Movie Critic Who Called Melissa McCarthy ‘Obese Hippo’ Comes Under Fire For Another Shocking Film Review

In 2013, a movie critic earned his place in film criticism history by using a movie review to attack the beloved comedy actress Melissa McCarthy. Film critics often dislike movies and make it clear in their reviews — that’s the name of the film criticism game. But Rex Reed didn’t just target a film, Identity Thief. He channeled his hostility at Melissa as a person, infamously calling her a “hippo” and slamming her weight, reported Today.

“[Melissa McCarthy is] a gimmick comedian who has devoted her short career to being obese and obnoxious with equal success.”

Reed later refused to apologize, telling Us Weekly that it wasn’t a personal attack at McCarthy. To those who accused Rex of fat-shaming Melissa, he contended that he was attempting to attack the concept that obesity is humorous. The film critic insisted that “every” obese comic who had joked about weight died from problems ranging from heart disease to diabetes.

As for going too far in calling McCarthy “tractor-sized,” a “female hippo,” and “screeching, humongous creep,” the movie critic defended his comments about “Melissa McCarthy’s obesity, which I consider about as amusing as cancer.” Although the negative response to that review continued, Reed continued to refuse to back down and retract any of his comments about Melissa’s weight.

Film Critic Confuses Mexico With Spain, Labels Mute Character As ‘Mentally Handicapped’

And although Reed was criticized for months for that crushing film review, he’s back and raising eyebrows with yet another he-said-what type of movie criticism, pointed out the Mary Sue.

Rex chose to review The Shape of Water, and his way with words is causing shock waves among readers. The 79-year-old referred to Benicio del Toro’s The Shape of Water. However, the director is Guillermo del Toro. In addition to getting the name wrong, Reed referred to the director, who is from Mexico, as from Spain.

Oh, and, apparently, Benecio (sic) is from Spain.Which, obviously, I am not.

— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) December 20, 2017

But it’s the critic’s comment about a character who is mute that some regard as the most shocking.

“Reed refers to Sally Hawkin’s character as ‘mentally handicapped,’ when in fact she is mute. She is also not a ‘pathetic girl’ or a ‘defective creature’ as Reed writes.”

Readers of the review headed to Twitter to voice their outrage.

Twitter Lights Up With Reactions To Rex Reed: ‘Fire Him’

Some Twitter users questioned whether Rex had actually seen the entire film, noting that plot points were missing or erroneous. And while the comments about the mute character drew the most wrath from the social media platform, others focused on urging that he be fired. One person pleaded that the review be edited to correct the errors in the plot, name of the director, genre, and what some interpreted as sexist comments.

“Surely a publication of your size can afford to hit the edit button and fix this micro-aggressive, racist, sexist, ableist review, right?”

One Twitter user pointed out that a Google search would serve to avoid the errors.

No, this sentence isn't dripping with classism, why do you ask? pic.twitter.com/NnbGCCOsTs

— Nathan (@Humanstein) December 20, 2017

To those who wonder if Reed ever has anything positive to write about any person or film, he did offer up one relatively kind comment. Rex opined that The Shape of Water is “not as stupid and pointless as that other critically overrated piece of junk Get Out.”

Melissa McCarthy’s Comeback To Being Called Hippo

Back in 2013, a few months after Reed’s “hippo” comments about Melissa McCarthy went viral, Melissa offered up her reaction to the film critic, reported E News.

McCarthy admitted that she was baffled that the movie editor had approved Rex’s fat-shaming remarks because his comments focused on her body shape and size rather than her acting skills. Moreover, Melissa stated that she pitied the film critic.

“I felt really bad for someone who is swimming in so much hate.”

Theorizing that Reed must be in a “really bad spot” to call her such names, McCarthy described herself as in “such a happy spot.” She said that she laughs daily with her husband and children.

As the Inquisitr reported, Melissa recently became a celebrity weight loss winner. McCarthy used the same ketogenic weight loss diet as Kim Kardashian, shedding 75 pounds with the high fat, low-carb keto diet. Melissa eats moderate amounts of protein, such as turkey and fish; non-starchy vegetables, such as asparagus and lettuce; and a variety of foods high in fat, such as avocado, coconut oil, and nuts. She also exercises.