I sometimes get asked how I determine what elevates in my mind to the point that it’s worthy of a musing. Usually, something of interest turns up in my inbox or DM, or I happen to actually see something in a physical newspaper or even IRL, since I’m fiercely determined to still immerse myself in those worlds whenever possible. When this weekend started, what did it for me was as innocuous as the overwhelming underperformance of ELLA MC CAY at this weekend’s box office–a negative outcome that had been all but preordained by a series of horrific reviews by a critical community that still matters to the demographic that this film attempted to target. VARIETY’s Rebecca Rubin attempted to put it into 20-20 context earlier last night:
(T)he political dramedy…cratered with $2.1 million in its domestic debut, suffering one of worst opening in modern times for Disney. To be fair, “Ella McCay” cost $35 million to produce, which is way less than Disney tends to spend on its theatrical releases…Although “Ella McCay” isn’t in danger of turning a profit for Disney, the PG-13 misfire probably won’t cause heads to roll, either.
It’s not exactly a mystery as to why ticket sales missed the mark. “Ella McCay” is the kind of mid-budget film that studios hardly make anymore because audiences don’t show up to see them. And this one — a comedic drama about a young politician (Emma Mackey) who unexpectedly becomes her state’s governor — was roundly rejected by critics (a 24% Rotten Tomatoes average) and moviegoers (a “B-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls).
I’ve usually been an unabashed fan of the works of James L. Brooks, going back to the days where I’d regularly see him on the 20th Century FOX lot hard at work on one of his appealing geature films which regularly got outsized support from the TV division to promote. Few movies meant more to me personally on a host of levels than BROADCAST NEWS, in which Albert Brooks’ Cyrano-like character painfully pined in vain for his self-created goddess colleague only to lose out to the hotter, less reverent other guy that his brain propped up every night. I’ve lived through more than my share of such heartbreak; I still kinda do. MC CAY actually features Brooks in a solid supporting role, along with the resillient Jamie Lee Curtis in yet another award-winning role as a blunt older relative that harkens to her recent turn on THE BEAR. Back when Brooks was a much more prolific producer and my bank account was larger, heading out on opening weekend was a given. But in this day and age of infinite options and limited resources, it’s much less cut-and-dried. My choice, regrettably, was to pass.
But as the weekend wore on, far more significant and tragic events took place that unfortunately put news like this onto the back burner for most. The murders of two Brown University students on Finals weekend, and 11 Hanukkah celebrants on Australia’s Bondi Beach were rampant in my feeds while I was dealing yet again with unforeseen stomach issues while working a holiday office party as a barback. And last night, as I was still struggling to get my sleep cycle reset, still more sickening news evolved in real time to eventually produce what Rubin’s colleage Chris Morris finally authored late last night:
Rob Reiner, who segued from starring in “All in the Family” to directing movies including “This Is Spinal Tap,” “A Few Good Men” and “When Harry Met Sally…” was found dead Sunday afternoon in his Brentwood home alongside his wife Michele Singer. He was 78. The deaths are being investigated as a homicide, according to TMZ. The couple was reported to have been stabbed to death.
And of all possible outlets that updated this later in the evening PEOPLE’s Greg Hanlon had the gumption to go forward with what many of my more sleuth-oriented friends had already pieced together from their multiple social media feeds:
Reiner and his wife… were killed by their son, Nick, multiple sources confirm to PEOPLE. In a 2016 interview with PEOPLE, Nick spoke about his years-long struggle with drug addiction, which began in his early teens and eventually left him living on the streets. He said he cycled in and out of rehab beginning around age 15, but as his addiction escalated, he drifted farther from home and spent significant stretches homeless in multiple states.
And yet despite this reality check, when I went to my own feeds all I seemed to see were reactions that were couched with digs like “I really didn’t like Reiner much, although he didn’t deserve this to happen” to “maybe if he did a better job raising his son without those damn liberal values he’d still be alive”. And amidst these pearls of wisdom, I also saw far too many examples that suggested Nick was perhaps a Trump supporter who could no longer stand for his parents’ very public participation at events like the NO KINGS rallies from this past summer and was pushed over the edge.
It’s that confluence of events that has me all the more convinced that maybe it was a lot more than lousy reviews and the exorbitant prices of a movie ticket and Coke Zero that kept audiences away from ELLA MC CAY. Malcolm McMillan of TOM’S GUIDE had several compelling points as to how out of touch a James L. Brooks movie is with today’s times versus those where such qualities thrived:
“Ella McCay” is set in 2008, right after the Great Recession. It stars Emma Mackey as the titular character, an idealistic, overly cheerful politician who has just become lieutenant governor at just 34 years old…We also explore her politics (which are likely shared by director/writer James L. Brooks) far more often than is necessary in a light comedy-drama.
Throw that in with the level of outrage and consternation that were rampant in the wake of the CBS NEWS town hall with Erica Kirk and Bari Weiss that aired Saturday night. STATUS’ Natalie Korach offered up this selective narrative in her newsletter that dropped shortly before the Reiner news cycle began last night:
- Top advertisers stayed away from Saturday night’s CBS News town hall led by Bari Weiss in conversation with Erika Kirk, which could dampen plans for more forums like it, Brian Steinberg reported. [Variety]
- Weiss indicated more programming similar to the town hall is in the works, saying, “CBS is going to have many more conversations like this in the weeks and months ahead, so stay tuned. More town halls. More debates. More talking about the things that matter.”
- Weiss mixed in curated questions from recruited audience members, but generally didn’t ask follow-ups when Kirk dodged with her answers.
To his credit, Steinberg at least pointed out which to me was the far more accurate reason why it so poorly received:
The news special aired at 8 p.m. on Saturday, one of the least-watched hours in broadcast TV. During the hour, commercial breaks were largely filled with spots from direct-response advertisers, including the dietary supplement SuperBeets; the home-repair service HomeServe.com; and CarFax, a supplier of auto ownership data. Viewers of the telecast on WCBS, CBS’ flagship station in New York, even saw a commercial for Chia Pet, the terra-cotta figure that sprouts plant life after a few weeks.
In other words, pretty much the same quality sponsors that would otherwise buy time in women’s soccer playoff games and repeats of ancient-skewing Friday night procedural dramas. Evoking the memories of the days when Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace were on the network reminds that in that era Saturday night at 8 was the home of TV’s #1 program, ALL IN THE FAMILY. Ya know, the one that co-starred an up-and-coming nepobaby named Rob Reiner. More than ever, we know those days are gone forever on all counts.
We can’t seem to find ways to not invoke politics and personal hubris in anything these days. Everything that dares to offer a point of view even remotely counter to ours is fair game for mock outrage and calls to action for boycotts. Not everything has to be so damn dramatic. CBS knows Bari Weiss’ bar for success has been a lot lower than theirs. THE SOCIAL BLADE. com confirms her site has 370,000 subscribers that have on average turned out to the tune of 56,300 views per video in the three years it has existed. Saturday at 8 is about as risky a time period as they will tolerate. And if one truly wants this kind of content to go away–maybe not talking about so much might be a better strategy?
It’s hard not to be anything but overwhelmed with sadness after a weekend like this. But there was indeed a light; the ones from my menorah that I somehow found the constitution to light last night on the first night of Chaunkah. Amidst all of these obstacles, not the least of which being finding a space for it in the Collier House that my roommate contends is presentable without seriously risking burning the whole place down, that light is a reminder that as a society and a belief system we’ve dealt with a lot worse and somehow came out on the other end. And I actually woke up today reasonabky refreshed and pain-free. Maybe there’s room for the Ella McCays of the world out there after all?
Until next time…