it due to its budgetary
woes.
The two blamed critics for The Lone Ranger flopping, but critics were quick to point
out that they didn’t make the final product.
Godzilla
Roland Emmerich typically delivers big scale spectacle, but he’s hardly a critical darling.
The late great Roger Ebert frequently gave Emmerich’s films negative reviews, which
rubbed the filmmaker the wrong way.
For his Godzilla reboot in 1998, Emmerich created the character of “Mayor Ebert,”
an ineffectual politican whose actions endangered the people of New York.
To top it off, the mayor had an advisor named “Gene,” after Ebert’s partner Gene Siskel.
It definitely wasn’t a subtle jab, and it’s one Ebert found amusement with, joking that
he thought he’d get killed by Godzilla.
Neither Siskel nor Ebert gave Godzilla two thumbs up.
Titanic
James Cameron’s romantic drama epic tied a record by winning 11 Oscars in 1997, but
not everyone was a fan of the film.
The LA Times’ Kenneth Turan was particularly critical of it, saying that it “reeks of
phoniness and lacks even minimal originality.”
Cameron wrote a lengthy tired against Turan, ultimately accusing the reviewer of insulting
the moviegoing public with his feelings on Titanic.
Turan smartly stayed out of it, but when the heat died down, he then claimed that Cameron
had written to the Times in an attempt to get Turan fired.
The critic got to keep his job, but it’s safe to say he won’t be exchanging pleasantries
with Cameron anytime soon.
Gods of Egypt
Even before this film came out, Gods of Egypt stirred up controversy due to its whitewashed
cast.
When it finally premiered, the movie was a forgettable box office disaster that hardly
impressed critics.
Director Alex Proyas took great offense to the panning of his movie and fired back on
Facebook.
In his meltdown, he referred to movie pundits as “deranged idiots” and “diseased vultures,”
while calling them “less than worthless.”
He also accused many of writing their reviews to fit into the general consensus, an erroneous
claim since most reviews are written prior to there being a consensus.
If and when Proyas makes another film, he’ll have a hard time getting critics on his side.
Trainwreck
Amy Schumer has become one of the leading ladies of comedy, and she parlayed the success
of her TV show into a romantic-comedy.
In 2015, she headlined Trainwreck, which was well-received overall.
But one person who wasn’t fond of it was Jeffrey Wells, who spent most of his review
explaining how the “not conventionally attractive” and “chubby” Schumer didn’t make for
the most convincing rom-com lead.
He doubled down in a second post, where he said the actress wasn’t “grade-A or even
B-plus material” in terms of prettiness.
Schumer got the last laugh by taking the controversy and turning it into a hysterical Inside Amy
Schumer sketch where men determine if she’s sexy enough to be on TV.
Identity Thief
The box office numbers indicate that audiences love watching Melissa McCarthy on the big
screen, but some critics would rather she not be in movies anymore.
While reviewing Identity Thief, Rex Reed made his criticism personal by calling McCarthy
a “female hippo” and “tractor sized.”
He felt that McCarthy’s weight was used as a gimmick for cheap laughs.
McCarthy responded by saying Reed was “in a really bad spot.”
The reviewer went on to say he had lost many friends to obesity, but that didn’t excuse
the harshness of his words.
Identity Thief was a financial hit and McCarthy is in the midst of a successful career.
Black Swan
Film buffs may be familiar with Armond White, a notorious contrarian critic who praises
panned films and pans praised films.
During the 2011 New York Film Critics Circle awards dinner, White expressed his displeasure
for many of the films the group was honoring – even with the filmmakers of those projects
in attendance.
One of the films he had disliked was Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, and the director
fought back, saying at the event that White’s reviews gave him “another reason to not
read the New York Press,” White’s outlet.
White responded by saying Aronofsky does read him and “because he reads me, he knows the
truth.”
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
The DCEU had a rough year with critics, as Batman V Superman couldn’t live up to the
high hopes of many.
As the film was picked apart, members of the franchise came to their colleague’s defense.
Ray Fisher, who plays Cyborg in Justice League, Instagramed a meme riffing on a Batman V Superman
scene, where Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne implies that the critics are uniting to wipe out the
DC film slate and it’s up to the Justice League to destroy them.
That was enough to make many people cringe, since a lot of critics want the movies to
be good.
Hopefully Justice League is a step in the right direction and brings people together.
Those are just some of the actors and directors who have feuded with critics in their careers.
Are there any we missed?
Where do you side on these disagreements?
Sound off in the comments section below and be sure to subscribe to our channel for more
fun videos!