Harvey Weinstein Defends ‘Tulip Fever,’ Says Alicia Vikander’s Mom’s Friend & Famous Authors Like It

Tomorrow will finally see the release of “Tulip Fever,” The Weinstein Company‘s long delayed movie that’s about boobs or something. The movie has become something of a punching bag, acting a prime example of what happens when Harvey Weinstein has no idea what to do with a film. Well, the super producer must’ve felt the sting from the comments flying around the internet, because he’s penned an op-ed for Deadline defending the film.

READ MORE: ‘Tulip Fever’ NSFW Clips: The Weinstein Company Sell Long Delayed Movie With Nudity

While he doesn’t address why his classy movie featuring no shortage of marquee names —  Alicia Vikander, Dane DeHaan, Christoph Waltz, Holliday Grainger, Jack O’Connell, Zach Galifianakis, Dame Judi Dench, Matthew Morrison, Tom Hollander, Cara Delevingne — needed a pretty grotesque, last minute, nudity filled marketing campaign, he does say that all of his famous author friends liked the movie. And Alicia Vikander’s Mom’s friend. So there. Here’s an excerpt from his column:

It’s easy for some writers to focus on a delay and be snarky, and that’s fine because snarky can be entertaining. But as a result, we decided to do something different — we decided to test the film with novelists who didn’t know about the post-production story of Tulip Fever, and we were more than vindicated with their positive reactions. Philippa Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl) said it was “beautifully filmed with a stellar cast that takes you to the atmospheric streets of Amsterdam at the height of the madness of ‘tulip fever’ when a single bulb could cost a fortune and a flower was worth more than a woman’s happiness.” Sally Bedell Smith (Diana In Search of Herself: Portrait Of A Troubled Princess) said it was “thoroughly suspenseful, stunningly filmed and beautifully acted.” Daniel James Brown (The Boys In The Boat) said he “was fully engaged right from the get-go, and [his] interest never flagged.” Anthony Doerr, Dan Jones, Jodi Picoult, Emma Donoghue and ML Stedman all had just as wonderful things to say about the film.

Last night I attended a screening of the film hosted by Tina Brown, Arianna Huffington, Martha Stewart and Robbie Myers. We had the likes of Julie Taymor, Daniel Silva (author of the Gabriel Allon series), Nelson DeMille (author of too many bestsellers to mention), Nanette Lepore, Cynthia Rowley, Trudie Styler, and Jennifer Morrison there. I spoke to the audience before the film — I was honest and let them know about the history of the movie but I asked them to have an open mind. Right after it finished, people were coming over to tell me how much they enjoyed the film. I know they meant it because believe me, I pressed them. No, they weren’t telling me that it’s Citizen Kane or Shakespeare In Love, but they loved the performances, the cinematography, the costumes, the twists and turns, and enjoyed it for the film it is. I’m sure that the critics will have their fun with it, but I’m proud of this movie, as is the rest of the team behind it. Tom Hollander wrote me an email immediately after he saw the final cut saying, “It’s great. Terrific cast, beautifully shot and great nuanced story. I realise you must have been round the houses with it all this time. But what you have now is really great. I am proud to be in it.” Alicia Vikander also reached out to tell me that her mom’s friend gave her a rare call just to tell her how much she enjoyed it.

It would be cool if Weinstein had some actual critical notices to back him too, but he doesn’t because all the reviews are embargoed until tomorrow afternoon — that’s right, the day “Tulip Fever” opens.