David O. Russell Amsterdam In the year It is one of the biggest flops of 2022. Russell’s first film in seven years cost $80 million to make, and this year’s theatrical run grossed just $32 million worldwide, missing Disney by north of $100 million. The performance will no doubt put Russell back in director’s jail, but that doesn’t mean the film doesn’t have its merits, however, especially for Taylor Swift haters.
**some Amsterdam Spoilers to follow, so avert your eyes if you’re sensitive!!**
ok still with me
So why do the haters so dislike this dense but delightfully strange powerhouse of love, friendship and abstract art? Taylor Swift runs in a jalopy (!!) in the opening minutes of the movie and sets the whole scene of the movie in motion. Yes, you read that right. David O. Russell dressed the world’s most famous singer – who has millions of Swifties around the world who spend hundreds of dollars to sit hundreds of meters away – in a period costume from the 1930s, when her character’s crown was so dainty. My dad dies, and it happens in a vehicular homicide about 13 minutes into the movie. Don’t you believe me? I got receipts!
And you wonder why the Swifties haven’t gone out in droves to literally drag their millennial queen down at the box office? You are crazy for this, David!
Now, let’s look at the author of this, both Taylor Swift and David O. Let’s get one thing straight so you don’t misinterpret Russell’s position. First off, I consider myself a card-carrying Swiftie; For proof, I humbly submit 2022’s Spotify Wrapped, where Taylor sits behind her ex Harry Styles on my most-listened-to list. I’ve long admired Swift’s many gifts as a singer and performer, and on a personal note, I find inspiration in the way she uses long-simmering anger and her insatiable appetite for success.
Perhaps more controversially, I also read David O. I have been a longtime fan of Russell’s work. Yes, I am very aware that he assaulted Lily Tomlin on set, got into a fight with George Clooney on set, and kicked his sexist niece off set. I don’t find this behavior cool, or defensive. Simply put: Is he the sort of person I’d invite over for tea and crackers? Probably not. (Let’s be honest. I’m scared and more than a little scared.) But does Russell have so many amazing, complex, aesthetically pleasing and often hilarious films under his belt? It will! Undeniable! If my feelings seem to represent a disturbing dichotomy of conflicting positions—he’s a bad guy who makes a good movie—my main defense is that many of us Gen Xers have the ability to separate the art from the artist.
And as an artist, Russell is not afraid to take risks. I generally don’t believe in the “validity of the evidence ends” thing, especially if you’re repeatedly undermining your associates and subordinates, but Russell tends to get results. That’s why the likes of Christian Bale (another complicated guy!), Margot Robbie, Robert De Niro, John David Washington, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rami Malek, Timothy Olyphant, Michael Shannon, Zoe Saldana, Mike Myers and Chris Rock have all signed on. Until being in Amsterdam. (For everyone, I wish Chris Rock didn’t take this role.) Russell is the kind of director who isn’t afraid to take the heat, firing a live round into Redver to show the devastating effects of bullets on the human body. , nor does he hesitate to show pop princess Taylor Swift driving a motor vehicle. He’s not a perfect man and he doesn’t make perfect movies, but in today’s cinematic landscape crowded with cookie-cutter cap crusaders, I’ll continue to give Russell a chance as long as his flawed but wholly unique films continue to find people. to finance them. (After that AmsterdamHowever, this is easier said than done.)
