Rob Reiner once read a brutal review of his own movie on stage — and owned it
'Hated the sensibility that thought someone would like it,' the review read.
Not everybody can take criticism well, especially in the entertainment industry, but filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner wasn't thin-skinned like many. His directorial movie, "North," released in 1994, flopped at the box office, but that didn't shake his confidence. In fact, Reiner responded to the hate constructively. On "Friars Club Roast," the filmmaker was made to read a brutal review of his own movie by film critic Roger Ebert, on stage, and Reiner stole the spotlight with his response. A part of the iconic episode was posted on Reddit by u/holyfruits.
The review was basically a rant about how horrible the movie was, but Reiner took it with a smile on his face. "I hated this movie," the review read, following a barrage of hateful comments. Reiner didn't stop there and continued, "Hated every simpering, stupid, vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought someone would like it." Ebert also mentioned how vague it was for the filmmaker to think that it would entertain people. "If you read between the lines, it's not that bad," Reiner said, as he finished reading the hateful review of his own movie. The audience loved it because not only did the filmmaker not take anything personally, but also joked about it. People with a strong mindset are often the people who can take feedback as it is and work on it to become better versions of themselves. Research by Tiffany Bernichon, Kathleen E. Cook, and Jonathon D. Brown explained something on a very similar note. They found that people with low self-esteem usually avoid feedback, whereas those with high self-esteem are more secure and therefore seek self-verifying feedback, even when it is negative.
Rob Reiner reading Roger Ebert's infamous scathing review of "North" at his Friars Club Roast
byu/holyfruits inMadeMeSmile
Meanwhile, the late filmmaker, in an interview with ScreenCrush, had also mentioned Ebert's review. He said, "Roger Ebert said, 'I hated this movie!' Seven times! He said 'hated' seven times. And I'm thinking that's because Roger Ebert wanted me to do something. He wanted me to do something that I didn't do for him. So, I wanted to make it a little fable — this little kind of quirky fable about a boy who is questioning if he could have different parents. That fantasy that kids have at all times. So, I liked that."
The filmmaker was legendary in a true sense. Every film that he made, and the way he reacted to their success or failure, speaks a lot about him as a person. Reiner's end, however, was tragic. The actor-turned-director was found dead with his wife, Michele, in his Los Angeles apartment on Sunday, December 15, according to ABC News. While he has already left for his journey to heaven, his legacy shall live on through generations.
While Reiner's movie, "North," resulted in a big box-office disaster, many of his audience liked it and said it was way ahead of its time. For instance, u/Illtwo7643 commented, "North was way ahead of its time. It was a bad movie that is so bad it's actually good. Because it feels self-aware of how bad it is. It was over the top, had horrible stereotypes, and was rude and insulting. And that's what made it good. We should all watch it in honor of him."
u/delicious_tea3999 confessed, "I was a kid when it came out too, and it was Oscar-winning in our household!" u/sookhe wrote, "I was in Hawaii when they made the movie North and saw Bruce Willis on the beach filming a scene. Being that I was not a very bright kid, this fact alone made me absolutely love the movie. It wasn’t until I was much older and I tried watching the movie with my kids that I realized how incredibly bad it truly is. But don’t worry, North, I will always love Hugh." Likewise, u/ammaretto007 chimed in, "It's true...it was bad, but Rob is still a f****** icon. May he and his wife rest in peace."
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