These are photos from The Heat premiere in NY last night. I love the photos of Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock together especially. Their faces just light up when they’re around each other, and they look genuinely thrilled to see each other. That bodes well for their on-screen chemistry, and I’m hoping that this movie is big hit for them. Here’s a link to the red band trailer if you haven’t seen it yet.
Sandra wore a sexy lace and black leather dress, which is a recent trend and she’s rocking it. I’m not fond of her gladiator-type strappy heels, but they’re not bad. I love her messy waves. She rarely wears her hair like that and it suits her.
Melissa was in a navy blue modern pantsuit and matching heels. She also wore her hair down and loose with very subtle ombre tips. It’s so pretty, I’m going to try and copy Melissa and Sandra’s hair with those casual curls. These two look like they had the same stylist.
Do you remember, back when Identity Thief was out, how an elderly male critic named Rex Reed bashed Melissa McCarthy’s weight? He called her a “female hippo” and “tractor-sized” among other things. Melissa finally addressed that a couple of weeks ago, in an interview with the NY Times. Melissa said that the comments didn’t affect her so much as younger girls who “are not in a place in their life where they can say, ‘That doesn’t reflect on me.’”
Well Rex was asked again about his original nasty review, probably in light of the fact that Melissa finally acknowledged it. Is it surprising to anyone that he doubled-down and was even more of an a-hole this time?
“I can only repeat what I have said before — that I do not have, nor have I ever had, anything personal against people who suffer from obesity,” [Reed] wrote to Us in an email. “What I object to is the disgusting attempt to pretend obesity is funny. It is not remotely humorous, and every obese comedian who ever made jokes about the disease are now dead from strokes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.”
“As a critic whose opinions are constitutionally protected by law, I stand by all of my original remarks about Melissa McCarthy’s obesity, which I consider about as amusing as cancer, and apologize for nothing,” he concluded.
In February, the film critic slammed McCarthy, calling the Bridesmaids actress “tractor-sized, a “female hippo,” and a “screeching, humongous creep.”Reed’s comments immediately outraged fellow industry insiders and fans alike, many of whom criticized Reed for being unabashedly mean-spirited.
Melissa McCarthy is an hilarious actress who happens to be large. Her weight was not relevant to criticism of the role. Reed was just being nasty and bitter and then couching it in concern-trolling. Melissa is entertaining as hell and we’re laughing because she’s funny. We do the same with Kristen Wiig, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Their sizes don’t come into play when we decide whether they’re good actresses or not, Melissa’s shouldn’t either.
Photo credit: FameFlynet and WENN.com
He was nasty and bitter, but she is obesse, no matter how funny and nice she seems.
He was nasty and bitter, and according to the photos, not that thin himself.
Ya, if that is a pic of him he looks like an old fatty himself. Obesity is an increasingly huge problem but being a douche is too. Calling any woman a hippo or tractor is just not cool.
she is funny, smart and overweight. The thing that I object to is that Rex was really rude about the whole thing. He could had said I think the movie sucked, and that would be fine. But he was personally attacking her for her weight. He was derogatory towards her appearance, and that was over the line.
We all know she’s overweight, she knows she’s overweight. But it’s never okay to be cruel to another human being.
Thank you. This is what pissed me off the most about it–there is such a double standard when it comes to obesity in men and women. It’s so ridiculous, that apparently an overweight man is comfortable publically criticizing an overweight woman.
As for McCarthy–She’s intelligent, and seems sweet. Yes, she is overweight. No, I am not the type to support obesity or say that it is ‘fine’, or whatever–but it is SAD that in an industry loaded with narcissistic personality disorders, eating disorders, and illicit drugs, it’s always the heavy ladies that get the brunt of the Hollywood criticism.
So this picture above is actually him? Who is he kidding? I will never understand why people do not start to criticize themselves before they blame others.
@Amanda: obesity is an increasingly huge problem?
And what does her weight have to do with anything?
“He was nasty and bitter, but she is obesse, no matter how funny and nice she seems.” What the hell does this mean? Being obese (not “obesse”) doesn’t cancel out her stellar qualities. It also doesn’t mean that you get to be as rude as you like to a human being, or that you should feel superior. Anyone who believes this is ignorant and nasty. “But it’s not good for you,” people say piously. No sh1t Sherlock, and how does that help? Do you think people just don’t realize they are overweight and you are preternaturally observant? No, you’re just rude.
Great comment. And what’s funny is that being slim doesn’t mean you’re any more healthy than an overweight person. Being overweight may mean you’re more likely to develop certain conditions, but it doesn’t mean you DO have those conditions; and being a normal weight doesn’t mean you can’t develop those same problems.
Why is it extremly rude to say someone (woman) is obesse, but it’s fine to say “she is painfully tin” and “should eat something”? Double standard?
Agreed! 100%!! And is it me or does he look like WC Fields now?
But he is not her physician or her nutritionist. Her weight is NONE OF HIS BUSINESS. He is a *movie* critic, and if he had an iota of professionalism, he would have reviewed her movie -even in a negative way- without referencing her weight, and certainly in such hostile, overwrought terms.
This man is a misogynist fat-hater, and nobody should defend him. Only when it comes to weight to do people get away with making nasty comments under the guise of “health concerns.”
You can tell by his face and his NOSE that he’s also a huge drinker, probably an alcoholic. Ick, look at it. No one’s perfect! He was always a crass man.
First of all, you can’t spell. I could say, “you spell like a moronic tractor .” But that would be obnoxious. See the difference? Second of all, it’s rude to comment on people’s bodies. Period.
