Academy Award winning actress Meryl Streep thinks something must be done about the lack of female film critics. Speaking at a press conference promoting her forthcoming film Suffragette, Streep shared her concern that the disparity was adversely affecting the box office results for some films.
“I went deep, deep, deep, deep into Rotten Tomatoes,” Streep said, emphasizing that many filmgoers make their movie-ticket purchasing choices based on the site’s rankings. “There are 168 women. And I thought that’s absolutely fantastic, and if there were 168 men it would be balanced. If there were 268 men it would be unfair but I would be used to it, if there were 360, if there were 4… actually there are 760 men who weigh in on the Tomatometer.”
Streep’s analysis rises the question: so what? What needs to be done to impose her notion of gender balance on the film critic community?
What if there are simply more men than women interested in pursuing film criticism? Should men be denied opportunity for lack of an equal number of women interested in the career?
Join the conversation as a VIP Member