A. O. Scott: Difference between revisions

A. O. Scott
A. O. Scott
	Scott in 2016
Born	Anthony Oliver Scott; July 10, 1966 (age 57); Northampton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Other names	Tony Scott
Alma mater	Harvard University
Occupations	Film critic; literary critic; author;
Spouse	Justine Henning (m. 1991)
Children	2
Parent	Joan Wallach Scott (mother);
Relatives	Eli Wallach (great-uncle); Anne Jackson (great-aunt)

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Anthony Oliver Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic, known for his film and literary criticism. After starting his career at The New York Review of Books, Variety, and Slate, he began writing film reviews for The New York Times in 2000, and became the paper's chief film critic in 2004, a title he shared with Manohla Dargis. In 2023, he moved to The New York Times Book Review.

Early life and education[edit]

Scott was born on July 10, 1966, in Northampton, Massachusetts.^[1] Both of his parents were professors. His mother, Joan Wallach Scott, is the Harold F. Linder Professor at the School of Social Science in the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.^[2] His father, Donald Scott, was a professor of American history at the City University of New York. He is a great nephew of the married acting couple Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson (his maternal grandfather was Eli's brother).^[3] Scott identifies as Jewish.^[4] He attended public schools in Providence, Rhode Island, including Classical High School before graduating magna cum laude from Harvard in 1988 with a degree in literature.

Career[edit]

Print[edit]

Scott began his career at The New York Review of Books, where he served as an assistant to Robert B. Silvers.^[5] Scott then served as book critic for Newsday, while also serving as a contributor to The New York Review of Books and Slate. In 1993, he wrote television reviews for Variety, using the name Tony Scott.^[6]

He joined The New York Times' Arts section in January 2000, following Janet Maslin's retirement from film criticism. (Maslin continues to review genre fiction for the paper.) In 2004, he became chief critic, following Elvis Mitchell's resignation. Scott and the other film critics at the Times host a video podcast on the subject of film, called Critics' Picks.^[7] On March 9, 2020, The New York Times announced that Scott would take a one-year break from his role as co-chief film critic and assume the title of critic at large, writing "bigger, cross-topic essays."^[8]

Better Living Through Criticism, a book on art criticism by Scott, was published in 2016.^[9]

Scott left his role as a film critic in March 2023 and joined The New York Times Book Review.^[10] About his departure from film criticism, he said: "I have found that the way that I’ve practiced it has gotten harder to do. And also, the feeling of disconnection between the critic and the audience feels much stronger And the gulf feels much wider."^[11]

Television[edit]

In 2006 and 2007, Scott served as a guest critic on Ebert & Roeper during Roger Ebert's absence due to thyroid cancer.

Between 2002 and 2014, Scott made 15 appearances on Charlie Rose, where he predicted the Academy Award winners and spoke about recently released films. He often appeared alongside David Denby of The New Yorker and Janet Maslin of The New York Times and guest-hosted the program on a number of occasions.

On August 5, 2009, it was announced that Scott, along with Chicago Tribune critic Michael Phillips, would take over hosting duties on At the Movies from Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz, who would no longer be involved with the show.^[12] Scott and Phillips began their duties when the show started its new season on September 5, 2009.^[13] The show was canceled after one season due to low ratings, concluding its run in August 2010.^[14]

Academia[edit]

Scott is a professor of film criticism at Wesleyan University.^[15] As of 2023, he is no longer listed as being on the faculty at Wesleyan.^[16]

Personal life[edit]

Scott is married to Justine Henning, and they have two children.^[1]^[17]

Accolades[edit]

Scott was a finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism "for his incisive film reviews that, with aplomb, embrace a wide spectrum of movies and often explore their connection to larger issues in society or the arts".^[18]

Preferences[edit]

Favorites[edit]

In a 2009 interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Scott named the following five films as his favorites of all time.^[19]

When asked to name the best of 21st century, Scott listed along with Manohla Dargis: ^[20]

There Will Be Blood (USA, 2007)
Spirited Away (Japan, 2001)
Million Dollar Baby (USA, 2004)
A Touch of Sin (China, 2013)
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Romania, 2006)
Yi Yi (Taiwan, 2000)
Inside Out (USA, 2015)
Boyhood (USA, 2014)
Summer Hours (France, 2009)
The Hurt Locker (USA, 2009)

Best of the year[edit]

Since becoming a film critic, Scott has named these films the best of the year:

