The bias of much of the nation’s media is prevalent and pernicious, and we here at RedState write about it frequently because, as I often argue, if there’s a real “threat to Democracy,” it’s the corrupt press.
Now you wouldn’t think that movie reviews were particularly important, but in the case of two films that highlight conservative subjects, the disconnect between the press and regular Americans is put on full display. The results show that either A) elitist “journalists” are totally out of touch with the greater public, or B) that they’re shaping the narrative to fit their progressive viewpoints, or C) both.
To wit, over at the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes, the film “REAGAN” received a terrible 17 percent “fresh” rating from professional reviewers—yet it garnered a huge 98 percent favorable rating from the public. That is an astounding divide. To me, it can only be explained by one thing: the left hates Ronald Reagan, and most journalists are left-leaning, so they can’t possibly judge a movie based on its merits. They can only judge it based on their ideology.
How do I know this? Because I’ve seen “REAGAN,” and there’s way no in hell it deserves a mere 17 rating. Is it the most perfect movie ever made? Nossir. It has flaws just like most movies, and it might not be everyone’s cup of tea—they might prefer an action movie or a rom-com instead of a biographical film—but there was plenty that was good about it too. Clearly, the audiences seem to think so, or they wouldn’t have given it an overwhelming 98 percent.
The biggest gap between the Rotten Tomatoes critics score and audience popcorn meter in the history of cinema. See REAGAN in theaters now. pic.twitter.com/jMWlRxRcOY
— Reagan The Movie (@ReaganMovie) September 16, 2024
Here’s some of the educated criticism from our nation’s journalists: “Like Reagan the actor and Reagan the president, Reagan the new movie has a strained relationship with reality.” Paul Renfro, Slate. No bias detected there, right? “It comes so close to parody that it brings to mind the ‘Saturday Night Live’ ‘Mastermind’ skit.” Rogerebert.com. “For conservatives, Reagan has become Muhammad, the Prophet whose name no non-believer ever dare utter.” Movie Nation. Wait, I thought you were reviewing a movie?
Related: Actor Jon Voight Talks to RedState About 'Reagan' Movie and Issues a Dire Warning
Matt Walsh's 'Am I Racist' Uses Major DEI Figures to Expose and Lampoon It As the Racist Grift It Is
Meanwhile, the disconnect over the very funny Matt Walsh movie “Am I Racist” doesn’t have quite the same diversion between regular folks and pros—it currently has an 80 from reviewers and 98 from viewers, yet there’s something that becomes apparent on closer inspection. Only 10 paid reviewers even had the guts to cover the movie. Most won’t even bother to bash it; they can't even stomach the thought of seeing it. They know their delicate psyches simply wouldn’t be able to survive watching Walsh single-handedly decimate the for-profit DEI industry. (For reference, 2023’s “Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One” entry has 438 critic reviews.)
Even though the ten paid reviewers gave it an 80 on the Tomatometer, one who gave it a negative review had to let his bias flag fly:
Despite a better target than the bigoted What Is a Woman—an industry about profiting off white guilt, not fighting racism—it shares the same flaws: manipulative editing, lazy jokes, and no curiosity, ending on a thoughtless finale with no call to action.
He clearly went to a different film. "Am I Racist?" showed endless curiosity, and the finale was in fact a long call to action as Walsh stood on an imaginary stage in his mind and dreamed of calling out to the world.
I certainly understand differences of opinion, and my sister and I often disagree. She likes artsy snoozefests, I like things that go boom. My wife didn’t love “Game of Thrones,” I think it’s the greatest streamer ever made. But when I do see an arthouse film or a rom-com that I might not have chosen had I been left to my own devices, I’m able to put aside my biases and watch the movie as it was intended to be. Often, in fact, I end up liking ones that are outside my wheelhouse.
In my view, differences in taste don’t account for the bizarre division between audiences and the media about these two movies. As I said, neither of them is the greatest thing ever to be put on screen, and I could nitpick about what could have been better, but they're still both thoroughly enjoyable, and I recommend both.
In my view, there’s only one explanation (and it’s pretty obvious): leftist journos are freaking out that two movies with conservative subjects are doing well and attracting attention. That doesn’t fit their worldview, so they use what little power they have as individuals to form a collective that does have power, and they use that power to attempt to kneecap movies like these.
Luckily, it doesn’t appear to be working.
