Renowned filmmaker Christopher Nolan, familiar with the realm of film criticism, recently found himself in a surprising situation when he received unexpected feedback not from a movie critic, but during a Peloton workout class.
While accepting the Best Director award at the New York Film Critics Circle, Nolan shared an anecdote about how a Peloton instructor unknowingly critiqued one of his movies, specifically the 2020 release, Tenet. “I was on my Peloton doing a high-interval workout. I’m dying,” Nolan recounted. “The instructor started talking about one of my films and said, ‘Has anyone else seen this? Because that’s a couple hours of my life I’ll never get back again.’”
This unexpected review during a fitness class was a unique experience for Nolan. He acknowledged the complex emotions directors often have towards critics and criticism but stressed the importance of professional film criticism in the industry.
Nolan humorously compared this experience to traditional film criticism, saying, “When [film critic] Rex Reed takes a shit on your film, he doesn’t ask you to work out!” He emphasized the difference between widespread personal opinions and professional film criticism, advocating for the latter as a skilled and necessary profession.
Addressing the professional critics at the ceremony, Nolan highlighted the importance of their role, “What we have here tonight is a group of professionals who attempt objectivity. Obviously writing about cinema objectively is a paradox, but the aspirations of objectivity are what makes criticism vital timeless, and useful to filmmakers and the filmmaking community.