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Critic Bites Movie

July 19, 2006 - 1:07pm — Reid

Page Six's item about "Good Morning America" film critic Joel Siegel walking out of a screening of "Clerks II" has got everyone talking. Apparently he stood up and said, "Time to go! First movie I've walked out of in in thirty ***ing years! Yes, Mr. GMA used the F-word.

On Opie and Anthony's radio show, Siegel was defiant. He adamantly refused to say that his action was unprofessional. He said he wished more critics would walk out of films. The closest thing to an apology he would make is that he would be quieter when he walked out of movies in the future.

I have known Joel a long time and have always found him to be a courteous man who loves movies, but I think he crossed a line here. Not only don't I think critics should raise a fuss at a screening, I think they have to watch the whole thing. Films often get better as they go along. One should never make a judgment until you see it all. At that point, critics can choose not to review the film (Siegel doesn't review everything) or pan the film as harshly as they want. Watching bad movies is very taxing, but that's the film critic's job. If they don't like it, they should take up something less stressful, like working 24/7 as a hospital surgeon.

It does bring back a few memories, though. Pauline Kael was famous among publicists for her sighing. If something happened in a film not up to her critical standards, you could hear that familiar "oooohh" of disgust from the last row.

Whenever we had a budget, we dealt with this by giving Pauline her own screening. This had the added benefit of getting all her courtiers, the second generation of Kael-worshipping critics commonly known as the "Paulettes." It didn't matter that they would probably all hate it if she did. Even if they weren't at the screening, they'd hate it anyway or risk her wrath. And if she liked the film, it was a grand slam!

One more memory:

In 1980, I was doing a screening of Diane Kurys' "Cocktail Molotov" in Preview 4 in1600 Broadway. In the middle of the screening, Archer Winsten of the NY Post got into a coughing jag. He left and went down the hall to the bathroom, where he stayed almost until the credits rolled. When he came out he approached me and said, "Good Picture!" We got a great review! In this case, I agree with Siegel: critics should walk out of movies more often!

Comments

I just exchanged emails with

July 19, 2006 - 3:26pm — Reid Rosefelt (not verified)

I just exchanged emails with a critic I admire very much, who has dealt for years with this whole "Paulette" thing. Upon reflection, it was a cheap shot. I certainly never checked the reviews that people wrote. I bet a lot of the people who came in weren't even critics.

But I do stand by the things I saw and heard. She did sigh and was never shy about letting her opinions be known. I left out the famous comment she made after she (quietly) walked out of a screening: "Life is too short." Wonderful!

We did set up screenings for her for this and a lot of reasons. She was the most influential critic in the country, and along with Vincent Canby of the Times, the most powerful.

The blind obedience that has been claimed about the young critics who loved her has been exaggerated and is a cliche. Still, if anyone wants to say to me that there is no truth to the idea that some young critics were determined to keep in her good graces.....She was a formidable woman. There is nobody before or since who had her power and influence over critical thought.

Though she scared the willies out of me (I'll never forget the look on her face when I told her I had an Eric Rohmer film coming up), she will always be my favorite critic. Reading her is as thrilling as going to a great movie. I came of age as a teenager reading her reviews and hers are among the few film books that still grace my shelves.

Good for him for leaving.

July 19, 2006 - 3:56pm — DEMY (not verified)

Good for him for leaving. Walking out is a valid reaction to a film, as is not continuing to read a book that sucks. It is, admittedly, the last straw, as far as extreme reactions, but it is a reaction nonetheless.

My recollection is that

July 20, 2006 - 1:05pm — Cara White (not verified)

My recollection is that Pauline didn't so quietly walk out of the film (which I believe was "Raise the Titanic") but stormed up the aisle of the Ziegfeld in full view of the hundreds of people in the theatre muttering, as you say, "Life is too short."

If the great Pauline Kael can walk out, then who are we to judge?

But perhaps most telling about the Smith-Siegel feud is that the publicity machinery is working overtime to promote the walkout into a full-fledged smackdown, and all of us have now become willing participants. Kevin Smith must be deliriously happy that Siegel provided him with such a juicy marketing opportunity.

Just discovered this blog

July 20, 2006 - 2:08pm — Gary Meyer (not verified)

Just discovered this blog and always interested in learning from Reid, my favorite publicist for his good work and honesty.

When I programmed the Nuart, Fox Venice, Goldwyn Pavillion, Vista and Sherman in Los Angeles, we held press screenings regularly. There are two things I always remember:
1. Kenneth Turan of the LA Times required seeing a movie projected from its release format (mostly 35mm in those days) even if he'd seen an early screener in video. He rightly insisted that the film should be reviewed as it was to be seen by his readers. Today many critics only want a DVD scrrener. A major critic in the San Francisco area, according to one publicist, will rank the rating a level lower automatically if this person has to go our to a screening. I don;t totally believe it because this writer has given raves to films screened in a screening room or theater but know that is always the preference. And now many publicists are getting lazy and just sending screeners automatically, making it easier for the critics to see the film in this most inappropriate manner. (At least when their paper just reprints the original review for DVD release, it is accurate.)

2. Back to LA and back 15 + years ago, broadcast film critic Gary Franklin regularly walked out of screenings midway to get to his 10pm newscast where he proceeded to review the movie he'd just left early!

Cara, Thanks for clarifying

July 21, 2006 - 12:29pm — Reid Rosefelt (not verified)

Cara,

Thanks for clarifying the Kael story. I am sorry to say that I missed her walkout. And at the Ziegfeld, no less! (Interestingly, I had RSVP'd to the same screening of "Clerks II" that Siegel came to. Damn!)

I think you hit it right about Siegel-Smith. As a publicist, my general policy is to be in favor of anything that makes people see the films I represent. From this perspective, I would expect that critics would watch the films all the way through. And if they do leave, I would prefer that they not raise a ruckus.

But there's no question that Siegel has done more for the first weekend grosses of "Clerks II" than a whole pile of great reviews.

If a critic chooses to walk

July 21, 2006 - 1:26pm — Gary Meyer (not verified)

If a critic chooses to walk out on a movie because "Life is too short," or the film is terrible, that is legit. But the must own up to it if they review the film, admitting that they aren;t writing based on seeing the whole film.