The fact that The Three Stooges is doing nicely at the box-office and that many of the hipper, more perceptive, free-of-spirit critics have given this Farrelly Bros. farce a thumbs-up tells me that naysayers aren’t seeing the forest for the trees. I think we’re going to see some 2001-style mea culpas down the road. Boston Herald critic James Verniere notes that “hipsters are turning their noses up at this film…but these same poseurs think the Stooges ripoff Jackass is just brilliant.”
A rundown of Stooges supporters with review links: N.Y. Times critic Manohla Dargis, New York‘s David Edelstein, The Hollywood Reporter‘s Todd McCarthy, myself, Variety‘s Peter Debruge, MCN’s David Poland, Slant‘s Jaime Christley, L.A. Times critic Betsy Sharkey, Boston Globe‘s Wesley Morris, Movieline‘s Stephanie Zacharek, Indiewire‘s Leonard Maltin, Verniere, and, last but not least, Entertainment Weekly‘s Owen Gleiberman.
