Critical ‘Nuns’ Review Angered Fox, Siskel Says

Film critic Gene Siskel said today 20th Century Fox suggested that he and fellow critic Roger Ebert “went over the edge” in criticizing the Fox film “Nuns on the Run.”

The studio has indefinitely banned the pair from screening previews of its films after they panned the movie.

“They’re accusing us of not having a sense of humor and I’m accusing them of not having one,” Siskel said on the CBS-TV program “CBS This Morning.” “They are suggesting we went over the edge, but we did take the film seriously.”

Siskel, a Chicago Tribune film critic, and Ebert, a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, were guests last week on the “Live--Regis & Kathie Lee” television show and panned the Fox movie by saying it didn’t contain a single laugh.

“If you can find a laugh in this film, I’ll give you a shiny new dime for every one,” Ebert said. “And you’ll not become a rich man.”

What really caused the Fox fur to fly was when Ebert held up a newspaper ad for the movie with a quote from the Village Voice calling it “the funniest anti-clerical transvestite comedy of the decade.”

“I know you’re a very clever man--I wonder if you can spot the fallacy,” Ebert quipped.

“How many others have there been?” Siskel asked.

“Yes, this is 1990. How many other transvestite, anti-clerical comedies have there been so far in this decade?” Ebert continued.

“I’m sure the (Village Voice) critic meant it as a joke and it was a launching point for our discussion of the film,” Siskel said.

Siskel and Ebert said they would still review Fox movies on their syndicated television show. The only difference will be that viewers will not be able to see the film clips.

What will they do without the clips?

“Maybe we’ll act out the parts,” Siskel said.