• February 13, 2012

He looks like a dumpling in spectacles.WELL THAT IS PRETTY GODDAMN SNARKY: “[H]e looks like a dumpling in a wig.” What an awful thing to say about Russell Crowe, the Ted Kennedy of acting! [The New Yorker]

{ 30 comments }

El Pinche April 22, 2009 at 10:10 am

At first I thought it said “He looks like he’s humping a wig.”
more coffee. less denby. good bye.

V572625694 April 22, 2009 at 10:12 am

If the New Yorker can’t run Anthony Lane’s reviews every week, couldn’t they just skip a week, in lieu of having Denby’s bushwa in their once-admired mag?

lawrenceofthedesert April 22, 2009 at 10:16 am

Better a dumpling in a wig than Young Republican Trotsky.

jfruh April 22, 2009 at 10:17 am

You know what, though, Russel Crowe does look like a dumpling in a wig. Broken clock, etc.

Baseproduct April 22, 2009 at 10:20 am

Snarky?

[i]Russell Crowe’s body is shapeless now, his complexion pasty, his hair long and lank; he looks like a dumpling in a wig. But there’s enormous life in his eyes and his voice. Crowe has an animal quickness and sensitivity, a threatening way of penetrating what someone is up to, a feeling for weakness in friends as well as opponents. He seems every inch a great journalist; it’s not his fault that the filmmakers let the big story slip through their fingers.[/i]

Crowe is…. enormous… an animal… has a threatening way of penetrating someone… every inch great. Is it still snark if it’s covering a deeply buried section of Denby’s psyche?

ManchuCandidate April 22, 2009 at 10:24 am

Dumpling in a wig. Dumpling in a wig… I thought that was Denby.

shortsshortsshorts April 22, 2009 at 10:30 am

Realizing that his book was a terrible failure, Denby decided to change course. He has sent multiple e-mails to Wonkette in a desperate effort to start writing here. But, like the photo-caption comments, Jim Newell has struck him down with absolute vigor.

Luckily for Denby, the pinnacle of snark, “Red State,” is looking for a few lame assholes.

Woodwards Friend April 22, 2009 at 10:31 am

Denby’s reviews are written by young women who may have hated Crowes’s bland wigs as he went around the country making movie pictures.

Come here a minute April 22, 2009 at 10:33 am

It has the form of parody–it conveys to the reader that some kind of earnest claim (that, say, the Russell Crowe has become chubby and pasty) is being put down. But is also sounds like jealousy. The review is written by a young woman who may have hated Crowe’s portrayal of a bland jounalist. When a piece of snark doesn’t make sense, some hidden fury may be screwing up the writing. The review is failed low snark–obscure rage and sheer ineptitude choke any possibility of laughter.

WagTehGod April 22, 2009 at 10:35 am

That’s sort of a snarky comment. I’m going to write a crappy book about it now.

2druk2phluq April 22, 2009 at 10:37 am

Maybe if I tilt my head back and pour some hot sauce down my nose I’ll come up with something funn[re=296085]Baseproduct[/re]: y to say about this.

[re=296085]Baseproduct[/re]: The old “span” coding works here. I had to try a couple of times before I figured out all the BBS code that works here. I usually just blow it off – too much like actual work.

norbizness April 22, 2009 at 10:39 am

And he looks like Bob Balaban, sans neck, with Tim Geithner’s hair.

MathewBrooks April 22, 2009 at 10:40 am

Def snark. if i may paraphrase the subtitle of his book…

David “its rude, its mean, and its ruining our conversation!”

lulz

Tommy Says Soooo, Jugdish! April 22, 2009 at 10:47 am

Russell Crowe is such a great actor he doesn’t mind looking less than his best in pursuing a role. Or he’s a drunk with thirty pounds extra of vodka weight.

In any case, there’s still hope for Crowe. Denby, I see only adult diapers and a mah jong tourney for thou.

bitchincamaro April 22, 2009 at 10:53 am

I’d love to see the dumpling pitch a phone at the blowhard.

IceCreamEmpress April 22, 2009 at 10:56 am

Denby can dish out the snark, but he sure as hell can’t take it. Fucking whiner.

Bramlet Abercrombie April 22, 2009 at 11:05 am

I love dumplings. And wigs. And Russell Crowe. Suck it, Denby. I throw my phone at you!

kthxbai...also April 22, 2009 at 11:11 am

DENBY!!!!!!

Gorillionaire April 22, 2009 at 11:12 am

Denby meant this as the highest compliment – he is actually very aroused by dumplings.

rev_matt_y April 22, 2009 at 11:22 am

dumpling -> s/b dumbass. Applied to either of them.

SayItWithWookies April 22, 2009 at 11:25 am

Eh — I give him a pass on this one, as he follows it up with a compliment. Besides, Crowe is supposed to look like a dumpling in a wig. Also, I learned a new word from his review: acidulous, which means what it sounds like it means.
Maybe I’m feeling generous because I’m working on my new book, Caption Contests: They’re Crude, Full of Fail, and I Haven’t Won One.

Lascauxcaveman April 22, 2009 at 11:52 am

It’s man-crushing with an element of despair, and a dollop of latency: “Oh, Russell! How could let yourself go like that? Us porky, aging schlumps are counting on you to remain a gorgeous hunk for ever. Don’t do a Mickey Rourke on us!”

Denby wrote it much better. However dumb his ideas about the Evils of Snark, he’s still an OK writer.

Although he missed his chance to point out that the formerly hunky actor becoming a fat schlub in a movie role is seemingly an A-list rite of passage e.g. George Clooney in “Syriana”, Stallone in “Copland,” John Travolta as Edna Turnblad, etc. There are probably others.

thefrontpage April 22, 2009 at 12:09 pm

Denby needs to find another line of work.

How about–journalism?

Atlas Spanked April 22, 2009 at 12:13 pm

Better a ‘dumpling in a wig’ than a neutered urban metro-seksual in an effin’ button-down sweater!

Why is it that all ‘art critics’ are such dweeby-gay drama queens?

MrsNateSilver April 22, 2009 at 12:15 pm

I had a hard time picturing this “dumpling in a wig” but a quick Google Image search helped:

http://www.dumplingman.com/images/Dumpling-Man-logo-for-web_0.gif

I totally see Russell Crowe in that pic. For sure.

Mr Blifil April 22, 2009 at 12:46 pm

Doesn’t even make sense.

binarian April 22, 2009 at 1:21 pm

art critic = failed artist

Get over yourself, Denby

P Drizzle April 22, 2009 at 4:32 pm

[re=296336]binarian[/re]: Hey! I resemble that remark!

sanantonerose April 23, 2009 at 8:50 am

Mmmm…chicken n dumplings.

olekinderhook April 23, 2009 at 10:43 am

You missed the actual anti-Wonkette snark:

“Rachel McAdams is a cocky blogger who has to learn how much work goes into actual reporting”

that’s a booya right there

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