A.O. Scott | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Scott in 2016 | |
| Born | Anthony Oliver Scott (1966-07-10)July 10, 1966 (age 59) |
| Other names | Tony Scott |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Mother | Joan Wallach Scott |
| Relatives | Eli Wallach (great-uncle) Anne Jackson (great-aunt) |
Anthony Oliver Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic, known for his film and literary criticism. After starting his career atThe New York Review of Books,Variety, andSlate, he began writing film reviews forThe New York Times in 2000, and became the paper's chief film critic in 2004, a title he shared withManohla Dargis. In 2023, he moved toThe New York Times Book Review.
Scott was born on July 10, 1966, inNorthampton, Massachusetts.[1] Both of his parents were professors. His mother,Joan Wallach Scott, is the Harold F. Linder Professor at the School of Social Science in theInstitute for Advanced Study inPrinceton, New Jersey.[2] His father, Donald Scott, was a professor of American history at theCity University of New York.[3] He is a great nephew of the married acting coupleEli Wallach andAnne Jackson (his maternal grandfather was Eli's brother).[4] He attended public schools inProvidence,Rhode Island, includingClassical High School, before graduatingmagna cum laude fromHarvard in 1988 with a degree in literature.
Asked what pointed him towards film criticism, he says "looking back, there was a decisive moment or period that kind of maybe, although I didn't know it at the time, set me on the path toward film criticism. It was probably – when I was 15 years old, my mother had a work obligation that took her toParis for a few months... And she took me with her. And it was just the two of us in a little apartment. And she was working all day, and I didn't know anybody, and was just sort of a lonely teenager. And so I went and took French classes in the morning. And then in the afternoon, I just sort of had the freedom of the city, which was great. And one of the things that I found myself doing was gravitating toward these little independent movie theaters that are kind of scattered across the Left Bank. They showed a lot of old American movies. And so I went a few times a week, whenever I was bored, which was a lot, and just sort of wandering in off the street."[5]
Scott began his career atThe New York Review of Books, where he served as an assistant toRobert B. Silvers.[6] Scott then served as book critic forNewsday, while also serving as a contributor toThe New York Review of Books andSlate. In 1993, he wrote television reviews forVariety, using the name Tony Scott.[7]
He joinedThe New York Times' Arts section in January 2000, followingJanet Maslin's retirement from film criticism. (Maslin continues to reviewgenre fiction for the paper.) In 2004, he became chief critic, followingElvis Mitchell's resignation. Scott and the other film critics at theTimes host a videopodcast on the subject of film, calledCritics' Picks.[8] On March 9, 2020,The New York Times announced that Scott would take a one-year break from his role as co-chief film critic and assume the title of critic at large, writing "bigger, cross-topic essays."[9] Scott says he started at an exciting time for film: "I was really walking in at a high point in the film industry. Now1999 is looked back on as one of the great years, up there with1939 and1962 and1974 in the canon of magic years of cinema. And I think what had happened through the '90s was the flowering of, what's sometimes called, the indie boom of independent American filmmakers likeQuentin Tarantino,Todd Haynes,Lisa Cholodenko,Julie Dash,Cheryl Dunye... I think by the end of the '90s, there was a sense that this formerly adventurous, often politically provocative and socially conscious filmmaking, was really maturing and was taking its place in the Hollywood mainstream." He citesDavid O. Russell'sThree Kings andPaul Thomas Anderson'sMagnolia as exciting films from 1999.[5] He says that, at theTimes, his mission was "to connect movies with their audiences. To let readers know what was out there, that might be the kind of movie they didn't think they were interested in. Because for me, moviegoing had always been about taking chances." He admits that "making the case forFreddy Got Fingered to readers of theNew York Times was a bit of a challenge."[5]
Scott publishedBetter Living Through Criticism in 2016.[10] On June 9, 2017, Scott and Dargis made a list of the best films of the twenty first century so far.[11]
Scott left his role as a film critic in March 2023 and joinedThe New York Times Book Review.[12] About his departure from film criticism, he said: "I have found that the way that I've practiced it has gotten harder to do. And also, the feeling of disconnection between the critic and the audience feels much stronger And the gulf feels much wider."[5]
Looking back on his career as a critic, Scott says:
Movies have been part of my dream life and my worldly education since my first traumatic encounter with the flying monkeys inThe Wizard of Oz. I'm still in awe of their power (the movies, not the monkeys) – to conjure up intense emotions, to invent new worlds and to disclose unsuspected truths about the one we inhabit.
