Is it fair to judge a movie based upon the actor/director's personal life?

[DouglasMcc]

Well, I was reading a lot of reviews in prep for seeing Transformers tomorrow. The reviews have been very positive so far. However, I noticed a trend. Most of the negative reviews harp on Bay being a colossal a$$hat - your stereotypical Hollywood vanity case. They really seem to be biased towards the film because of this. Even some of the positive reviews feels the need to mention this. However, I just do not see how it's fair to judge a work based on a single contributer. I don't know what Bay is like in person. Maybe he is a complete jerk. However, why should I prejudge Transformers just because his name is on the film? Does being a jerk affect his ability to do his job - i.e. make entertaining films? Does being a jerk invalidate the 100s of other people who contributed to that work?

Bay isn't the first to suffer from this. It been documented how Gibson's drunken anti-semitic arrest affected Apocalypto's box office. If fact, I know many people personally who refused to see it for that reason. Germany is currently in a furor (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) over Cruise playing one of their WWII heroes due to his Scientology cult views. And these instances are just current ... this has been going on for some time. Heck, I love many of Roman Polanski's films. Should his fleeing the statutory rape case in the 70's invalidate those films? I don't agree with the crime or his response, but I still say no, it shouldn't affect the work. But, I started this thread to get your opinions. So, lets have at it ... just keep it civil.

 

[The ill Jedi]

Bay may or may not be an 'A$$hat', but this movie looks F@#KIN' AWESOME!!!

 

[tomandshell]

Woody Allen's movies make me laugh, but his personal life does not. I enjoy Mel Gibson's films without sharing his views.

You don't have to be gay to enjoy Bryan Singer's films or Jewish to enjoy Spielberg's or rich to enjoy George Lucas' or Japanese to enjoy Kurosawa's.

I can certainly watch a film without thinking about the personal life of the director.

 

[Rocktonix]

Didn't the Jeepers Creepers director serve time for some form of pedophelia? I avoided the film because of that.

 

[The ill Jedi]

Woody Allen's movies make me laugh, but his personal life does not. I enjoy Mel Gibson's films without sharing his views.

You don't have to be gay to enjoy Bryan Singer's films or Jewish to enjoy Spielberg's or rich to enjoy George Lucas' or Japanese to enjoy Kurosawa's.

I can certainly watch a film without thinking about the personal life of the director.

Well said Tom! Like Douglas McC said, their are many other people that contribute to making a film, not just the director.

 

[Vader AL]

yeah i don't care about their personal life because i don't really associate them with the movie in most cases. if his name wasn't read every time they advertise Transformers I wouldn't know he was directing it. i do associate the fat slob documentary guy with his badly biased movies and don't watch those.

 

[tomandshell]

Didn't the Jeepers Creepers director serve time for some form of pedophelia? I avoided the film because of that.

While directing Clownhouse (1989), Victor Salva sexually molested one of the film's stars, then-twelve year old Nathan Forrest Winters. The sexual acts were videotaped by Salva, who pled guilty to one count of lewd and lascivious conduct, one count of oral copulation with a person under 14, and three counts of procuring a child for pornography. Salva was sentenced to three years in prison. He served 15 months of the sentence before being paroled.

But I wouldn't have gone to see Jeepers Creepers anyway. Not my kind of movie.

 

[occulum]

Michael Bay is an asshat.

.. wont stop me from enjoying the **** outta Transformers though

 

[tomandshell]

Like Douglas McC said, their are many other people that contribute to making a film, not just the director.

Unfortunately, I do tend to avoid seeing a movie if the gaffer, best boy, focus puller and key grip are members of a barbershop quartet. That's going to impact the cinematography one way or another.

 

[pixletwin]

Beethoven was an asshat.

Mahler was an asshat.

salvador Dahli was an asshat.

I'll bet you that a lot of the people you admire were/are probably asshats.

 

[tomandshell]

 

[Vader AL]

what exactly is an asshat? a pair of underwear?

 

[Vader AL]

on nevermind.

 

[bwayne]

I thinks it is easier to overlook Bay because he is the director and not on screen. If he were one of the actors, it would be much more difficult for me to see it. I used to enjoy some of the movies with Tom Cruise. Once he went on Oprah (don't get me started on her), I only see this crazy person and not the character in the movie.

 

[Darklord Dave]

I think it's more difficult to seperate an actor from his off screen persona than it is a director. More likely to influence me is a director's previous films - that would deter me more than the director being an asshat.

And Dusty knows the guy and she still loved Transformers...

 

[Bardoon]

I don't think it's fair...but a good critic will know the styles of the directors that they review...and I think it's a fair assumption to criticize the director's style and his creative approach to the movie in all aspects.

But bringing up their personal issues...they must just be pathetically trying to grasp onto something to mention in their review.

 

[MaulFan]

I don't let what goes on outside of films, music, etc. affect my enjoyment of them. I remember when the Napster issue came up, some of the most hardcore Metallica fans I ever new dropped them overnight cuz of Lars' stance, but to me, that sort of thing reflects how you look upon the people behind the art, but it doesn't make the art any less different. If a complete jerk makes a movie that I could enjoy watching, I'll still watch it because that's what I'm interested in, my own personal entertainment.

 

[DouglasMcc]

I thinks it is easier to overlook Bay because he is the director and not on screen. If he were one of the actors, it would be much more difficult for me to see it. I used to enjoy some of the movies with Tom Cruise. Once he went on Oprah (don't get me started on her), I only see this crazy person and not the character in the movie.

I think it's more difficult to seperate an actor from his off screen persona than it is a director. More likely to influence me is a director's previous films - that would deter me more than the director being an asshat.

And Dusty knows the guy and she still loved Transformers...

Okay, I can kind of see where you two guys are coming from. But, these actors are paid to ... well, act. I do not see how Tom Cruise's crazy Scientology beliefs affect a movie if they do not affect his acting. In fact, if the person is a great actor, we shouldn't even see the actor, we should see the persona they are inhabiting on screen.

 

[pixletwin]

Okay, I can kind of see where you two guys are coming from. But, these actors are paid to ... well, act. I do not see how Tom Cruise's crazy Scientology beliefs affect a movie if they do not affect his acting. In fact, if the person is a great actor, we shouldn't even see the actor, we should see the persona they are inhabiting on screen.

In most cases, the shouldn't, but they do.

 

[DouglasMcc]

In most cases, the shouldn't, but they do.

Are you saying that they affect his actual acting, or our perception of the movie?