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)

Tuesday 11 January

By Susan

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So if he gives a movie a bad review, I'm bound to like it. If he gives it a good review, it must be a stinker.

By fatherdjohnson@aol.com

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It sounds to me like Armond White is simply guilty of being true to himself--an unforgivable offense in a place like Hollywood where hypocrisy and artifice are the order of the day. Did anyone ever think that he took "Toy Story 3" to task because a great original idea had been needlessly retread, beaten to death, and emptied to the point of being inanely sentimental trash? The fact that he has the guts to condemn popular pap and praise some offbeat efforts says more about White's personal integrity than it does about any of the rebel-conformist morons lashing out at him.

Wednesday 12 January

By tommiata1

fatherdjohnson.....so, you are saying that publicly saying someone's mother should have a retroactive abortion is part of "being true to yourself"? I realize being a critic makes one unpopular, but this guy sounds like he gets off on scathing personal attacks...maybe he has serious mental problems. You sound like his personal apologist.

Thursday 13 January

By geordi

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Why should a movie critic be any less negative than the current crop of politicians?

By Ella

Ah, the woes of Hollywood.

By jim

Saw Black Swan and it sucked; it was like a slasher flick with prom girls running around. I mean it was silly. If White was was critical of Aronskfy and that dumb vanity flick for Portman kuddos to White.

By jake

like anyone in the public eye should have skin of a shark for starters. And she is so ughly and dumb looking anyhow-with her money she could at least get the shine off her face

By delacourte

Mr. White is certainly entitled to and aapparently well paid for his opinions. However,why do people feel that they can't state an opinion without being rude and hateful? A little civility and old fashioned manners would be nice for a change.

By becca123

I'm very sorry! This reply was not meant for you!

By Chrys

You are all crazy.

By margie

DOESN'T A. WHITE REALIZE HOW UNIMPORTANT HE IS IN THE GRAND SCOPE OF THINGS. HE IS USELESS BANTER AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH.
A TOTAL UNDER ACHIEVER.

By Elizabetta

Hateful people who spew as much venom as this Armond White guy - whoever he is - are usually just resentful and angry because they don't measure up to the people they are attacking.

By bruce Williams

I always found it strange that people could make a fortune telling the viewing public what movies are good and what ones are bad and which ones to go and see. I've always managed to make those decisions for myself.

By makaimi

Who cares about these wholly absorbed "actors, directors, playwrights"... and the list NEVER ends. Critics don't do anything, their the worst of the lot. Everyday people are what holds this society/country together. LAHollywoodSF/New York/Vancouver/Toronto etc. are full of crap. Why we give any credence and reinforcement to the ARTs boggles my mind.

By Sunsetpatrick

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Hollywood = High School. The actors are the jocks and the cheerleaders; the critics are the mean girls. They're all spoiled, whiny narcissists on both sides...and they all think that we need them to instruct us and set us straight about how to vote, think and act, because we're just a bunch of ignorant hicks out here in flyover country. Sheeeeesh. Grow up. My kids behave better and are smarter and more decent.

By Blonde Ambition

So true - so many critics are mean, miserable people. Especially the ones at Entertainment Weekly; they're among the reasons I've ended my subscription to that formerly wonderful magazine.

By Kevin

Why is a buttlick like White in a position to present anything? The Critics Circle is apparently a bunch of idiots.

By ALLEN

Why do people put so much faith in a critic anyway. Do you not understand a critic is only writing their own personal opinion and there is no basis for what mainstream society feels. Society as a whole is reather forgiving of poor judgement in film . Critics on the other hand simply try to forge social acceptance or disapproval.I never read them and I never watch them on the television either. A moron will not tell me what to like or dislike I am moron enough to do this for myself.

By sandi simpson

The sad and unfathomable truth is, the more outrageously wrong a person is, the more people seek out to hear what they have to say. NOT because they agree but for some reason they want to DISagree. Look at Beck, Coulter, Palin, Limbaugh, Stern!

Monday 24 January

By J.D. Stutts

Dont forget Maher, Barr, and (Kathy) Griffin; they suck too...

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