Harvey Weinstein Blasts ‘American Sniper’ Critics in the Media: ‘Our Priorities Are So Screwed’
Harvey Weinstein thinks critical media coverage of “American Sniper” proves “our priorities are so screwed.”
The Hollywood producer defended Clint Eastwood‘s Iraq War drama starring Bradley Cooper during an interview with Indiewire because “it introduces America to PTSD.”
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The head of the Weinstein Company, which distributed competing Best Picture of the Year Oscar nominee “The Imitation Game,” thinks the press should target “all these pieces of junk our kids are seeing,” instead.
Seemingly addressing the public uproar over the violence depicted in the Warner Bros. release, as well as real-life “American Sniper” Chris Kyle’s personal thoughts on being considered the most deadly soldier in U.S military history, Weinstein argued a more politically correct story would be “f–king boring.”
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“No one was ever saying, ‘There’s a really good story about a human being who hands out money to children, builds houses, works hard. The Jimmy Carter story. You sit in an editorial meeting and [pitch] the Jimmy Carter story and they go, ‘F–king boring. I don’t give a shit,'” he said. “Our priorities are so screwed. When you say, ‘Hey, ‘American Sniper’s’ got a hole in it,’ they salivate over that stuff. It’s sexy. If you’re going to write an article, just do one thing that used to happen all the time: do the research.”
Weinstein joins Michelle Obama, who also praised the movie for its depiction of PTSD, as well as the effect war has on soldiers’ family.
“I know there have been critics, but more often than not, this film touches on many of the emotions and experiences I have heard first-hand from military families over these past few years,” the first lady said. “This movie reflects those wrenching stories I’ve heard, the complex journeys that our men and women in uniform endure, the complicated world, the decisions they are tasked with every day, the stresses of balancing love of family with love of country, and the challenges of transitioning back home.”
Related stories from TheWrap:
Michelle Obama Praises 'American Sniper' for 'Complex Emotional Depiction of a Veteran'
Why 'American Sniper' Is Still Taking Fire: Awards, Box Office and the Real Chris Kyle
Jesse Ventura Slams 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle: 'You Can't Have Honor if You're a Liar'
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