Jerry Seinfeld says movies have lost their relevance in culture and society.
The comic actor, 69, speaking with gq magazine On Monday, while promoting his feature directorial debut with the Netflix film Unfrosted, he reflected on what he felt was a lost relevance in Hollywood amid less impact with his current slate of big-screen offerings.
“Film does not occupy the pinnacle of the social and cultural hierarchy that it did for most of our lives,” the Brooklyn, New York, native said. ‘When a movie came out, if it was good, we all went to see it. We all discuss it. We quote lines and scenes that we liked.
“Now we’re walking through a fire hose, just trying to see.”
The Emmy-winning star said she feels “confusion” and “disorientation” have “replaced the movie business,” citing her personal interactions with people in the entertainment industry.
Jerry Seinfeld, 69, said he felt Hollywood has less of an impact on society and culture with its current film offerings. Photographed last month on The Tonight Show.
The comedy superstar said he feels that “cinema does not occupy the pinnacle in the social and cultural hierarchy that it occupied for most of our lives.”
The Seinfeld star said: “Everyone I know in show business, every day, says, ‘What’s going on?’ How do you do this? “What are we supposed to do now?”
Seinfeld plays Bob Cabana in the biopic about the creation of Pop-Tart in the early 1960s.
He is joined in the period piece by several stars, including Amy Schumer, Christian Slater, Hugh Grant, Sarah Cooper, Peter Dinklage, Jim Gaffigan, Fred Armisen, Bill Burr and Melissa McCarthy, among others.
Seinfeld said of the filmmaking process: “It was totally new to me. I thought I had done some interesting things, but it was nothing like the way these people work. They are so serious!
‘They have no idea that the movie business is over. They have no idea.
Seinfeld said he has “done enough things” in his career to have “his own thing” separate from the movie business, “which is more valuable than ever.”
Seinfeld spoke about the contemporary state of comedy, where he began.
“Stand-up is like you’re a cabinetmaker and everyone needs a guy who’s good with wood,” he said. ‘There are trees everywhere, but making a nice table is not that easy. So the metaphor is that if you have good craftsmanship and skill, you are somewhat immune to the vagaries of the industry.’
The iconic artist will debut his film directorial debut with the Netflix film Unfrosted.
Seinfeld plays Bob Cabana in the biopic about the creation of Pop-Tart in the early 1960s.
Seinfeld appears in a scene alongside his co-stars Jim Gaffigan, Fred Armisen and Melissa McCarthy.
Seinfeld said that “modern audiences now flock to stand-up because it’s something you can’t fake,” while other facets of entertainment have a production sheen about them.
“It’s like jumping off a platform,” Seinfeld said. ‘You could say you’re a platform diver, but in two seconds we can see if you are or not. That’s what people like about stand-up. You can trust it. Everything else is false.”
Seinfeld’s comments sparked a series of lively responses on social media, both for and against his message.
One user commented: ‘Oh yes. One of the greatest authors of cinema… Jerry Seinfeld from the movie Bee…’
Another asked: ‘So why did you make a movie about Poptarts?’ I certainly don’t think I’m going to revive them with that compelling theme.”
One user said that while they “love” Jerry Seinfeld, his view of contemporary cinema “is so wrong” that summer blockbuster Barbie “single-handedly kills this argument.”
The user added: ‘If anything, thanks to social media, movies dominate the world more than ever. The money movies make these days is staggering. And many iconic films have been released in this century alone.”
Seinfeld’s comments sparked a series of lively responses on social media, both for and against his message.
Another user with experience teaching and studying film said he agreed with Seinfeld on his point, citing changes in film in the four years since the coronavirus pandemic.
“The last ‘cultural wave’ movie I can name is ‘Avengers: Endgame,'” the user said. “I don’t see anything so pervasive in the new post-Covid culture.”
One user noted that “Jerry Seinfeld might be right” in his thoughts on the film industry, pointing to the proliferation of popular franchises and other factors.
‘When you have business suits and middlemen saturating the industry, blowing budgets, never taking risks, and just rehashing old intellectual properties… what did you expect to happen?’ said the user.
The user continued: ‘At the same time movies are being made by the same writers increasingly interested in what message or activism they can put in the media instead of a good story.
‘People complain about AI, but maybe it will open up some opportunities for new people to come in and create stories like before. Plus, it makes it easier to create something of higher quality on a smaller budget.’
Unfrosted will debut on Netflix on May 3.