The Jeff Bridges movie ruined by the studio: “I think they really screwed up”
Throughout the history of Hollywood, many films have been butchered by studio executives who know nothing about filmmaking, forcing directors to make strange editing decisions and script changes that don’t work in favour of the story. Whether it be the tragic story of Hal Ashby or the nonsensical suggestions given to Kathryn Bigelow at the start of her career, creative conflict has become one of the biggest disruptions in the film business, with producers and directors clashing over decisions that can make or break the film.
While some form of friction is sometimes conducive to making good art, there are many cases in which disagreements over the final cut can lead a story to completely crumble apart, with Jeff Bridges describing one film from his filmography that was destroyed through the pesky interference of the studio heads.
Bridges is an icon of contemporary cinema, with the actor becoming a Hollywood legend after roles in films like The Big Lebowski, The Fisher King, The Last Picture Show and True Grit. But he has been in the business long enough to bear witness to many huge changes in the way that the industry is run, starting out at a time when most of the insidious behaviour was more discreet and widely accepted, now working in a new era in which Hollywood claims to be better and completely detached from their messy past.
However, Bridges had a recent experience in the industry that would perhaps lead him to argue differently, with the actor starring in one 2013 film alongside Ryan Reynolds that was obliterated by critics, claiming that the project could have had a very different fate had the suits not meddled with it during post-production.
R.I.P.D., directed by Robert Schwentke, follows a recently murdered cop who joins a group of undead police officers who work for the Rest in Peace Department, trying to find the man who murdered him. With a star-studded cast and narrative that follows in the footsteps of many loved action movies, such as Men in Black, you could predict that it would be resounding success. However, this was not the case, and Bridges revealed an insight into the production of the film that points towards its surprising failure.
When asked if he would star in another comedic film on Reddit, Bridges said, “Another comedy? Well, the comedic aspects are in most movies I do, I think. I did R.I.P.D. which came out not too long ago, and that was a comedy. I think they really screwed up the editing of the movie, we had a wonderful time making it, with Ryan Reynolds. Wonderful time working with the director. But the suits just cut it against the grain, and I thought, screwed it up. But it’s got some funny parts in it”.
As an actor, there must be nothing more infuriating than feeling proud of a piece of work only to see it ripped apart and not holding up to your experience of shooting it. While it might have been poorly received, perhaps the only thing to do is block out the final product and cling onto the version shot inside your head.
