How far is too far?
Should a film critic stray beyond the bounds of reviewing the movie itself and wage a verbal assault upon an actor’s persona as well? That’s what veteran New York Observer critic Rex Reed did in a very negative review of IDENTITY THIEF starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman.
Reed attacked McCarthy for her weight, referring to her as “cacophonous, tractor-sized,” a “female hippo,” a “screeching humongous creep” and – last but not least – “being obese and obnoxious with equal success.”
On top of that, Reed hated the movie so much that he had to get one final dig into the last sentence of his review:
“IDENTITY THIEF is so bad it’s hard to believe it wasn’t directed by Judd Apatow or the Farrelly Brothers.”
Did Reed cross the line? You bet.
Then again, the movie itself spent its fair share of time making fat jokes. Not as blatant maybe but check out the scene at a club where McCarthy’s almost invisible until she starts buying drinks for everyone. And then squeezing into a tiny Fiat 500 which sure got lots of laughs. In addition to that there were plenty of scenes throughout the film that wouldn’t have been nearly as funny were McCarthy of smaller size.
I’m not defending Reed’s writing.
A line in my review of the comedy states that Bateman coaxes, bribes and wrangles with his co-star…not an easy task when it means taking on big Melissa McCarthy.”
Was the word BIG a bit insensitive?
Maybe, but the two did wrestle—and it wasn’t pretty.
I remember years ago having an argument with Fox 4 movie critic at the time Doug Moore who, from time to time, not only dissed certain actors for their political leanings but called out the studios for producing the type of storylines he disagreed with.
So who gets the last laugh?
Probably Universal AND Ms. McCarthy, since the film performed above expectations with a weekend box office of $34.8 million. And that’s WITHOUT the benefit of many theaters on the east coast which shut down for much of the weekend due to the huge blizzard.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, director Paul Feig of McCarthy’s breakout hit BRIDESMAIDS pretty well nailed it by tweeting:
“For his catty and school bully name-calling of the supremely talented Melissa McCarthy, I cordially invite Mr. Rex Reed to go f–k himself.”
Melissa McCarthy has good comedic timing. She stole “Bridesmaids” and makes even the weakest episodes of Mike and Molly enjoyable. Rex Reed is an idiot.
Rex Reed read my mind
A friend of mines wife dragged him to see this flick over the weekend. He said the smell of burning cellulite inside the theatre from fat thighs rubbing together was overwhelming.
Kinda like the smell of cocoa butter at a Tyler Perry flick.
Do they call it the Fiat 500 because 500 pounds is the weight limit for the passenger seat?
Rex Reed is just another dinosaur from the days when movie critics were important.
As Rex would say, enough about the movie. Let’s talk about me.
But enough about me; what do YOU think about me?
Stay classy Rex Reed, stay classy.
I only dissagree with Smarty every couple of years.
Smarty, I luv ya, but I Melissa McCarthy just kills me. God, that scene in “Bridesmaids” where she is waiting outside the restroom door for the Air Marshall was a hoot. As with John Candy and Chris Farley, her weight is part and parcel of her self deprecating humor in my opinion.
As an ugly, short, bald, fat guy with anger issues, the piles of shattered glass around the crystal palace I live in over a garage, would flatten the tires on my hooptie every time I left to go get new batteries for my ankle bracelet.
While there is no doubt that Melissa wants you to laugh with her at her weight, folks with room temperature IQ can see that calling someone a “Hippo” while reviewing their movie is churlish at best and reveals more about the reviewer than the actor.
Besides, isn’t Rex Reed g**er than a taffeta unicorn at an Aids Benefit?
There are folks that get outta bed each day and just start hating with their Cheerios. Yeah, that would be me. I like to think I can justify the slings, arrows and acrimony that gushes off of my keyboard like a fluvial fountainhead of f*ck you with facts and figures justifying the recipients of those insults in the hopes of behaviour modification and peace on earth.
Melissa as a public figure, should and probably does expect mean spirited comments on her weight. It would be as natural as thinking Madame Curie was stupid because she was a blonde.
http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/media/magazine/articles/29-2-vanity-unfair.aspx
Here is why is doesn’t matter what people say about Melissa’s weight.
That f*ckin bitch is hilarious.
Mea Culpa Buddy.
chuck says:
February 11, 2013 at 3:18 pm
I only dissagree with Smarty every couple of years.
Smarty, I luv ya, but I Melissa McCarthy just kills me. God, that scene in “Bridesmaids” where she is waiting outside the restroom door for the Air Marshall was a hoot. As with John Candy and Chris Farley, her weight is part and parcel of her self deprecating humor in my opinion.
As an ugly, short, bald, fat guy with anger issues, insulting Melissa, well, the piles of shattered glass around the crystal palace I live in over a garage, would flatten the tires on my hooptie every time I left to go get new batteries for my ankle bracelet.
While there is no doubt that Melissa wants you to laugh with her at her weight, folks with room temperature IQ can see that calling someone a “Hippo” while reviewing their movie is churlish at best and reveals more about the reviewer than the actor.
Besides, isn’t Rex Reed g**er than a taffeta unicorn at an Aids Benefit?
There are folks that get outta bed each day and just start hating with their Cheerios. Yeah, that would be me. I like to think I can justify the slings, arrows and acrimony that gushes off of my keyboard like a fluvial fountainhead of f*ck you with facts and figures justifying the recipients of those insults in the hopes of behaviour modification and peace on earth.
Melissa as a public figure, should and probably does expect mean spirited comments on her weight. It would be as natural as thinking Madame Curie was stupid because she was a blonde.
http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/media/magazine/articles/29-2-vanity-unfair.aspx
Here is why is doesn’t matter what people say about Melissa’s weight.
That f*ckin bitch is hilarious.
Mea Culpa Buddy.
Oops sorry, I had more modifications than Joan Rivers trying to get this thing posted.
Hearne post the “no no’ Words.
Sheesh…
🙂
Just turn it in as in and I’ll approve it. The “No No words” are only there in order screen the most depraved comments. Most of the No Nos go right in.
I did add “gay” recently to slow the Scribe down a bit.
No worries Chuck. She’s just not my tub of lard. Why in the hell is Michelle Obama not lecturing her about her BMI and how she’s a negative influencÉ on young women who think it’s OK to be big, fat, loud and obnoxious, which is basically 50% or more of the women in the metro. Spanx can only do so much.
Rex who?
I wonder if Rex Reed would appreciate people calling him a grumpy old queen?
Quite a glass house he lives in…he ought to keep that in mind.
Dick, talking about Rex. I find an undercurrent of humor in that. (get it?) He’s known lots of “dicks” in his life.
One main reason fatties are overtaking the TV and movies is that they have a vast audience of other fatties. The $ponser$ and inve$tors are reaping in the $$$ catering to this growing population of gigantic consumers… bigger portions of food, larger clothing requiring more fabric, larger desks and seats on airplanes to accomadate their “fluff”. Ghastly medical expenses for their health care that all of us pay for. Disasterous results as we see whole obese families becoming the norm.
Rex Reed needs to lighten up more than Melissa McCarthy does. Not every woman in this world looks like a Barbie doll. Losing weight is not that easy for some people.