@A~ – huh?
he doesn’t have to be honey! being over weight isn’t good on your heart and she is call it what it is FAT! being fat isn’t cute and isn’t funny. and neither is she.
@Jade – I don’t know why I’m bothering to respond to a troll, but here goes: The issue is not whether she is or isn’t fat, it’s whether he had the right to create a whole column (which he gets PAID to produce) on her weight. The answer is NO.
But thanks for telling me being overweight is unhealthy, because otherwise people would *never* have known!
Also, don’t be a hypocrite and pretend you care about health — you’re obviously someone who’s really offended by fat people, and feel entitled to make nasty remarks about their appearance for no good reason. I used to be anorexic, and am still very thin, and some days feel in danger of relapse because of idiots who feel the need to comment on total strangers’ appearances.
Let me ask you this — do you go up to strangers who smoke and tell them how unhealthy they’re being? Because lung cancer deaths in this country are pretty high, too. No? Gee, I wonder why, when you’re so concerned about people’s health?
As for her not being cute and funny, millions of people would disagree with you. I don’t see anyone hiring you to be in multi-million dollar films. Not only are you not funny or cute, you’re not decent, kind, and you can’t spell or use proper grammar and punctuation, either.
Does he express such concern in his reviews for movies starring Jonah Hill? What about movies with John Goodman? Rex’s pale, bulbous nosed butt needs to sit down and shut up. People of all sizes die of disease. I know of no immortal thin people.
Jeez this guy isn’t no Brad Pitt himself. He ain’t exactly thin. Melissa can always loose weight but Rex you will always be an unattractive D-Bag.
I agree that I don’t see him going after the obese male celebrities and you know what eles I don’t see? I don’t see him going after the Black obese celebrites. I would love to see him go after someone like Monique; I bet she would rip him a new one. He knows how to pick his battles which makes him a coward.
Agreed, he seems to have singled her out for her size and not any of the bigger male actors.
Personally I think its good to have films with people in it who have a different body types.
If there are jokes about her weight in the film than mentioning her weight in review is not off limits.But he was cruel using terms like hippo.As I’ve said before if people can criticize thin actresses as in “eat a Burger ” We can say to her “ea
t a salad” she is morbidly obese
^ This
THIS!
It’s never a problem to comment on some skinny girl weight or look, but if someone’s fat it’s forbidden to say: SHE IS FAT. WTF?
Everyone has right on his own opinion and so does this guy.
Seriusly? Most people want to be thin, and it’s not an insult to most people to be called thin – hence the quote, “You can never be to rich or too thin.” Try to keep up.
I’m personally not OK with either of those things. It’s just as wrong to criticize someone for being “too skinny” as it is to criticize someone for being “too fat”. I just think it’s time for us to stop worrying so much about what someone else’s body looks like, especially when there are so many more interesting things to talk about.
As a formerly anorexic, still very thin person who has been on the receiving end of more of those “Eat a burger” comments than I can count, um . . .no, they do not excuse “eat a salad” comments. Two wrongs do not make a right. Just because there are people rude enough in the world to mock being thin doesn’t make it okay for you to be rude to fat people.
I honestly can’t believe some of the things people say.
Excellent remark, Faye. “An eye for an eye” is not the answer. I hope you will continue well on your path to recovery from anorexia. 🙂
Well said, Faye.
Shaz, come on. Just because thin is the media standard doesn’t mean that skinny women aren’t harassed for their weight and body type as much as overweight women. It’s incredibly unfair to dismiss the double standards. As someone who went from “you’d be so pretty if you just lost weight” to “try eating something, men like meat, not bones”, I can tell you that both hurt equally.
Thanks, @Joan. I’ve been recovered for 12 years, but there are always “triggers” now and then during times of stress. Idiots like Rex Reed don’t help the pressure on women. And then to read other women here actually defending that kind of behavior . . .just really, really sad.
@A Nun A Mouse – Congrats on your weight loss! I’m sorry you received those kinds of comments. I agree that both are equally harmful and inexcusable. I just can’t believe that someone who was the victim of “Eat a burger” comments would translate that experience into “You know what, let me go out and insult some fat people!” Women are so hard on each other.
Weight comments all boil down to the same thing, whether mocking someone’s fatness or thinness — it’s the idea that people think they have the right to tear you down for the way you look. I see it a lot on this site, and it really bothers me. I don’t count Kim K comments, because she outright lies and that is harmful, and she deserves shade for that. I also don’t count snark for unflattering clothes. But in general, I wish we could stay away from the weight comments.
It is not at all the same….. it is absolutely rammed down our throats that skinny is beautiful so much so that a huge number of people who are “too skinny” have no idea and think they are actually super sexy because the media told them so. How many overweight people DO NOT ALREADY KNOW they are overweight? How is someone commenting on it going to do anything? They know what they look like… why do you need to point it out? Would you go to a person in a wheelchair and say “you are in a wheelchair!!!!” or point out if someone had a facial disfigurement? It isnt helping.
Also, I dont understand why it is anyone elses business if someone is overweight… it has zero affect on you… she isnt promoting obesity… that is the most ridiculous idea ever… “oh but her health..her kids… shes selfish”… it is her life to live as she chooses. You may be hit by a bus tomorrow.. nothing is ever certain. If you sit around worrying about getting sick because of weight, you probably will stress yourself out so much that you will get sick.
