Patrick Stoner welcomes
your questions about movies and the men
and women who make them. Send your questions to
pstoner@whyy.org.
Patrick Stoner welcomes
your questions about movies and the men
and women who make them. Send your questions to
pstoner@whyy.org.
Here's the current question and answer...
When I first started reviewing, a few national newspaper critics were asked for quotes. Today, it's not that exclusive. It is now so commonplace to see comments like "the best film of the year!" that a movie ad would look naked without them. Add to the mix the popularity of critics on television and radio, and the hype escalates even more quickly. Film promoters believe that a movie's success is usually determined in its first weeks of release. Therefore, they want to generate as much excitement as possible in ads about the move in the week prior to the public opening.
Now, here's where I have to make some assumptions. I DON'T believe these quotes EVER make much difference in whether the general public actually goes to see the movie. I think movie producers and promoters like the look of ads with nuggets of praise.
There are subtle dangers, however, as I discovered a few years ago. I once screened a movie called DUTCH -- a comedy about a spoiled brat and the conflict with his mother's new boyfriend. I sometimes start a review with a sentence that captures the picture's essence -- in what I think -- is a clever construction. I thought I was clever when I started the review with: "It's like HOME ALONE with Bart Simpson." I gave it one-and-a-half stars on a scale of four. Guess what! I was too clever. That line, WITHOUT the rating, showed up in every ad in the country. Entertainment Weekly then picked it up in a section listing critics who had been -- on a very different scale -- saying nice things about bad films. THAT was embarrassing!
So, I have been careful ever since -- a little too careful, perhaps. In fact, Warner Brothers asked me if I had anything to say in advance about TWISTER, and I went into my song and dance about not wanting to be quoted too often. I realized, however, that I wouldn't have minded being associated with the film AT ALL since I thought it did precisely what it set out to do.
Just one thing more. I was pleased to learn there is still a firewall between critics and the studios. I have never personally known of anyone asking for or getting any favors for their good reviews, nor have I ever had any problem (or even a comment) about my most punishing bombs.
There is a dance between critics and the studios. Both groups need the other. Whether by tradition or by tacit agreement as far as I am aware, there is an ethical line that is never crossed.