Over the last year, Kevin Spacey went from opening blockbuster-level films, like “Baby Driver’s” $20.5 million opening weekend, to opening films that would not even drain the bank account of the average college student. That point could probably be traced back to October 2017, when the #MeToo Movement took the planet by storm.
Spacey’s “Billionaire Boys Club” opened to a complete mauling by critics and a paltry $618 on its opening weekend, including just $126 on opening day. That is not a typo. Variety critic Peter Debruge called it, “the kind of dumbed-down, West Coast, wanna-be “The Wolf of Wall Street” that gives ‘derivatives trading’ a whole new meaning.”
A myriad of factors play into how a film performs on its opening weekend, but in this instance, one can ascertain that the influence of the #MeToo Movement had a lot to do with it. Spacey, as you may recall, has been accused by over a dozen men of sexual harassment or assault, leading as far back as 1985 when he made unwanted advances toward then 14-year-old actor Anthony Rapp. Spacey was 26 at the time.
A big question that begs to be addressed alongside #MeToo is whether we can separate the art from the artist. Actually, this question has existed since the dawn of art itself, but now more than ever, we have been witness to dozens of critically-acclaimed and/or prominent figures’ downfalls. Harvey Weinstein, Bryan Singer, Matt Lauer – the list goes on and on. Most of their careers, as you could imagine, have all but ended, and rightfully so.
The question has always been a controversial one to answer; even tricky in today’s realm. It would be nice to declare a definitive “yes” or “no,” but, as with most things it is a lot more complicated.
For me, I would argue for circumstantial exceptions. It is not as if I will no longer watch a Weinstein or Miramax-produced film like “Pulp Fiction” or “Good Will Hunting,” because Harvey Weinstein produced them. Those are extremely important works within cinematic history and cannot be ignored simply because Weinstein funded them and his name appears in the credits. Nor will I skip a screening of “The Usual Suspects” or “LA Confidential” simply because Kevin Spacey was involved. That said, Bryan Singer was behind the camera for the former, so I may find it hard to revisit for the time being.
It is important to note that these films, as with all films, are the collective work of often hundreds of individuals and dozens of companies. They do not deserve to be forgotten simply because one member of the cast was, or became, a sexual predator, more than likely unbeknownst to any involved at the time of production.
A few weeks before “Billionaire Boys Club” opened, “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” opened to the largest opening weekend in franchise history and is well on its way to surpassing all totals for previous installments thanks to overwhelmingly positive reviews and fan reception. Tom Cruise, not a stranger to negative press coverage over the last decade, has managed to get audiences in seats in spite of all that.
So, are we able to separate the art from the artist? Circumstantially, I think yes.
