Film Critic Insults Award-Winning Actors, Makes Annette Bening Cry

By John Mitchell Posted Jan 11th 2011 02:01PM

New York Press film critic Armond White isn't exactly beloved in Hollywood -- in fact, he's quite the opposite -- and things came to a head last night during the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, with 'Black Swan' director Darren Aronofsky chastising White from the stage and a teary-eyed Annette Bening pleading for everyone to "just get along."

According to the Village Voice, things were tense from the get-go after White, chairman of the Critics Circle, brought Aronofsky onstage to present an award to his 'Swan' cinematographer, Matthew Libatique. In an obvious wink to White's negative 'Swan' review, the director said, "Keep it up, because you give us all another reason not to read New York Press."

"Aronofsky was saying this stuff with a smile," Gawker reports. "He was riffing." White, however, wasn't laughing, and took his next turn at the mic to stir the pot, saying, "That's all right. Darren reads me. That's all I want. And because he reads me, he knows the truth."

White is notorious for, well, being deliberately antagonistic. Gawker perhaps puts it best: "[White] is a very angry critic who feels very passionately about movies and tends to hate what everyone else likes and like what everyone else hates." To wit: White wrote a favorable review of Jonah Hex, last summer's 80-minute debacle currently ranked 13 percent fresh on RottenTomatoes, and he gave 'Toy Story 3,' 2010's best-reviewed film at 99 percent, one of only three negative reviews.

The atmosphere at last night's event appears to have been volatile, to say the least. "Armond broke the bank on insulting award winners he didn't agree with," an attendee told Gawker.

When 'Blue Valentine' actress Michelle Williams was presented with a prize, White introduced her by praising her performance in the 2004 film 'Land of Plenty,' leading the Oscar-nominated actress (for 'Brokeback Mountain') to say, "I made that movie almost 10 years ago. I can't imagine what you've said about me since then if you had to go back that far to say something nice."

Later, when White brought 'Angels in America' playwright Tony Kushner to the stage to award director David Fincher's universally acclaimed 'The Social Network' with the Best Picture prize, he said, "Maybe he can explain why it won best picture."

White also made sure to thank his peers for not awarding any honors to director Noah Baumbach's well-reviewed indie hit 'Greenberg.' Baumbach's continued success has long been a thorn in the critic's side; in his review of Baumbach's 1997 film 'Mr. Jealousy,' White said the director's mother should have had a "retroactive abortion." How tasteful and professional of him.

The tone of the evening, however, was apparently set in stone when Annette Bening took to the stage to accept the Best Actress prize for her turn in 'The Kids Are Alright.' "Bening, tearfully, came close to lecturing critics for being mean little s**ts," an attendee told Gawker, while another reported, "She said something like, 'Can't we all just get along?'"

►'Toy Story 3' Narrowly Misses Perfect Trilogy Marks (Thanks, Armond White)

Tags: Annette Bening, awards, Darren Aronofsky

Comments

(85)

Wednesday 12 January

By becca123

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It's funny that you would write this even though it has absolutely nothing to do with this particualr article. Maybe Armond White has gay kids, would that change your tone? No, you'd probobly just hate both Armond and Annette, because you are a hateful, bitter hag who knows nothing other than what's said to you at your Westboro Baptist Church services.

Tuesday 11 January

By cashmanisright

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Funny stuff. They can't be civil about something as inconsequential as movies and they have the audacity to attack people who have philosophical differences about something as important as politics. I guess that's why they call it La La Land.

By BTDT

"White wrote a favorable review of Jonah Hex"

A critic who can be bought. Shocking.

By minutemaus

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Go, Armond, Go!

By Anastasia Beaverhausen

Yea, go blow

By bkwormsjv

I agree with the writer- this behavior does not sound tasteful OR professional. I wonder whether White regrets his statements or if he justifies them?

The funny thing to me is that his very nastiness means that most people will not take him seriously. Apparently, he has not yet learned that humor tends to get the point across much better than sneaking, sideways attacks.

By trizone

His very arrogance is what makes him forgetable. He is not doing anything that has not been done before, so I guess he needs a hook - be nasty. I want to remind White of the likes of Rex Reed and how quickly he faded when he got in trouble for shoplifting. You need friends in this business - you can be brought down a peg or two.

By Britch

Annette is one of the worst actress's in hollywood, shed be no where without Beatty. Shes a spoiled rich elitist crumb.
Julianna Moore is the oscar contender!

By schyrl43

White is being as unprofessional as he can possibly be. Giving a negative review isn't the horrible thing here, its his presentation of it. Would it kill him to use a little tact? And the remark he made about Baumbach is probably the most unprofessional, hurtful remark I've ever heard. I wonder if he considered how that made Baumbach's family feel. White is very lucky that no one has beat the hell of out him...yet!

By Raul

OMG! I never could imagine ANYONE would be capable of finding fault in A. Bening, who is an awesome actress and quite the lady.

Thursday 13 January

By Burt

Hey Britch, how 'bout using Spellcheck?

Bening is a SUPERB actress. Anyone who doesn't know that should see American Beauty for proof positive

By Jimmy

Are you kidding me? WAAAAAA!!!! Someone didn't like my picture, and they have a voice, and hurt my feelings!! WAA!!!! How old are these actors/actresses, five?? What a disgrace. GROW UP!

By Blonde Ambition

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You don't seem to get it - Armond White seems to be a mean person. And Annette Bening also has a right to say what she wants. You grow up, son.

By jckfmsincty

Mr. White just supports the American public's dislike of film critics.

By Heather

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Or our dislike of terrible movies like "the social network."

By Tim

Wow so someone dosent kiss these loser a*** so they vj'js are all in a twist and crying about it!! Well your movies suck! I love Arnold White. So what these losers are saying is "no matter what I do, no matter how much it sucks or I suck. Dont ever point it out. Because Im to special to be critizied"! Yeah right. You all suck!!

By venee

you love him sooo much you dont even know his name is armond not arnold and let someone ridicule and insult the work you do at your job after you get up every day and work your a#* off for hours and for no other reason than to be contrary and difficult he probably wanted to be an actor but couldn't cut it so now hes just some bitter man with a lil bit of power and an angry pen lmfao so sad and pathetic its laughable.

By You suck Tim

I'm guessing you're just as ugly a troll as "Arnold" (like the pig?) is; you know he praised Norbit and Meet Dave, right? So I guess that must mean YOU like those piece of crap movies, because you're a DROOLING SPED!

HAHAHAH! I dont care what his name is. HE"S AWESOME!! HAHAHAH! Wow you really love famous people huh venee! " ridicule and insult the work you do at your job after you get up every day and work your a#* off for hours" Thats called a job brainiack! Really they work their a** off acting HAHAHAHAA! Your so funny. No, I work my a** off and i dont get paid MILLIONS for it! I still have to take what I have to take at work! HAHAHAHAHA. To be honest you sound pathetic and laughable!

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