Did bad reviews cause Darren Aronofsky & Jennifer Lawrence’s breakup?

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I’m still amused that Jennifer Lawrence is really doing this – she’s really waging the most high-profile Oscar campaign out of all the potential “Best Actress” nominees. Saoirse Ronan, Emma Stone, Margot Robbie – they’re all campaigning, for sure, but the way J-Law is going out there, you would think that she has the most acclaimed performance of the year for ‘mother!’ (hint: she does not). Anyway, Variety put J-Law with Adam Sandler for their “Actor on Actor” series, which they do in lieu of the more standard “actor roundtable” discussion. Sandler is getting buzz – ?? – for Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories. The section of their discussion which is getting the most attention is the part where they talk about fame, reading reviews, and all of that. (I’m including the full video at the end of the post.)

J-Law on whether she reads the reviews of her films: “Only when they’re good. No, I don’t. Normally, I promote a movie, you put the work in to promoting it, ask people to go see it, and then it’s just kind of out of your hands. I normally just kind of let it go. Dating the director was different, because we’d be on the tour together. I’d come back to the hotel, and the last thing I want to talk about or think about is a movie. He comes back from the tour, and that’s all he wants to talk about. I get it; it’s his baby. He wrote it; he conceived it; he directed it. I was doing double duty trying to be supportive partner while also being like, “Can I please, for the love of God, not think about ‘Mother!’ for one second.” And then he would start reading me reviews, and I finally was like, “It’s not healthy. I’m not going to do it, because if I read it, I start getting defensive.” Especially because it’s my man. I don’t want to sound in an interview that I’m defending what we’re doing in any way. It’s awesome, what we did. The people who hate it really hate it. But it’s nothing that needs to be defended. If I read a negative review, I just feel defensive.

J-Law on the negative critical response to ‘mother!’: “It’s so bizarre, because you’re so in the zone. You put your whole soul and body — you move to shoot a movie, you do all of this. You love it, obviously. You wouldn’t be there if you didn’t love it. And then people just destroy it. It sucks.

J-Law on Googling herself: “You know what I realized with Googling myself? I went on a little tangent a few days ago. Everybody was giving me compliments about [hosting for Jimmy] Kimmel. So I was like, this is a safe time to be bored and Google myself, right? And I was only reading positive things. I probably just Googled “I love Jennifer Lawrence.” It was all positive, and I got slammed with anxiety. It’s not healthy to realize how many people are actually looking and listening to you. That is such a mind f–k.

[From Variety]

This is being billed as our long-awaited answer to why Jennifer and Darren Aronofsky split: bad reviews, and his inability to stop reading reviews out loud. I think they probably broke up for many other reasons, but I’m sure that didn’t help, especially because so many critics were like “WTF is this movie?” As for the way Jen deals with reviews and criticism… she sounds very honest and self-aware. That’s her brand, obviously, but I really believe it in this situation, that she gets anxiety either way, good or bad, just because she doesn’t like to think about the scope of her fame.

Here’s the full video:

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty, cover courtesy of Variety.

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22 Responses to “Did bad reviews cause Darren Aronofsky & Jennifer Lawrence’s breakup?”

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  1. gabe66 says:

    the meyerowitz stories was actually really good, he deserves the buzz.

  2. Neelyo says:

    They wouldn’t be the first couple undone by a negative critical response.

    Though usually the demise doesn’t follow so quickly after the reviews.

  3. HH says:

    RE: “It’s not healthy to realize how many people are actually looking and listening to you.”

    I can totally believe that, particularly when celebrities say some not-so-great things. They seem surprised at the backlash, not simply because people didn’t like what they said, but because so many people respond. The sheer wave of attention catches them off guard.

    On a related note, I’m actually just getting tuckered out on social media in general. I’m not sure if I’m going to delete my accounts or just minimize usage. I’m envious of people that never started (except the ones that act pretentious about it-UGH!).

    • Rose says:

      I quit Facebook over a year ago and haven’t regretted it for one second, do it! I was never on Twitter, i just never ‘got it’, i can’t read the thread, i couldn’t understand who was talking to who. I’m having trouble cutting down on Instagram though. Ugh.

      • Lynnie says:

        I highly recommend a social media hiatus HH! Especially if your busy, all the other stuff you would be doing would eventually mask the fact that you’re not sitting down scrolling. It’s very refreshing too.

        @Rose I totally agree with you about Twitter. I liked the Insta version of Twitter where they would screenshot funny memes and relevant tweets, but now the inundation of all those “The time I did _____ threads” are starting to get on my last nerve. As for cutting down on the app itself I find logging out of the app helps a lot. Especially if you disable the one-step login feature. Having that initial barrier I find helps disrupt the mindless scrolling mindset I get in when I want to go on the app, and forces me to focus on some more engaging.

