Megalopolis Trailer Pulled After Viewers Notice Odd Critics’ Quotes

Lionsgate recently withdrew the trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded film, Megalopolis, after it was discovered that it contained fabricated quotes from well-known film critics.

The trailer, released on Wednesday, showcased harsh critiques supposedly from some of the industry’s most renowned critics about Coppola’s past films. Notable names were quoted delivering cutting reviews, which upon closer inspection, turned out to be falsified.

For instance, Pauline Kael of The New Yorker was cited as describing The Godfather as “diminished by its artsiness,” while Andrew Sarris of Village Voice was quoted calling it a “sloppy self-indulgent movie.” However, Bilge Ebiri from Vulture soon highlighted that these quotes were not found in the original reviews.

Additionally, the trailer falsely claimed that Roger Ebert described Bram Stoker’s Dracula as “a triumph of style over substance.” In reality, this quote belongs to Ebert’s review of the 1989 film Batman. Ebert had quite the opposite opinion of Dracula, stating, “The movie is an exercise in feverish excess, and for that if for little else, I enjoyed it.”

Similarly, Rex Reed of Daily News was misrepresented as having called Apocalypse Now “an epic piece of trash,” although he never actually used such language in his critiques of the film.

Responding to the backlash regarding these misleading quotes, Lionsgate decided to pull the trailer and issued an apology. “Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for Megalopolis,” the company stated. “We offer our sincere apologies to the critics involved and to Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope for this inexcusable error in our vetting process.”

The company conceded, “We screwed up. We are sorry.”

Even Owen Gleiberman of Variety, another critic featured in the trailer, expressed his displeasure. “Even if you’re one of those people who don’t like critics, we hardly deserve to have words put in our mouths,” he remarked. “The trivial scandal of all this is that the whole Megalopolis trailer is built on a false narrative.”

Ebiri questioned the marketing decision to fabricate quotes. “Yes, Coppola has built a career on films that perplex some critics and audiences when they first come out but are eventually revealed to be visionary works of art,” Ebiri stated. “And, yes, Megalopolis will be a divisive movie.”

He continued, “Taking on critics might be an exciting and cathartic marketing tactic, but I suspect Megalopolis will need critics championing it when it actually comes out. Making up fake quotes from our heroes is probably not the best way to get us on your side.”

The Independent reached out to Lionsgate for further comment on the issue.

Despite the controversy, Megalopolis made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received mixed reviews. The film is scheduled to release in theaters this September. Geoffrey Macnab from The Independent gave the film a three-star rating, describing it as “deeply flawed and very eccentric.”

Megalopolis features an ensemble cast led by Adam Driver, who plays Cesar, an artist-inventor with dreams of a utopian metropolis, clashing with the city’s mayor, portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito. The film also stars Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, and Dustin Hoffman.

In analyzing Coppola’s work, Macnab noted the director’s struggles with securing funding for Megalopolis, a film produced over several decades. “It was as if the Hollywood executives were looking for payback for all those past occasions when Coppola had criticized their way of doing business or when he had taken their money and produced a box-office turkey,” he remarked, referencing past films like the romantic musical One from the Heart and the biopic Tucker: The Man and His Dream.

The director has also faced accusations of inappropriate behavior on set, including allegations of “pulling women to sit on his lap” and “trying to kiss some of the topless and scantily-clad female extras.” Coppola has denied these allegations, stating, “My mother told me that if you make an advance towards a woman, it means you disrespect her, and the girls I had crushes on, I certainly didn’t disrespect them.” He added, “I’m not touchy-feely. I’m too shy.”

As Megalopolis moves closer to its release, it remains to be seen how the film will be received post-controversy and whether it will find a place among Coppola’s celebrated works.

Source: The Independent, Vulture, Variety