It’s really not cool for you to derail this thread and make it about “thin women’s problems”. First of all, it’s not fair, and second, thin women really don’t have that many problems for being thin! As a thin woman, I know that what I have to deal with is nowhere near the ballpark of what my plus sized friends have to deal with. As many body issues and insecurities I’ve had, to people telling me I was so thin I looked like a zombie or like I was half dead, I knew I wasn’t as socially disadvantaged as one of my larger plus sized friends are. I can always fit in seats, find clothing that fits me, and I’m not being told on a societal level I am unsanitary, undisciplined, and unhealthy because of my body size.
@Gigi- I understood you perfectly and my point is that this isn’t about skinny or thin women at all. So it is derailing to bring up thin women when the topic is how plus sized women are spoken to and discriminated against. It is unfair to change the subject or make it about every single woman, when it’s clearly not. It’s about overweight women, and the issues they contend with are worth people’s undivided attention.
It’s also disingenuous to make it seem as though thin women experience the level of vitriol and systematic discrimination that larger women do, simply because they are thin. Because some women are fat, every day strangers (who are not their doctors and who don’t know them personally) feel justified in viewing them as unhygienic, smelly, lazy, unhealthy, and gluttonous. That translates to plus sized women being disadvantaged on a societal level. Since overweight women are often viewed as lazy, they are often hired less then thin women, and if they are hired, they are selected for less desirable jobs, earn lower wages, and are less likely to be promoted. This has nothing to do with their skills, ability, experience, or aptitude. This is because of how many pounds they have on their bodies.
Many plus sized women can’t even be guaranteed that seating in PUBLIC restaurants and airplanes will comfortably accommodate them. And while I can walk into pretty much any store and find clothing in my size, many plus size women have to resort to ordering from international websites to find fashionable clothing that fits their bodies. So no I’m not going to feel sorry for myself if someone tells me to eat a hamburger or that I look half dead. Body snarking against all women is despicable but let’s not pretend that thin women don’t have more privilege in western society then fat women.
And part of the reason I was being told I looked like a zombie was because I was fairly thin and fit already and lost even MORE weight from medication. But only a few people commented negatively on my weight (like my mother). Most of the time, all I heard was compliments from co workers and friends on my weight, when one of my best plus sized friends had strangers feeling justified yelling at her from their cars that she was a “fat b*&ch”. These were strangers! It’s just not the same. The only thing that explains that type of behavior is discrimination on a societal level targeting plus sized people.
I think that’s insightful and honest of you, Mia. And I completely agree. No one, large or small, should have to hear derogatory remarks about their size, but I agree that there is a lot more shame attached to being overweight, including all of the labels you mentioned, plus lazy, sloppy, disgusting, etc..
You maybe got me wrong, English isn’t my native language.
I said that ANY type of commenting on weight/body is wrong. People have mirrors, I think
It’s also wrong to call someone’s ‘anorexic’ as it is to call a person ‘fat’. But no one has a problem when some skinny actress needs to be reminded to’eat a burger’! Let’s be fair
Neither of these things is right.
But the post was about Rex Reed insulting Melissa McCarthy by calling her a tractor and a hippo, not about Rex Reed calling a thin actress – well, not sure what he would call a thin actress – because he doesn’t appear to insult thin actresses. Maybe he would call one of them a skeleton? If he did that, then, yes, he would be wrong.
But all the thin insult hysteria is just hypothetical distraction from what Rex Reed actually did. Which was insult Melissa McCarthy.
Rex Reed = D-Bag
seconded, and passed the motion.
Does he ever look in the mirror?
miserable old B*st*rd.
If he had actually been commenting on the fact that the script used someone’s size as a joke, then he might have a legit point. But all he did was call her horrible names. Does he really not see the difference?
This!!
Yes, exactly!!
OMG he is still breathing?
He’s right, although he didn’t say it well. “Fat” shouldn’t be the punchline. It’s cheap and it’s mean.
It isn’t that he misspoke, it’s that he’s a hypocrite (hippo-crite!). He criticized fat jokes (yay!) and then called her ugly names based on her size (boo!). If he had criticized the fat jokes and then suggested her talent should be respected enough to be given real plots/funny situations he would have raised an important dialog on hypocrisy and indignity in Hollywood.
Instead, he chose to be a douche.
While I agree with you that “fat-as-punchline” is lazy and boring, I can’t help but think that he picked the terms he used for comedic effect (even though I personally don’t think they were particularly funny). It just all seems hypocritical to me.
Wow he looks like an old drunk. Maybe we should concern troll him about alcohol!
Kudos to Melissa for handling this personal attack with class. A so-called critic should not resort to playground name calling.
There are some comics who’s “bit” comes from their size-she isn’t one of them. I’ve been a fan of her since gilmore girls!
Oh yes, she was adorable in that.
“Reed was just being nasty and bitter and then couching it in concern-trolling.”
Yup, that pretty much sums it up. He’s one of those people that finds it offensive for a woman to be overweight because women are expected to be beautiful and adhere to the standards that society has set up for us, but he probably couldn’t care less about fat men because it’s okay for a man to be fat.
yep, I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head. From what I remember, there weren’t any specific jokes about Melissa’s weight in Identity Thief (the film review these nasty quotes come from). Her character was crass and rude, but her weight could have been considered incidental IMHO. The only scene that comes to mind where it could be argued that her weight was played for laughs was her sex scene with Eric Stonestreet, but I don’t see him criticizing her similarly large co-star in the same way.
Agreed. The criticism that women in Hollywood get about their weight has nothing to do with health concerns. That’s why it’s mostly the women who get the criticism, why most of the comments are about looks, not health, and why these women don’t even have to be obese to be fat-shamed- think Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Kim Kardashian, and Jessica Simpson.