      • HH says:

        Thanks for the feedback. I don’t know anyone that has regretted it, which is a good sign. I think I’m gonna go with deleting the app off my phone and cutting down on friends. I know this may seem harsh, but I don’t TRULY care about that many people’s lives. I mean that in the sense of wanting to know what’s going on. I just don’t need to know the happenings and whereabouts of 100+ people.

    • Gr8kayt says:

      I deleted Facebook seven years ago. I was one of the “originals” on it, way back when the only people who could have it had to have a valid college email. But seven years ago, a coworker approached me (I was 24 years old, he was in his 40’s) and told me he heard I was “talking shit” about him on my Facebook page. Um, what? It wasn’t true, but he didn’t care, and he threatened to choke me to death over it. I figured if I was getting death threats over untrue gossip, than social media wasn’t worth my time or effort. Deleted! Maybe once a year I think to myself t would be nice to have, to check in with old friends, but fuck it. When I read that people can get addicted to it, I’m glad I don’t have it.

  4. Nicole says:

    *sigh* okay then I barely believe half of what she says these days but I sorta buy this. How she ended up with someone every knew was THIS into his own work is beyond me.
    Can she exit stage left until next year now? She’s nowhere near any awards buzz and I would rather read an interview from the more likely contenders.

  5. Mia4s says:

    It’s not the reason but it gives us a hint. My guess is she was able to move past the negative reviews or at least shake them off. He on the other hand seems obsessed and genuinely outraged that the world didn’t tremble at his brilliance. She seems a bit more “Eh. Whatever.” Not a great match.

    The funniest thing is the reviews were not universally terrible and he’s still obsessed. It has 68% positive on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s not spectacular, but far from the worst. Calm down Darren.

  6. Maggie says:

    I’m more interested in the Richard Jenkins/ Laurie Metcalf interview! I bet that’s pretty good.

  7. Lynnie says:

    Whatever the reason I’m just glad she’s out. Dude was bad news.

  8. Louise177 says:

    I disagree that they broke up over reviews. Actually why does there have to be a reason? Sometimes relationship just end naturally. I don’t think Jennifer/the studio think she’s a front runner but are trying to make a buzz. I know the movie was panned but what about Jennifer’s performance? Sometimes good performances in mediocre movies get nominations.

  9. Margo S. says:

    I’m still not a fan of hers. I’m not trying to hate on my fellow woman. You do you! I just don’t think she’s very kind.

    • Juliette says:

      Just thinking the same thing. I liked her for a while but she has really rubbed me the wrong way the past while. She seems like a very unpleasant person and highly problematic to be in a relationship with. Don’t know what it is but I am pretty much over her. Talented but seems like a pain in arse.

      • Nicole says:

        I’m at this point too. I used to be into her because she seemed so relatable. Now I find her saying more and more things that are just offensive. I would get tired fast

  10. Bridget says:

    J Law actually has a chance, considering the way that the nominating system works. It’s a love it or hate it Movie, and the people that love really loved it and think that she’s phenomenal. To get nominated for an Oscar, the voter ranks their top 5, and then the actresses who are given the most “1s” are counted, and those who meet a minimum # of “1” votes are nominated. Then it goes down to “2s”, and with some of the ballots with the fewest “1” vote getters re-assigned. So it’s actually better to have people really love it and feel passionate about a work vs being everyone’s agreed #4 or 5.

    Also, I kind of wondered if her and Aronofsky were an Emperor’s New Clothes situation, where she saw the reaction and realized that he was a hack. Because that’s the lure of someone like him, “he’s a a genius”.

  11. Veronica says:

    I mean, sure, why not? That’s the danger of mixing your professional and personal life. Disappointments in the “office” can follow you home. I’m sure the age difference didn’t help, either.

  12. Linda says:

    I have been off Facebook for 3 years. Best decision. I tell friends if they want to know what is happening in my life they could always talk to me in person or if distance is involved by phone.

  13. Mina says:

    No, bad reviews didn’t split them up. Darren Aronofsky’s obsessive, annoying personality did. I’m glad Jennifer wouldn’t put up with it anymore.

  14. Jane2222 says:

    J-Law isn’t going to win anything for Mother (just like Emma Stone is out of the race for Battle of the Sexes), but she is very good in it – playing a radically different type of character than she has previously. It should put paid to the sexist stuff that used to surface on this board and elsewhere, claiming that her reputation was all hype.