David Ayer Has the Perfect Response to Scathing ‘Bright’ Review

To say that the reviews for David Ayer’s Bright have been polarizing would be an understatement. The critical responses to Netflix‘s first legitimate blockbuster are all over the map.

Variety’s review called the film the studio’s best work to-date. Indiewire’s David Erlich on the other hand, claimed that Bright was the worst movie of the entire year, and spent most of his review tearing the film apart.

Having directed the critically-panned Suicide Squad, Ayer has learned how to deal with the harshest of feedback, and he proved that by responding to Ehrlich on Twitter in the absolute perfect manner.

“This is going on my fridge,” Ayer said in a reply to Ehrlich’s review. “Highest compliment is a strong reaction either way. This is a f*cking epic review. It’s a big fun movie. You sure can string words together Mr. Ehrlich. I’d love to read any script you’ve written.”

This response can be taken one of two ways. On the surface, this seems like a response of nothing but gratitude, with Ayer genuinely happy that Ehrlich took the time to write this review. On the other, it seems like Ayer is slyly taking down the critic with his words. To some, it looks as though those last two sentences basically say, “You really know how to use your words to bash others, but could you put them together to make a well-thought out, emotional film script? Probably not.”

It’s unclear which of these points Ayer was going for, which actually makes this the perfect response. He gets bashed by a critic, he makes an intelligent statement that isn’t volatile or whiny, and he manages to get multiple points across.

Either way you take it, the exchange between the two continued to be respectful. Ehrlich responded to Ayer’s statement by saying, “You’re a good man, mr. Ayer. I’ll be waiting with fresh eyes for whatever comes next.”

Ayer then quoted that tweet and said, “I really appreciate that. Every movie is a labor of love for me. I’ve never chased the audience, and I know my work can be polarizing. I’ve lived a crazy love and I guess my movies reflect that.”

We will all get our chance to see Bright for ourselves when the film is released on Netflix this Friday.