It’s really about women being expected to work at looking pretty in a patriarchy-approved or consumerism-approved way.
Then, when obese men get discriminated against, is that because of the patriarchy too?
This feminist claptrap does not often make sense to me.
I’m not a fan of people glorifying obesity just as much as I’m not a fan of people who are extremely under weight…however I don’t see Melissa doing that. This guy has a major thing against her…mind you I don’t really find her “hilarious” myself but sheesh no one deserves to be verbally abused like that.
Well at least he is standing by his comments. I don’t like people who backtrack or apologise because society thinks they should.
Perhaps he should apologize because what he said was WRONG and inappropriate.
I’m surprised he even has a career as a movie critic, considering he trashed a movie in which he was starring in a nasty article in Playboy magazine way back when (Myra Breckinridge would be that movie, in case anyone is interested).
And yet people still read his poorly written, bitter scrawlings? Mmmkay.
Is Sandra messing with her face? The first pic, yikes.
I was thinking the same thing. What ever she doing I hope she stops.
the way he’s calling her names is appalling… He has a point in that obesity is not funny, but i think her talent is unrelated with her size.
errr…I don’t know this guy from anywhere, but so he is the fatso with the potato nose in that photo???
No, it wasn’t concern, it was pure nastiness. He could have said what he claims that he wanted to say in a non offensive way.
Melissa is not funny, fat or not. Don’t want to spend money on her movie.
+1000000000000
I think what he said calling her a hippo is beyond disgusting.
What he said about the male comedians not being alive is true. Sad but true. Someone talked about John Candy and looked him up and was shocked that he died at 43. I’m not implying that will happen to Melissa. I know that I don’t see many overweight older citizens.
I think there is a way to say anything. But the point is not made when you call someone a hippy. I don’t like that the fat person in many comedy films is always the messy unkempt one. The goof. Even in The Hangover.. Which character is the “character” not Bradley Cooper.
Jonah Hill loss weight; although some of it is returning.. same with Goodman.
I don’t know.. truth is being overweight is not ultimately the healthiest thing. And I have to lose 10 lbs.
I hear ya on Candy, but most of the other large male comedians who died young died more from the effects of drugs and/or alcohol than obesity, like Belushi and Farley. Hell, even Fatty Arbuckle was a heavy drinker and morphine addict when his heart gave out.
Kind of surprised by some of the comments above. Yeah, Melissa McCarthy is fat, so what. She is also hilarious, and an entertaining actor. She also comes across as a genuinely nice person, so the flat out name calling from Rex Reed is particularly gross and uncalled-for.
Rex Reed should be grateful that people aren’t taking it upon themselves to make schoolyard taunts about his physical appearance. All I will say about that is that I actually recoiled when I scrolled down to his photo.
It’s also uncalled for when skinny actresses are called bobble heads, lollipops,skeletons
+ 10000
People feel that they have the right to make intrusive and demeaning comments about any woman’s body at pretty much any time. This needs to stop.
However, let’s be real–the level of cruelty and contempt that is aimed at people who are fat is far beyond anything that thin people experience.
Btw, I’m thin, and I don’t have some “fat political agenda” –this is just the reality of what I see happening in society, in the US at least.
That is neither here nor there. This is about him and his comments, nothing was mentioned about the skinny insult debate.
Its also not fair that people have certain stereotypes about race, gender, religion….
@soporificat, I completely second your point. I agree with the posters pointing out the double standards- it’s not OK to mock someone thin either- but the two things are just not totally equal. When someone is commenting on thinness, they’re usually intending a compliment or they’re jealous. Comments on heaviness are just intended to be hurtful. Also, usually when people complain about people saying they are too thin, they’re really sort of bragging. Again, I think it is a fair point about the double standard but the real point here is that it is cruel and demeaning to mock a larger women for her weight. And, like you, I have no agenda. I’m happy (relatively) with my weight and an athlete.
I ain’t see him concerning over coke snorting skinny b!tches…
I really like MM but I’m really sad that she’s becoming more popular due to starring in films where her weight is a punchline or where she plays gross kind of characters. When she was in Gilmore Girls, through 7 full seasons her weight was never once mentioned or mocked and I really appreciated that.
I will always love her because of Sookie, she was one of my favorites.
Samsies. I’m such a Gilmore Girls whore!
My support of an individual is based on their character. Their personal choices in relation to health, sexuality, appearance, etc. are irrelevant.
That being said, I, myself, unfortunately fall victim to the miserable, impossible ideals of American beauty aesthetics on occasion. However, I KNOW that a persons worth is not contingent on their weight or appearance.
Melissa McCarthy is an intelligent, brave, brilliant and funny woman, I adore her. She has my support at any weight, with any hair color, in any dress.
Those throwing around the word “obese” seem to do so with a tone that implies ugly, reminding me of the twisted logic of a mentally ill Amanda Bynes, a woman-child dominated by her own insecurities – Insecurities fed by comments and observations equating obesity with ugliness and with inferiority, like a few seen in this thread. These comments can be obvious or subtle or even subliminal, like systemic violence, perpetuating a vapid, shallow belief system thinly veiled behind the guise of “good health”.
I am less concerned with health, and instead value happiness above all else. An Olympian can be hit by a bus, killed in an instant. In such a hypothetical I hope their life would be weighed by the degree, frequency and influence of their joy, not by the lb.
Great post. You have strong, considered positions that go against the herd and you obviously value people deeply and do so irrespective of their appearance.
