In this age of PG-13 MCU domination at the box office, making a hard-R comic book film could be considered a fairly risky bet. To counteract that line of thinking, Fox has spent the last few months absolutely bombarding the masses with promotional materials for its new Ryan Reynolds-fronted super anti-hero romp, Deadpool, with often hilarious results. Deadpool truly seems like the role Reynolds was born to play, and someone who clearly agrees with that assessment is comedy legend Betty White.
I love @VancityReynolds…here are a few of my thoughts about his new movie #Deadpool.https://t.co/9Bkz9DpyF0— Betty White (@BettyMWhite) February 11, 2016
White took to Twitter today to offer her own mini-review of Deadpool, one in which the 94-year-old TV icon refers to the film as “glorious” and calls it the “best picture of the year.” She also extols the virtues of seeing Ryan Reynolds in a leather suit, unleashes some choice profanity, and awards Deadpool the coveted(?) rating of four Golden Girls. Considering Deadpool’s well-known love for that classic sitcom, it’s likely that the Merc with a Mouth grinned from ear to ear upon learning of White’s endorsement.
And that very special endorsement is in keeping with Deadpool’s cheeky, self-referential, and sometimes profane marketing that has felt less like outright advertising and more like an extension of the film itself. Here, the idea of a “little old lady” being keen on the film’s hunky leading man, while also peppering her “review” with irreverent hyperbole acts as one final declaration of the film’s tone before it finally hits theaters.
Of course, Betty White is not the only admirer of Deadpool’s foray into theaters, as review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has officially certified the movie as fresh. As of this writing, Deadpool holds an 81 percent rating on the site, with 93 reviews out of 114 being positive. The critics consensus reads: “Fast, funny, and gleefully profane, the fourth-wall-busting Deadpool subverts superhero film formula with wildly entertaining – and decidedly non-family-friendly – results.” To put that number in perspective, 8 out of the 12 currently released MCU films have lower aggregate scores, including 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron and 2013’s Iron Man 3.
With the hype reaching a fever pitch and the critics now on-board, the stars seem to be aligning for Deadpool’s chances to reach classic status among both Marvel movies and comic book films across the board. Its humor may be low brow, and its violence over-the-top, but that doesn’t look to have stopped Deadpool from finding a formula for funny that crosses genders, ages, and demographic lines. The film was reportedly made for a less-than-substantial budget – at least when it comes to Marvel properties – and if the $50 million-plus opening weekend predictions come true, the world may just have a new A-list hero on its hands. Will Deadpool spark a wave of R-rated, adults-only comic adaptations? The inner teenager in fans everywhere probably hopes so.
Deadpool opens in theaters Friday, February 12th, 2016.
Source: BettyMWhite, Rotten Tomatoes
