Turan Gets It Wrong--Again

Anyone who reads Kenneth Turan’s film reviews on a regular basis knows that the man is an ignorant boob who wouldn’t know a good film if it bit him on the butt. So, it didn’t really surprise me when he panned the new Merchant-Ivory production, “Jefferson in Paris.” Why shouldn’t he? After all, he also wrote less-than-glowing reviews of “Forrest Gump,” “Tom & Viv,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “The Shawshank Redemption.”

OK, granted, everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. But when Turan writes that he can’t understand “why anyone thought the five years (Jefferson) spent in France’s capital . . . would make an engrossing film,” he is only proving just what an ignorant boob he is. Hey, Kenneth, just because you don’t see the merits of a historical drama doesn’t make it any less interesting for those of us who have actually studied the life and accomplishments of Thomas Jefferson.

It’s becoming more and more apparent that Turan has neither the intelligence nor the insight to understand quality filmmaking. Maybe he should stick to reviewing films like “Tank Girl” and “Man of the House.” To paraphrase Forrest Gump, “Stupid is as stupid reviews.”

JOHN McELLIGOTT JR.

Fullerton