In this edition of Lon Harris’ weekly Passionfruit column, we’re exploring CriticGate—aka, the recent viral discourse surrounding the blurred distinctions between critics, reviewers, fans, journalists, and MovieTok creators.
A New York Times piece that ran on Tuesday compares conventional critics with “MovieTok” creators, the community of popular and widely-viewed movie fans and influencers on TikTok. In the piece, by pop culture reporter Reggie Ugwu, a number of MovieTok personalities draw purposeful distinctions between the kind of work they do and the more traditional reviews posted by professional writers and film critics.
Virginia Tech senior Maddi Koch, who draws millions of viewers to her film discussion clips, says she doesn’t see herself “in that light” when asked if she’s a movie critic.
21-year-old self-described “reviewer” Cameron Kozak also denies that he’s a critic. “When you read a critic’s review, it almost sounds like a computer wrote it,” Kozak told the Times. “But when you have someone on TikTok who you watch every day and you know their voice and what they like, there’s something personal that people can connect to.”
31-year-old Bryan Lucious, who has over 380,000 followers on his TikTok, said that he doesn’t trust film critics. “They watch movies and are just looking for something to critique,” he said, while “fans watch movies looking for entertainment.”
There really are some very clear distinctions between what people on MovieTok do and conventional film criticism and analysis—the kind you might read in, say, “The New York Times.” The piece draws attention to one of the key differences between MovieTokers and film critics: sponsorships and brand deals. But there are many many more distinctions to be drawn between traditional film critics and the work being done on MovieTok. …