Is it such a crime to be beautiful and talented? Let’s ask the audience! If we’re polling Twitter, the answer would seem to be a resounding “Yes,” based on the response to because I wanted to see just how ridiculously bad Hollywood’s portrayal of Fox News would be, not because of Kidman herself. Not even a double bill of Kidman and Meryl “Minaj” Streep could get me to watch The Prom!
The echo chamber of social media has made people confuse being a flop actor with making bold, fun, and committed career choices. I appreciate that Margot Robbie gets a film script, reads it, and says to herself, “This is going to be absolute dogshit—where do I sign?” In fact, I think actors today are too careful, spending their time curating their careers so as not to get on the public’s bad side.
Margot Robbie may be stunningly beautiful (as so many have noted in their criticisms), but she is not afraid of a totally weird choice. Mary, Queen of Scots? A Tonya Harding biopic done documentary-confessional-style by the guy who directed the movie about Ryan Gosling falling in love with a mannequin? A Tarzan movie?! Give some credit where it’s due: Margot Robbie’s got some stinkers, but at least she’s interesting.
There’s a better case to be made about why no one’s running to see Babylon. That no one knows what the damn movie is about seems like a large hurdle. And maybe people—including the beloved, beautiful entertainment critic you’re reading right now—don’t feel swayed to pay $20 to watch three hours of this year’s millionth hedonistic ode to Hollywood’s golden age. That just simply does not scream holiday cheer.
So, no, Margot Robbie is not a flop. She’s just taking big swings, and whether she strikes out or hits a homer is none of her concern. If she’s earned herself any criticism, it’s that she should be taken to task for signing on to Amsterdam, a film made by a confessed abuser—ironically perpetuating the same systems of power that Bombshell so prided itself on thinking it was dismantling. That’s something I will happily chide her for. Well, that and the heightened New Jersey accent her characters always seem to have. Mark my words: When Barbie rides her pink convertible to the top of the box office in six months, the fickle conversation will sway in Robbie’s favor once more.
