James Franco Calls Out Ben Brantley

Franco writes: Sadly Ben Brantley and the NYT have embarrassed themselves. Brantley is such a little bitch he should be working for Gawker.com instead of the paper of record. The theatre community hate him, and for good reason, he's an idiot.

Dayum

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Updated On: 4/17/14 at 11:32 AM

I would be lying if I said I didn't wholeheartedly agree with Franco.

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Using abusive language and then expressing it publicly is not acceptable.

"I'm curious, when a film he's in gets a poor review, does he rant to the critic, too????"

It is a vastly smaller pool of theater critics, and the ones considered "influential" within that pool are an even smaller number. For as much as people disregard his reviews, watch the threads here on opening night, and find one where people aren't asking to see what The Times said.

There isn't much of a parallel in the film world. A movie is reviewed by every newspaper, every website, etc. And even if it bombs at the theater, it has a second life streaming online or on DVD, etc. Whereas negative theater reviews can end or extend the life of shows. There's no real comparison.

The difference is Franco has multiple non-Broadway careers, so he doesn't care about sparring with Brantley, whereas no Broadway mainstay is going to start challenging him, since he's the biggest shark in their pool.

Updated On: 4/17/14 at 11:43 AM

Although I agree, calling someone out like accomplishes what? It not only reflects how e is as a person but it affects everyone that is affiliated with the show as well. I love that he's so passionate about theatre, but you still need to maintain a degree of professionalism, no?

It's unseemly to respond to critics, whether they give you a pan or a rave. The critics' relationships are with their readers, not those involved in the production. And it looks like Franco has just learned the hard way why most actors don't read reviews.

Franco is right, though. Regardless of what you think of Brantley's opinions, his "reviews" are getting more and more pathetic. His attempts at sassy sarcasm and wit are awful. The New York Times is too much of an influence on shows' successes to let it rest on the shoulders of a "writer" like Brantley. He has only gotten worse each season.

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I'm sorry but this is my favorite thing James Franco has ever done.

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I agree with Franco, Brantley is a little bitch. Best line of the day so far.

Brantley says: "Lennie is a role that is pretty hard to get wrong, if the performer has the right physical dimensions."

I really disagree with that. Lennie strikes me as a part very easy to turn into a cardboard caricature--the shorthand version that has entered the pop-culture mainstream in, as Brantley says, everything from 'Bugs Bunny' to 'South Park'.

I thought O'Dowd gave us a beautifully nuanced depiction of a man whose mind may be simple, but whose emotional experience is complex and fascinating.

I can't help but feel that Brantley wrote his review before he saw the show.

And what the heck IS this obsession with Leighton Meester's weight? Good Heavens--I find our culture's obsession with women's body fat just mystifying and grotesque.

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Updated On: 4/17/14 at 12:27 PM

That response is the kind of thing you'd expect from a guest on Jerry Springer, or one of the Real Housewives of Atlanta.

Franco is old enough to know that the Times review won't affect ticket sales one bit; responding like this is just one more aspect of mainstream America's irony-free love of the stupid, mediocre, crass, and vulgar.

I get the impulse of any actor to lash out at a critic. You've worked hard on the piece, and you also get upset that your friends and follow actors have been criticized.

However, you should never under any circumstances give in to that impulse. It makes you look petty and small. Let others do it.

Love Franco. But this wasn't cool. I'm glad he deleted the message (though, of course, it's too late).

But is this a real gay male "bitch-call-out" or is it a brilliantly ironic heterosexual appropriation of one?




James Franco: New Film Stills

Updated On: 4/17/14 at 12:45 PM