You deserve a BIG pat on the back.
Ew look at his red face, look at his eyes, it’s pretty obvious he has a drinking problem, this hypocrite needs to mind his business and take care of his health. I hate his reviews too.
The name calling is completely vile and uncalled for. He’s also right about the obesity question and the use of fat people as comic relief.
Her entire career, like most obese male comedians, is based on being the fat funny one, the fat best friend, that quirky fat one who does the outrageous stuff. The only place she really plays a romantic lead is on her TV show and the entire premise of that show is her weight.
People who appreciate her work should watch every thing she does, because, like Gandolfini, she’s not going to live to a ripe old age unless she makes some changes.
Come on he’s a troll and an attention whore, as he cares about overweight people, did he call out zach Galifianakis who used to have an alcohol problem for the hangover, being a drunk he’s not funny it can kills you too.
Her character in Mike and Molly is not based on her weight. They don’t tiptoe around it, it’s there, but it’s not the focus of the show,
Same with her character in The Gilmore Girls.
Who knows maybe she has a thyroid issue. I like her lots and think she has a pretty face and although I do think she could stand to drop at least 40 pounds maybe she is just one of those people where the weight just won’t come off as easily as people think it should.
Actually she has stated according to her doctors she has no medical issues. SHE said blood pressure, cholesterol, glocuse,etc are all normal.
Not out of the realm. I could stand to lose at least 30 pounds (on top of the 20 I shed, SLOWLY). High blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol – all run in my family. My numbers are completely normal, but I do know that I need to get the weight off or it won’t stay that way.
Having said all that, I’ll never be thin, and that’s fine. I think Melissa is lovely and talented, and regardless of what you think of her size, if she’s healthy, I don’t know why anyone else should care – it’s between her and her doctor.
Certainly she shouldn’t be bullied and subjected to vicious namecalling. Rex Reed’s comments are quite clear: he was attacking HER, not her performance, not the writing. HER. And no one should be subject to “fat-shaming.” Seriously, people who are overweight have plenty of self-criticism. No need for a douchenozzle to add to it.
@Izzy-It’s great that you’re aware of the health risks that come with being overweight and what you need to do to be healthy—- but how another person chooses to live their life is really nobody’s business. There seems to be this strange perception that we’re all entitled to tell overweight people how to live.
I’m thin but I haven’t been to the dentist in 4 1/2 years. I guess because people can’t SEE the cavity I have and the fact that my bridge is loose, prevents them from lecturing me about keeping my teeth healthy?
I mean..I just don’t understand why people feel that it’s their place.
@TOK. I’m kind of a lurker to this site- I don’t post a lot, but always enjoy your comments. Exactly what you said. Exactly.
@TOK, I agree, no one should feel like it’s OK to tell others how to live. Like I said, it’s between her and her doctor.
I get annoyed as heck when people start talking to me about it and they’re all “it’s about your health.” That’s true, and that’s why I have a doctor. Ugh. I get that most of the people commenting to me are trying to be helpful, but getting daily comments or lectures is not helpful. Unless you count helping me feel like smacking someone, in which case, thanks for the assist, but no thanks, you know?
Rex Reed looks like what would happen if I took my full vacuum bag and dressed it up in a suit and bow tie.
Plus, she’s got a whack of money at her disposal. She could have a chef, a trainer, a home gym, whatever. I’d splash out on as much as I could if I were her.
Why? Why does she need to spend her money on what other people think is important? If she is happy, she should continue as she is.
Looks like ole Rex needs to find a mirror pronto before making snarky comments about anyone else…
By that logic, he should also be criticizing actors with cancer. Which would meet with a similar reaction. Idiot.
My guess is that she’s perfectly aware that fat comics who lose weight don’t work anymore. Every time somebody loses weight, all you hear is that they’re not as funny as they were when they were fat. She’s got a niche and she’s not giving it up. The damage to her health is an unhappy by-product.
Are you a doctor who has examined her? Please inform us of her bad health since you are so well informed. You have absolutely no idea – she could be far healthier than you are! Just because something ia more likely, doesnt mean it is guaranteed.
Sorry, but statistics are what statistics are. Not every smoker dies from lung cancer, either, but a much higher percentage do than do non-smokers. She has a vastly higher chance of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke than does somebody at a normal weight. The entire nation is being buried by the costs associated with obesity; I don’t think it helps to pretend that it doesn’t come with very high risks. There’s a reason you don’t see a lot of morbidly obese 90 year olds running around.
I remember seeing her on Ellen, and she was out of breath simply walking from offset to the chair. That is not normal, and it’s not healthy.
There is no reason for name calling in any situation but pretending it’s not a problem doesn’t make any sense either.
I’m not sure what motivates Melissa McCarthy but I doubt she is vying to be the permanent head chick in the fat chair. If you’ve ever been overweight you’d know how how often insults are thrown your way and how painful those insults are.
As for Rex Reed, he isn’t addressing the high costs of obesity by attacking Melissa McCarthy. He isn’t making a brave stand pointing out the risks of carrying extra weight. He’s rewriting history to make himself sound better by justifying his petty remarks and his poorly written review.
Calling Melissa McCarthy a hippo and a tractor isn’t going to do a darn thing about her weight and contributes nothing in fighting obesity in society as a whole.
I don’t for one minute believe that the eloquent Mr. Reed felt he was making a brave stand against celebrating obesity when he wrote those remarks.
He disliked how she looked in the movie and threw out some middle school insults. Now he’s backtracking.
