Derrickson’s tweet angered critics such as Variety’s Guy Lodge who wrote, “It’s good to review everything on its terms. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t criticize a film for being limited in scope, ambition or courage..If you’re not bothered by the de-queering of Freddie Mercury’s story for mass entertainment purposes, well, great — you are exactly who Bohemian Rhapsody was made for. Enjoy! But also take a moment to consider whether the film should have been made only for you.” Derrickson is now threatening to exit social-media due to the way, he says, he’s been treated by critics. “If I keep getting personally attacked by film critics I will leave twitter. They will win. I cannot afford to have them souring my name to other critics and filmmakers. It’s consequential,” he wrote. “And none of them come at me directly. That would at least deserve a smidgeon of respect.” This prompted Roger Ebert’s widow, Chaz Ebert, to reply: “Hello Scott, I am not sure what brought about your particular declaration of despair, and it may not make a bit of difference to you, but Roger admired your filmmaking and said he saw something in it that showed a profundity of character and intellect,” she tweeted. Derrickson was moved by Ebert’s words: “Thank you so much Chaz. We all miss Roger so so much,” he wrote back. “He is the permanent gold standard for powerful, passionate, creative film criticism. I would never have pursued a career in film had I not learned cinema history by pouring over his written reviews.” Contribute Hire me
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