The curious case of the critically-divided satire: What's behind the pile-on?
A new satirical film starring Tom Cruise has sparked a heated debate among critics and audiences, with some labelling it a "flop" and others praising its daring originality. The film's defenders, including several high-profile celebrities, argue that it's being unfairly targeted by critics.
A daring satire has taken the film world by storm, leaving audiences and critics divided. The movie, starring Tom Cruise, has been accused of being an "insufferable slog" and an "auteurist grandstanding", but fans and some critics argue it's a brilliantly executed modern take on satire that will be nominated for several Oscars.
"There definitely seems to be a push for the film to fail, with reports immediately surfacing about much the film is losing after a less than stellar opening weekend," said Peter C Pugsley, Associate Professor at the School of Communication, Media and Journalism. "Attention-seeking headlines throw around figures like a '$250-million loss' without indicating the film's important messages about the excesses of corporate greed, political corruption, and our willingness to stand by as environmental devastation occurs".
A 'sport' in trashing big budget films
Adrian Danks, Melbourne Cinematheque president and RMIT University Associate Professor, said the film's trailer may have contributed to animosity because it was largely seen as being misleading. He also said it was becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between professional reviews and "the much wider ecology of film reviewing and commentary".
"That said, there is a trend to treat some large budget Hollywood films in this fashion," Dr Danks said. "There is a tendency to be critical of high-budget, seemingly somewhat personal films that might seem something of an overstretch, and in this case starring an actor hardly beyond criticism … in the social media age, once this process starts, it's hard to stop."
Dr Danks said it was not uncommon for the public to occasionally round on Cruise, usually for his wider public profile rather than his acting. "This is also something of a sport," Dr Danks said. "Think of the many films that have suffered this fate, for one reason or another, dating back to at least the 1960s and including films like Paint Your Wagon, Heaven's Gate, which is probably the closest parallel, Waterworld, etc."
Accusations of groupthink
Ben Affleck has likened the phenomenon of the pile-on to "high school bullying" and "cultural schadenfreude" or, in regular speak, tall poppy syndrome and taking pleasure in seeing prominent figures fall.
Dr Danks said the early negatively that emerged was unlikely to be a case of groupthink, but rather a matter of needing to get a review or opinion "out there as fast as possible".
"We are a long way from an era where longer-form criticism — say, the writing of Pauline Kael — could make a significant difference, as a film was released in stages," he said.
"But there is also some glee in playing the game that the major studios play, where a film is made or broken on its first weekend."
A growing list of defenders
A growing list of celebrities and artists including Anne Hathaway, Jane Fonda, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Guillermo del Toro, Ron Howard and Alfonso Cuarón have come out publicly to defend the film. They've warned that when daring, big-budget films such as this are rejected, it results in less risk-taking by studios and more homogenised films.
"I think a stand is also being made here, by people like Affleck and Young, that we do need to support films like this emerging from the mainstream, films that are outside the norm, ambitious and socially critical," Dr Danks said.