Professional Critic Michael Pilney Talks on the Female Influence of Film Criticism

PHILADELPHIA, PA, June 24, 2013

A current article featured on NPR raises awareness of a new study from the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film suggesting that women are "missing from film criticism," a claim that wins the attention of Michael Pilney. The study was also featured in the Chicago Tribune under the title, "Female Movie Critics' Influence Shrinking, Says Study." There are many other reports noting the issue, including a statement from Martha Lauzen, the Center's executive director who mentioned that "because women wrote 30 percent of the movie reviews in the Top 100 U.S. daily newspapers in 2007 according to a study that the Center did back then, film critics are less gender diverse now than they were six years ago."

Linda Holmes, the contributing writer of the NPR report appears to challenge this perspective; although she carefully remarks that she wouldn't "quibble with findings" she hasn't seen. "So let's assume this is all exactly correct as it's been given to these other outlets," she said. "Eighty-two percent of this spring's 'Top Critics' reviews on Rotten Tomatoes came from men. Would that really have suggested meaning that film criticism is less gender diverse than before?"

Michael Pilney, a professional movie, book, TV and video game reviewer weighs in on the issue. "The 'Top Critics' section on Rotten Tomatoes isn't just about quality. It seems to lean toward professional critics who have been in the profession for a while - at large print publications, national broadcast outlets and well-known websites," he said. "It's very challenging for online writers to tap into the 'Top Critics' ranks unless they establish a strong presence in the industry for at least three years."

Holmes continues to challenge Lauzen's original statement with supported evidence. "If online outlets were making criticism more gender diverse, any change in the last three years isn't likely to show up here anyway, making a comparison between now and 2007 a little suspect to begin with," she said.

The article highlights how the industry has changed throughout the years, mentioning that most online writers of film did witness a thriving culture by 2007. While Holmes points out this statistic, she seems to address a different issue. "You wouldn't see that from looking only at the newspaper film criticism of 2007.

In fact, according to the study, newspaper reviews were still 28 percent written by women [about the same as in 2007], meaning the much bigger problem is everywhere except newspapers, which is the sector where we don't know anything from these numbers about where we were in 2007."

Pilney responds to her statement. "You have to look at the industry holistically," he said. "Reviewing, especially as far as Rotten Tomatoes goes, is only a portion of writing about film." Holmes also adds that "film writing goes far beyond what are traditionally considered and counted as 'reviews'." She also mentions that "it would be a mistake, I think, to take this study as a sign that women aren't making themselves heard in cultural writing, because they are. Outlets that don't hire women or don't listen to them are, of course, causing problems, mostly for themselves and their readers. But whatever problems we're facing, the percentage of reviews showing up in 'Top Critic' designations at Rotten Tomatoes is only a very small and very specific piece of it." Michael Pilney raises an issue beyond increasing the number of female voices in criticism, noting that there is much to sort out in gender politics regarding the profession.

ABOUT:

Michael Pilney lives in Atlanta, GA and is a professional reviewer of entertainment media. He launched his career from his personal blog, and he now enjoys teaching aspiring film critics how to successfully contribute to online sites and local publications.