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'Mystic River' Boycott
Netlore Archive:  Email flier urges Americans to boycott the film 'Mystic River' because two of its stars, Sean Penn and Tim Robbins, have made outspoken statements against President Bush and the war in Iraq

Description:  Email flier
Status:  Matter of opinion
Circulating since:  Oct 2003
Analysis:  See below
 


Email example contributed by Kathleen B., 28 Oct 2003:

Subject: Fwd: Mystic River - The Movie

  Mystic River, the new movie being released this Wednesday is starring Sean Penn and Tim Robbins who have been known to spew hate speech against our current President, assaulting his character for doing what he is attempting to do with the war on terror, to protect Americans from further attack. Which has been very successful so far. These 2 liberal actors have sided with Saddam Hussain and Osama Bin Laden and against our own country, as demonstrated by Penn's going to Iraq prior to the war in protest of our pending attack to remove the terrorist regime of Saddam Hussain, saying that we have no right to attack innocent people and that it was the Bush administration that is starting this war. Let us not forget 9/11/2001. I figure I have no way to let the liberals in Hollywood know that they are just actors....and not representative of mainstream America, by myself. But if each one of us route this note to all of your friends who support our troops and the administration, and make sure that they do not go to this movie. Encourage all you know......not to go to it. By doing this.....these actors won't be able to get a job. Look what it did for Alec Baldwin's career! He's a washed up actor that watches his mouth these days.

  We have 2 days until this movie starts. Let the boycot begin. Route this to every loyal patriotic person you know and stay away from this movie with these anti-American activists. These are 2 very outspoken hate ministers and we can make a difference.


Comments:  Hyperbole aside, this text is accurate insofar as it claims that two of the stars of the 2003 film "Mystic River," Sean Penn and Tim Robbins, have been outspoken critics of President Bush's policies on Iraq. It's also true that if enough people boycott the film, Mr. Penn and Mr. Robbins may be motivated to take notice of the fact that many Americans disagree with them. However, it's very, very unlikely that such a boycott would result in these acclaimed actors not being able to get jobs in the future. It's also unlikely to get them to change their minds, let alone stop speaking them.

Still, just as Penn and Robbins have the right as American citizens to take exception to their government's policies, other Americans have the right to take exception to their exception-taking by refusing to patronize "Mystic River." Certainly there are more efficient ways of organizing a boycott than passing around an anonymously-written chain letter, but oh, well...

For the record, "Mystic River" has already done reasonably well at the box office since its release on October 8, 2003, consistently ranging between #2 and #10 in gross receipts and raking in more than $45 million to date on a production budgeted at $30 million.


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Sources and further reading:

'Mystic River'
Internet Movie Database

Text of Tim Robbins' Speech to the National Press Club
WorldNetDaily.com, 16 April 2003

Text of Sean Penn's Ad in the New York Times
New York Times, 30 May 2003

Acting Out - Hollywood antiwar sentiment is loud and clear
Philadelphia Inquirer, 20 February 2003

Clint Eastwood Drops in on Michael Savage
WorldNetDaily.com, 29 October 2003

Tim Robbins' Support Over Movie Boycott
BBC News, 17 October 2003


Last updated: 11/17/03


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