Gotta wonder how impressed he would be with a comparative assessment of his clammy, broken blood vesseled, pale complexion, how old men’s noses grow exponentially with every passing decade, and saying that his corpulent appearance affects what we think of his critiques in general.
Be careful Rexie – what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Bitter old queen.
He should just go back to his bottle and leave everybody alone.
Not very constructive phrases used by that critic so I can definitely understand the hate. It’s one thing to discuss about obesity and another thing to go on insult spree with childish mocks like “tracktor sized freak”. That’s nothing but being a bitter bully.
It seems Rex Reed straightened up his tune from his original review. The later statement is better stated; he’s right in that obesity is not something to laugh at. He’s wrong in that he called her names. Also, her humor is not based on her weight. Shallow people just don’t like to take the time to see humor for humor; they like to tack on the exterior of the source and then claim it’s a health issue. Give me a break. Has she ever denied being overweight? No. Yet nasty critics take it upon themselves to point it out at any opportunity, as though she weren’t aware that her body size wasn’t like most Hollywood actresses’ bodies.
I’m not sure I see how he straightened his tune. He still stands by what he originally wrote – which was full of vicious name-calling. If he really had rethought it, shouldn’t he at least say that his name-calling was out of line, even though he still thinks the humor was not funny in the movie?
Eh, I don’t know. Either way, he’s just an a-hole.
Thing is – Melissa is an actress who makes a joke/living out of her size, that’s her schtick. The roles she plays are character roles who are ridiculous/funny partially due to her size, which was referenced, explicitly or indirectly, in Identity Thief and Bridemaids. Joke’s on her heart. As a critic, RR was pointing out that it is a pretty thin joke, and that obesity should not be celebrated. Anorexia wold be a pretty thin joke too, and people would be much faster to jump on the outrage bandwagon there.
So true about her roles and his point about viewers laughing at obesity being valid.
If only he had made it without being insulting and crass.
And calling her names for being overweight isn’t a thin joke, she plays in comedy so yes she gonna use her physical particularity to make people laugh which can be seen as easy but thin female comedian tend to play dumb all the time to make people laugh how is it any better. And let’s not pretend obesity is always represented as something funny in comedy maybe but comedy is aimed to make fun of everything not just obesity, there are plenty of movies out there which have depicted obesity as a serious issue like precious or what’s eating gilbert grape to name a few. And RR is perfectly aware of that he was just trying to find a way to justify his totally mean and gratuitous rant.
The thing is-a HUGE part of the comedic tradition revolves around self-deprecation, whether it be a comedian making fun of a large nose, receding hairline, or physical stature etc.
I don’t necessarily see that as “celebrating” obesity.
Sometimes I think people would all just prefer that we all pretend that overweight people don’t exist.
EDIT: @Bubulle-you beat me to it..
Kitten, as someone who has struggled with being overweight for years, I can tell you that yes, many people would prefer to pretend heavy people don’t exist. If I had a dime for every time I was ignored while shopping for clothes, I’d be rich enough to afford a personal tailor so I wouldn’t be subjected to that kind of miserable experience.
That isn’t exactly what he said in his original review.
“whose credit card has been hacked and copied by a felonious thief in Miami (cacophonous, tractor-sized Melissa McCarthy).”
“a screeching, humongous creep on a marathon shopping spree ”
“plunge Mr. Bateman and his female hippo ”
“Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) is a gimmick comedian who has devoted her short career to being obese and obnoxious with equal success.”
These are the EXACT quotes about Melissa McCarthy from his review. NOWHERE in his review does he say ANYTHING about not finding her obesity funny, as if she or anyone need to rely on Rex Reed’s opinion of fat jokes.
“As a critic whose opinions are constitutionally protected by law…”
Usually whenever you have to fall back on the constitution and the first amendment in response to criticism for something you said about someone, it’s just a cop-out. It’s a bullshit excuse and it usually means that there’s something wrong with what you said, but you can’t admit it.
A lot of people in this country seem to think freedom of speech is a one-sided thing- I can say whatever I want about whatever individual or group of people I want, but nobody can criticize me for what I said. It doesn’t work like that.
Excellent point!!!
It also shows a gross misunderstanding of what the First Amendment is.
He and Paula Deen need to run off together except she’s probably too fat for his tastes.
I agree with what he says about mocking obesity as if it is something to be laughed about. In no Universe is it healthy or ok. He totally lost the plot by being vicious with the name calling. I still can’t believe he put that in print!
Rex Reed chose his words poorly, but unfortunately Melissa has made playing the overweight, gross weirdo her niche now. In Gilmore Girls this was not the case. My mom loves Mike and Molly and said there are lots of fat jokes, but Melissa looks normal on the show. She saw how much success Bridesmaids brought her and decided to keep playing that kind of character and it will grow old. Melissa can be really funny sometimes but unfortunately she has been typecasted to that particular kind of role. I have to work out every single day and still could stand to lose some weight, so I sympathize. Nobody wants to be obese but Melissa is so let’s try to see past that for now. I just would like to see her take on a different kind of role.
“about as amusing as cancer” – nice. So … would he write such hurtful, insensitive, insulting things about an actor or actress with cancer? If he would, he’s an a$$hole. If not, he’s still an a$$hole. Put the shoe on and wear it, Rex. Doesn’t look like he’s ever missed a meal, btw.
