Rumor has it director David O. Russell and Jennifer Lawrence had an on-set row, and while the studio has attempted to spin the spat as “method acting,” anyone with intel on Russell is well-aware of his unacceptable antics (See George Clooney and that whole transgender-neice-groping incident. And in case you have any doubts about this man’s douchebaggery, watch the Lily Tomlin clip below.
Con movies are only fun when the audience gets equally conned. And if they’re not along for the ride, they should at least be in on it. In American Hustle, neither of these principles hold true. The film follows Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), a charlatan couple whose FBI bust forces their participation in taking down elite dirtbags. Their corrupt background elicits a guessing game as to their true loyalty and agenda. Had the writing and directing been stronger, that guessing game would have been far more enjoyable. The only shining light in this film is Jennifer Lawrence, who far exceeds her counterparts. Though this is certainly not a competition, if it were me, I’d have given strongest player more than one inning. Furthermore, Amy Adams was an unfortunate miscast. She’s meant to straddle the line between good and bad, but her delicate demeanor and sweet-natured spirit make it nearly impossible to believe the bad. Lastly, if your characters lack even a modicum of likability, so does your plot. When all of your players are parasites, does the end game really matter?
This was one of my favorite feuds in the history of Hollywood, and I am sad to see it end. This quarrel was particularly unique, because it didn’t just involve George Clooney — it involved other staff members on set. Here’s a brief summary of the feud, as written by The Dishmaster in one of my previous posts.
Clooney said Russell yelled at everyone on the set, including a camera car driver. Clooney confronted Russell, saying, “You can yell and scream and even fire him, but what you can’t do is humiliate him in front of people. Not on my set, if I have any say about it.” Russell then screamed at a second assistant director, who quit on the spot. Clooney addressed him again, saying, “you can’t shove, push or humiliate people who aren’t allowed to defend themselves.” Russell responded to Clooney’s criticism by challenging him to a fist fight, and the two men came to blows. Clooney “had him by the throat,” confessing that he was “going to kill him.”
Though they finally finished the movie, Clooney said it was “without exception, the worst experience of [his] life.” George Clooney finally buried the hatchet with his Three Kings director, David O. Russell, and I have to admit I’m slightly disappointed. According to Clooney, he “saw David a few weeks ago at a party… and [he] felt compelled to go over and go, ‘So, are we done?'” They both then squashed the feud. Clooney attributes the reconciliation with both parties “getting older.” Though it’s a nice story when people can put aside their differences, if I were Clooney, I wouldn’t have made the gesture unless I was certain that Russell has changed his on-set antics.
It’s no secret that Playboy has the best interviews in history, and as a tribute to the revolutionary magazine, I’ve decided to share an anecdote from a George Clooney interview, because it confirms what a great guy he is. Clooney revealed his on set war with director David O. Russell while shooting the 1999 film, Three Kings. Clooney said Russell yelled at everyone on the set, including a camera car driver. Clooney confronted Russell, saying, “You can yell and scream and even fire him, but what you can’t do is humiliate him in front of people. Not on my set, if I have any say about it.” Russell then screamed at a second assistant director, who quit on the spot. Clooney addressed him again, saying, “you can’t shove, push or humiliate people who aren’t allowed to defend themselves.” Russell responded to Clooney’s criticism by challenging him to a fist fight, and the two men came to blows. Clooney “had him by the throat,” confessing that he was “going to kill him.” Though they finally finished the movie, Clooney said it was “without exception, the worst experience of [his] life.” My favorite part of this story is the idea that George Clooney stuck up for the little guy at the very beginning of his career before he really became the star he is today. It’s no secret that directors can be demeaning assholes, but it’s up to the power players to put a stop to it. To add to this story, Lily Tomlin later worked with David O. Russell on I Heart Huckabees, and a tape was released of a fight between Russell and Tomlin. Many accused Clooney of circulating the tape, which he later denied. Watch below to see Russell lose it half-way in.