The thing I love most about the movies is their ability to obliterate reason and abolish taste. You know the jump scare is coming, but you jump anyway. You suspect you should be offended by the joke, but you laugh helplessly in spite of yourself. Why are you crying? You don't really know, but you can't argue with tears.
It's inevitable that movies sometimes abuse their power and mistreat the people who love them most. When my kids were little – they were my regular companions at Saturday-morning preview screenings – I often objected to the pandering cynicism of "family-friendly" films likeThe Lorax andDespicable Me. I also marveled at the artistry ofStudio Ghibli and the sublime ingenuity ofPixar in its glory years.
Similarly, I was pleased with the first couple ofSpider-Man pictures, impressed byBatman Begins andThe Dark Knight (which my brilliant colleague and fellow chief critic Manohla Dargis reviewed) and admiring of the way George Lucas connected the mythic dots inRevenge of the Sith. But I'm not a fan of modern fandom. This isn't only because I've been swarmed on Twitter by angry devotees of Marvel and DC and (more recently)Top Gun: Maverick andEverything Everywhere All at Once. It's more that the behavior of these social media hordes represents an anti-democratic, anti-intellectual mind-set that is harmful to the cause of art and antithetical to the spirit of movies. Fan culture is rooted in conformity, obedience, group identity and mob behavior, and its rise mirrors and models the spread of intolerant, authoritarian, aggressive tendencies in our politics and our communal life.
I will always love being at the movies: the tense anticipation in a darkening theater, the rapt attention and gasping surprise as the story unfolds, and the tingly silence that follows the final shot, right before the cheers – and the arguments – start. I wouldn't miss any of the movies I've seen, even the bad ones.[13]
In 2006 and 2007, Scott served as a guest critic onEbert & Roeper duringRoger Ebert's absence due to thyroid cancer.
Between 2002 and 2014, Scott made 15 appearances onCharlie Rose, where he predicted theAcademy Award winners and spoke about recently released films. He often appeared alongsideDavid Denby ofThe New Yorker andJanet Maslin ofThe New York Times and guest-hosted the program on a number of occasions.
On August 5, 2009, it was announced that Scott, along withChicago Tribune criticMichael Phillips, would take over hosting duties onAt the Movies fromBen Lyons andBen Mankiewicz, who would no longer be involved with the show.[14] Scott and Phillips began their duties when the show started its new season on September 5, 2009.[15] The show was canceled after one season due to low ratings, concluding its run in August 2010.[16]
Scott was a professor of film criticism atWesleyan University.[17] As of 2023, he is no longer listed as being on the faculty at Wesleyan.[18]
In a 2009 conversation withRotten Tomatoes, Scott named his five favorite films asLa Dolce Vita,The Godfather,Sullivan's Travels,McCabe & Mrs. Miller andThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.[19]
From 2000 to 2022, Scott complied an annual film list which provides an overview of his critical preferences.
Scott is married to Justine Henning, and they have two children.[1][28]
He was a finalist for the 2010Pulitzer Prize for Criticism "for his incisive film reviews that, with aplomb, embrace a wide spectrum of movies and often explore their connection to larger issues in society or the arts".[29]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Tales of the City: Hanif Kureshi's Rough Guide to London | Himself | |
| 2002–2014 | Charlie Rose | Guest/Guest Host | 15 episodes |
| 2006–2010 | At the Movies | Guest Host/Co-Host | 66 episodes |
| 2008 | American Masters | Himself | Episode: "You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story" |
| 2009 | For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism | Himself | |
| 2010 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | Guest Expert | 5 episodes |
| The View | Himself | 1 episode | |
| TCM Guest Programmer | Himself | Episode: "U.S. Critics" | |
| Up To The Minute | Guest Film Critic | 1 episode | |
| 2011 | The Early Show | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2013–2016 | Jeopardy! | Video Clue Presenter | 5 episodes |
| 2014 | Life Itself | Himself | |
| CBS This Morning | Himself | 3 episodes | |
| 2015 | Remembering David Carr | Himself | |
| 2016 | PBS NewsHour | Himself | 1 episode |
| Generation X | Himself | 2 episodes | |
| 2017 | Spielberg | Himself | |
| 2021 | WTF with Marc Maron | Himself | Episode: "A.O. Scott" |
| Media offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Chief film critic ofThe New York Times (withManohla Dargis) 2000–2023 | Succeeded by Manohla Dargis |