Why are people so “concerned” when it comes to overweight individuals? The rudest, nastiest, most bitter individuals suddenly become Saints under the guise of being “concerned” about someone’s obesity/health problems. Let’s call a spade a spade. You aren’t concerned at all about her health. You don’t enjoy the way she looks, and are using the fake facade of concern to address it. No one is pointing out that they are concerned about an actor because they are smoking too much, drinking too much coffee/alcohol, partying too much, not getting enough cardio, not relaxing enough, not taking care of their diabetes enough, not taking care of their mental health enough….the list goes on.
Gotta LOVE all these armchair physicians. *eye roll*
It always feels more like shaming than real, genuine concern to me.
Very good point, Rebecca. That’s what I came to say. This “concern” facade is a bunch of crap. People are generally not ACTUALLY concerned about strangers or their health problems; it’s just a cop-out, an excuse to fat shame someone.
Everybody knows obesity in general is unhealthy, including the obese. I know MM is not in denial, she’s addressed it before. Faux “concern” is not going to do anything but stir a pot that’s been simmering a long time.
It’s not concern. It’s hiding being insulting under the artificial guise of concern.
I have a very close friend who is quite overweight. She just had her annual physical – her blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol levels, etc are all better than mine and I am slightly below “normal mean weight” for my height and I’m a runner.
Okay, I have now commented three times on this post. LOL. Just wanted to say I agree with you and you word this well. It’s not concern. It’s cruelty. It’s like someone pointing out that my disabled nephew “walks funny.” Hey- thanks for that! I know everyone wants to say that obsecity is a choice unlike disability, but when you are saying something about a person to be mean, you’re just being mean. Not helpful. And weight is so sensitive. Yuck. I have so many friends who struggle with their weight (I don’t) and I just ache when I hear this kind of cruelty thinking about the absolutely beautiful people my friends are. It’s the quality of your character that counts. Sheesh. OK. I’ll stop ranting.
Even if someone is not overweight at all, their eating habits can be viciously criticized by others. Everyone would do better to just ignore what other people choose to eat, or not eat. The food I choose to consume is no one else’s business but mine.
Not sure whether it’s to his credit or not, but Reed does take on male actors and their problems with alcohol, drugs, etc. It just doesn’t get the attention that criticisms of women get. Google it and you’ll find lots of examples of how he thinks some actor’s problems affect his performance. Whether it’s good or bad, I think he’s pretty consistent in this regard.
Okay – first of all – everybody including Melissa knows she has a weight problem… Most Americans do these days – the point could have gone without being made. And frankly look at him in the picture – he has the classic bulbous alcoholic nose, the weirdest looking eyes I have ever seen – and he does not look healthy – good lord his skintone is freaking surreal!
I love it when people bring up the first amendment as though it will somehow cover their asses for making unjustifiable, mean, and hateful comments. I can’t imagine how humiliated Melissa and other women who have bodies like hers must have felt about this random jerk referring to her as a tractor-sized hippo. Yes, you have the right to be an ignorant jerk, but other people also have the first amendment right to verbally humiliate and censure you right back for your ignorant comments. Before it gets to that point, why don’t people like this guy think about what they say before they say it, and if it’s useless and hateful, just shut up and keep it to themselves?
Well, technically, the First Amendment DOES protect their right to say what they want–meaning they can’t be prosecuted in a court of law for simply voicing their opinion in a public forum—-which is why Paula Deen and Rex Reed aren’t being thrown in jail for simply saying something inappropriate. But just because they can’t be prosecuted doesn’t mean they can’t be PERSECUTED by the public.
That being said, while they have the *freedom* to say it, likewise the American public has the *freedom* to respond to their comments in any fashion we deem appropriate.
OGKitten(hope you don’t mind my abbreviation :-)) I completely agree with you. Free speech is protected from government censure and prosecution as long it’s not libelous, a threat, incitement, etc. But all too often, people like this guy use the first amendment to stop another layperson from censuring or shaming them for the offensive and rude things they say. I just find it really absurd because they obviously don’t know what they are talking about.
The government isn’t responding negatively to Rex Reed’s statements about Melissa, the public is responding negatively. The government isn’t prosecuting him and the police aren’t arresting him for what he said. No one is threatening any of his rights, they’re just publicly shaming him for using (or abusing, as I would say) his free speech to be hateful to Melissa. He literally called her animal for being a plus sized woman. It’s disgusting, and he should be ashamed.
“The government isn’t prosecuting him and the police aren’t arresting him for what he said. No one is threatening any of his rights, they’re just publicly shaming him for using (or abusing, as I would say) his free speech to be hateful to Melissa.”
This times a million. It’s an important distinction that always seems to get lost when people invoke the First Amendment. His review was published, no one silenced him. THAT was the right he was granted under the First Amendment, nothing more.
Awesome observation and one that all-too-often gets overlooked when discussing free speech.
I want Sandra’s dress! So unique. I love Melissa, and I hate that the old fart is basically mean girl-ing her. Seriously, he is acting like a high school mean girl.
Well, she weighs less than his nose, that’s for sure. They make good drugs for Rosacea, why doesn’t he take advantage of them? Oh! Did I hurt his feelings?!
Am i losing my mind or does Melissa kind of look like a heavy Dutchess Kate in these photos?
No, you’re not crazy! I commented a while back that she has the exact same facial structure as Duchess Kate!
I’d like to have some of whatever you two are smoking! 🙂
I kind of see it.
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR1BgRj9iarxXpukuZzZYZ_xQ77Yi9H-njZ13obOfzCOuLRPD9zIg
I agree with his statement. Obesity is on the rise and the health complications are severe. Should we get riled up when we see people smoking? Many blogs refer to a cigarette as a cancer stick. It doesn’t make headlines. Same thing with this. What ever happened to Free Speech. Now everyone is so sensitive. It’s like it’s ok to agree to disagree. How many celebs who started out fat lost and said they were so happy in there skin but now they are thin and they change there tune to I did it for health reasons.
