Letters to the Editor

05.27.15

Movies, May 13: “Turning Frowns Upside Down”

Not a Hack

How can you possibly call Anthony Cumia a "revolting hack?" Revolting, maybe, but hack? Far from it. You should really learn the definition of the term before using it. You just made yourself seem silly there.

Jack Attackson
SFReporter.com

Author Responds: Comments from Cumia apologists! (Including a guy with the best real name or worst fake name ever; that's you, Mr. Attackson.) We'll file that under "standing ovation."

David Riedel

Intention vs. Merit

A review on the film's merits would have been nice. What we got was a critique for not having disproportionate inclusions of persons of color, females and fossils (it would be difficult to interview the deceased Redd Foxx). The director's intentions are exactly what ends up on screen. You saw the content he intended you to see, and he painted a picture of the interface between pain and humor.

It is up to the director, not you, to choose the vessels to carry his message, not your personal agenda. Lynn Shawcroft (Mitch's widow) is not a comedian of note, and while her appearance may meet your goals, it obviously did not meet the director's. BTW, not everyone approached about the project opted to participate, and the interviewees were not paid. You have absolutely no idea who Kevin attempted to interview, and therefore no ability to legitimately criticize who was not included. You have every right, however, to express your appreciation, or lack thereof, for who was included.

Ray Foster
SFReporter.com

Author Responds: But if the director's intentions are what end up on screen, why is Hedberg's widow in it? Why would Pollak put in someone who didn't meet his goals—according to your argument, that is?

I'm having trouble understanding why you're so butthurt about this. Maybe it's your close personal friendships with Kevin Pollak and the late Mitch Hedberg, considering you refer to them by first name. And paying for interviews—that doesn't even enter into this. What are you TALKING about?

What a director intends and what a movie is or becomes are very different things. See also: The Birth of a Nation, David Cronenberg's remake of The Fly, and, for comedy, the recent adaptations of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged (for starters). Silly of me to review the film based on its merits rather than the director's intentions—which don't end up on-screen!

DR

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Letters to the Editor

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