marcellusthevampire
New member
Agreed that it wasn't a huge box office success but a large number of critics were very positive about the film. An 83% (currently) rating on Rotten Tomatoes is not to be sniffed at, and there are lots of very favourable reviews doing the rounRAB.
As for Gervais's comments, I can't help but agree. We live in a country where our media spend time and money building up the "next big thing", only to knock them straight back down again as soon as they become successful. Generally we love looking at, hearing about and reading about other people's misfortunes. I'm actually amazed we don't have our own word for "schadenfreude" given how much we do it as a nation.
We do seem remarkably bitter about people who are successful, and comments in this thread criticising Gervais ironically tend to back up exactly what he is saying! For example, he has been referred to as "talentless" on three separate occasions. Whatever you may think of him personally, talentless he is not. Talentless people do not write, direct and act in hugely successful sitcoms that are both popular and critically acclaimed. Talentless people do not get asked to write an episode for the longest-running cartoon in the history of the world (granted, the episode wasn't that great, but it wasn't as awful as people made out). Talentless people do not get the lead role in a $20m Hollywood film.
As an actor I don't think he's up there with the greatest, and the comments of him "playing the same character" ring true a lot, but he can knock it out of the park on numerous occasions and scenes such as those demonstrated in Ghost Town or the now infamous Big Brother speech in Christmas Extras show that he is improving a lot in that regard too.
Yes, he comes across as ego-centred at times. I've not yet worked out if this is just the Ricky Gervais "character" that he is always in or whether he genuinely does love himself. I kind of think the former. But certainly, some of the comments made on here definitely support what Gervais is saying about not celebrating success. Shouldn't we be proud that another one of our own is doing so well in America?
As for Gervais's comments, I can't help but agree. We live in a country where our media spend time and money building up the "next big thing", only to knock them straight back down again as soon as they become successful. Generally we love looking at, hearing about and reading about other people's misfortunes. I'm actually amazed we don't have our own word for "schadenfreude" given how much we do it as a nation.
We do seem remarkably bitter about people who are successful, and comments in this thread criticising Gervais ironically tend to back up exactly what he is saying! For example, he has been referred to as "talentless" on three separate occasions. Whatever you may think of him personally, talentless he is not. Talentless people do not write, direct and act in hugely successful sitcoms that are both popular and critically acclaimed. Talentless people do not get asked to write an episode for the longest-running cartoon in the history of the world (granted, the episode wasn't that great, but it wasn't as awful as people made out). Talentless people do not get the lead role in a $20m Hollywood film.
As an actor I don't think he's up there with the greatest, and the comments of him "playing the same character" ring true a lot, but he can knock it out of the park on numerous occasions and scenes such as those demonstrated in Ghost Town or the now infamous Big Brother speech in Christmas Extras show that he is improving a lot in that regard too.
Yes, he comes across as ego-centred at times. I've not yet worked out if this is just the Ricky Gervais "character" that he is always in or whether he genuinely does love himself. I kind of think the former. But certainly, some of the comments made on here definitely support what Gervais is saying about not celebrating success. Shouldn't we be proud that another one of our own is doing so well in America?