Freedom of speech just means that the government can’t punish a person for what they say. It doesn’t mean that nobody can criticize anyone for the things they say.
So just as he has the ‘right’ to verbally attack her for her weight and call her names, the public has the right to verbally respond as they see fit. If public idiots, I mean figures, can’t take the heat for the things they say about people, then maybe they should watch what they say. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. ‘Free speech’ has become the cowardly response that all kinds of bigots use when they get criticism for what they say.
And perhaps instead of policing this woman’s body like it belongs to him, like some misogynist- because let’s face it, patriarchal beauty standards and entitlement is what this really boils down to- he should police his own body.
I grew up with two very heavy parents. My mom had gastric bypass surgery after tipping the scales at more than 300 pounds. For a long time, I worried that would be my destiny too, because my mom told me I was genetically predisposed to be obese. “It runs in our family,” she said.
I can see both sides here. Truth is, Melissa McCarthy HAS leveraged her weight for comedic effect. Some comedians are very physical (Chaplin & The Three Stooges come to mind).
But obesity is an epidemic in this country, and it’s not funny. There’s an attitude in our society that it’s still OK to make fun of fat people and laugh at their expense. It’s NOT. It’s no different than making fun of someone who lost their hair because of cancer. Or someone who lost a limb. Is it? I’m not saying it’s a black and white issue. It’s complicated.
She’s typecasted now into those roles, being the “big girl” is her niche. She probably could lose the weight, but she probably feels that if she does she won’t fit into any specific role anymore. I think she’d be wrong though, because she has a truly beautiful face and I think she’d do well in romantic leads.
What is not complicated is that calling an actor names is rude. And mean.
Obesity is a complicated issue but that isn’t what Reed was tackling. He was attacking the person.
McCarthy’s makeup is lovely here. She has beautiful eyes.
That dude looks absolutely terrifying. He’s one to talk.
I once saw a picture of a sign posted on a standing scale. It read:
This scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity.
It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, possibility, strength or love.
I absolutely LOVE this and I’m writing it on a post-it note and sticking it on the wall at eye level next to my scale. Better yet, maybe I should just get rid of the damn scale!! Thank you for putting the weight issue into perspective.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but calling someone out on being fat is pointless. You really think they don’t know they’re fat? It’s just rubbing their nose in it. And now this dude is trying to pretend he’s coming from a place of concern- BS. It’s not concern when you’re calling someone a “female hippo”. Absolutely pathetic. Melissa McCarthy may be overweight but she’s a lovely person, and this man is a hideous, bitter and unkind jerk. And on top of that, obese himself! The irony!
There’s a difference between expressing concern for the health of someone and referring to them as “tractor-sized, a “female hippo,” and a “screeching, humongous creep.”
Sorry, but this man is just an @$$hole and I’m taking advantage of my constitutional right to express that and if anyone asked me about it, I’d say it again. @$$hole.
Sure, the health problems that come with obesity aren’t funny at all. But how does calling her a female hippo address health problems and help anyone? Nope, he’s just a jerk. And he’s not thin either so he really shouldn’t talk!
Have you looked in a full-length mirror lately, Rexy? Because you don’t look all that think yourself. Jessayin’.
Rex Reed would do well to remember he’s a movie critic – a rather fluffy and unserious profession, IMHO. His job is to critique films: the writing, direction, acting, editing, etc…. His job is not to editorialize on the health or personal lives of the actors. And even if he can’t control himself (which he clearly can not) then one would hope he would be less sophomoric about it. Using childish words like “hippo” and “tractor-like” to critique an actor serves only to diminish his critiques of films. Not only is he engaged in an unserious profession, but has now shown himself to be an unserious man. Dismissed.
This post made me really hungry for McDonald’s…
Whether she’s fat or not should have no bearing on his critique of the film. If he can’t think of more to say about the actual film, he shouldn’t just bitch about her weight.
There’s also the fact that this fat cirrhotic old fart needs to sweep around his own back door before he criticizes someone about their weight.
I’m surprised no one has stated the obvious….Melissa is white. That goes against everything media wants to indoctrinate us with. According to media and entertainment, only thin white women exist and having someone like Melissa goes against that and it is threatening.
We are not supposed to know that fat white women exist.
Now with black actresses, as a clear example, it is quite the opposite. Rarely do we see the thin black actresses and media would have you believe only fat black women existed in this world and thin black women are unicorns. In fact, they love putting the fat black ‘mammy’ type on the big screen (and little screen!). Thin black women actresses are a threat to the status quo.
Anywhoo, what I am trying to say is: Melissa, and those like her, get ridiculed because they are threatening. They give overweight (white) women and girls confidence and therefor media can’t sell your insecurity diet pills.
@ See You
Great point! I hadn’t fully thought of it that way before. Very true.
There are much more eloquent ways for him to express his concern about her weight in terms of how it is portrayed in the film. Calling someone a tractor or a hippo is being a bully. I guess he’s not smart enough to construct a few well thought-out sentences about how portraying obesity in films as funny is a worrying trend (and include male actors in that analysis.) He’s just being completely rude and mean.
Maybe he should look in the mirror. As far as health fat doesn’t always mean unhealthy- and plenty of thin, “healthy” people die from cancer and heart attacks every day. It’s no body’s business how she lives or what kind do body she has. This assface has issues.