Director Tom Hooper is probably hoping that 2019 comes to a close ASAP. This year has not been kind to him or his most recent film, “Cats.” After a trailer turned into the source of a million jokes and memes, the finished product (well, almost finished) was released to critics and fans and was savaged right away. But no matter what, Hooper has one defender — Jason Derulo.
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Speaking to TMZ, Derulo, who plays the singing feline Rum Tum Tugger in the film, was asked about the critical reception that “Cats” has received thus far. (The film currently sits at a shockingly bad 18% on Rotten Tomatoes.) And Derulo doesn’t just defend the film, but he also takes jabs at the reviewers because he believes that those critics shouldn’t be the arbiters of good taste.
“Reviews don’t matter,” he said. “At the end of the day, people are going to see it as a deportation to another dimension.”
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Obviously, Derulo, who stars in the film, thinks “Cats” is pretty great. You wouldn’t expect anything less from an actor starring in the film (unless you’re James Corden). The singer-turned-actor went on to describe why the film is great and why people shouldn’t listen to reviewers.
“It’s an incredible piece of art by some of the best people in the world,” Derulo said. “I’m just excited for people to actually see it because reviewers, what the hell do they know? Have they ever made a film in their life?”
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We’ve seen the whole “reviewers don’t know what they’re talking about” and “this is for the fans” defenses before when big films turn into bombs, but Derulo definitely takes a more antagonistic approach to that argument. Clearly, judging by box office results through the first week, the average moviegoer seems to agree with the overall critical consensus.