2000 - Yi Yi
2001 – A.I. Artificial Intelligence
2002 – Talk to Her
2003 – Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
2004 – Million Dollar Baby
2005 – The Best of Youth
2006 – Letters from Iwo Jima
2007 – 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
2008 – Wall-E
2009 – Where the Wild Things Are
2010 – Inside Job
2011 – Bridesmaids
2012 – Amour
2013 – Inside Llewyn Davis
2014 – Boyhood
2015 – Timbuktu
2016 – Moonlight
2017 – The Florida Project
2018 – Monrovia, Indiana
2019 – Honeyland
2020 – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
2021 – Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
2022 – Nope

Filmography[edit]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Tales of the City: Hanif Kureshi's Rough Guide to London	Himself
2002–2014	Charlie Rose	Guest/Guest Host	15 episodes
2006–2010	At the Movies	Guest Host/Co-Host	66 episodes
2008	American Masters	Himself	Episode: "You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story"
2009	For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism	Himself
2010	Who Wants to Be a Millionaire	Guest Expert	5 episodes
	The View	Himself	1 episode
	TCM Guest Programmer	Himself	Episode: "U.S. Critics"
	Up To The Minute	Guest Film Critic	1 episode
2011	The Early Show	Himself	1 episode
2013–2016	Jeopardy!	Video Clue Presenter	5 episodes
2014	Life Itself	Himself
2014	CBS This Morning	Himself	3 episodes
2015	Remembering David Carr	Himself
2016	PBS NewsHour	Himself	1 episode
2016	Generation X	Himself	2 episodes
2017	Spielberg	Himself
2021	WTF with Marc Maron	Himself	Episode: "A.O. Scott"

Bibliography[edit]

Better Living Through Criticism: How to Think About Art, Pleasure, Beauty, and Truth. Penguin Press. 2016. ISBN 978-1594204838.

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b "A. O. Scott". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 6, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
^ Scott, Joan Wallach. "The School of Social Science". Institute for Advanced Study. Archived from the original on December 18, 2007. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
^ "Eli Wallach, BA '36". The Alcalde. 88 (4). Emmis Communications: 28. March 2000. ISSN 1535-993X. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
^ Scott, A. O. (October 4, 2009). "Jewish History, Popcorn Included". The New York Times. p. AR1. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
^ "The Amazing Human Launching Pads". New York. September 26, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
^ Prouty (1996). Variety and Daily Variety Television Reviews, 1993–1994. Taylor & Francis. p. 113. ISBN 9780824037970.
^ "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
^ "Staff News From Culture". The New York Times Company. March 9, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
^ Wood, Michael (February 3, 2016). "Review : In Better Living Through Criticism AO Scott Offers Insight". The New York Times. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
^ "From Culture to Book Review: A New Chapter for A.O. Scott". The New York Times Company. February 21, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
^ Barbaro, Michael. "Our Film Critic on Why He's Done With the Movies". The Daily. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
^ Goldwert, Lindsay; Praetorious, Dean (August 5, 2009). "'At the Movies' Drops Hosts Lyons, Mankiewicz". ABC News. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
^ Phil Rosenthal (August 5, 2009). "Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips, N.Y. Times' A. O. Scott take over 'At the Movies'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
^ Rosenthal, Phil (March 24, 2010). "Tower Ticker: Disney-ABC cancels 'At the Movies,' Siskel and Ebert's old show". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
^ "A. O. Scott". The School of The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
^ Wesleyan University Website as of 5 November 2023. [1]
^ Shih, Cynthia W. (May 29, 2013). "A.O. Scott". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
^ The Pulitzer Prizes
^ "Five Favorite Films With A.O. Scott". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
^ "The 25 Best Films of the 21st Century So Far". The New York Times. June 9, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2022.

External links[edit]

Media offices
Preceded by Elvis Mitchell	Chief film critic of The New York Times (with Manohla Dargis) 2000–2023	Succeeded by Manohla Dargis

[Bio-1] "A. O. Scott". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 6, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2015.

[2] Scott, Joan Wallach. "The School of Social Science". Institute for Advanced Study. Archived from the original on December 18, 2007. Retrieved March 22, 2019.

[3] "Eli Wallach, BA '36". The Alcalde. 88 (4). Emmis Communications: 28. March 2000. ISSN 1535-993X. Retrieved May 28, 2012.

[4] Scott, A. O. (October 4, 2009). "Jewish History, Popcorn Included". The New York Times. p. AR1. Retrieved May 28, 2017.

[5] "The Amazing Human Launching Pads". New York. September 26, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2019.

[6] Prouty (1996). Variety and Daily Variety Television Reviews, 1993–1994. Taylor & Francis. p. 113. ISBN 9780824037970.

[7] "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.

[8] "Staff News From Culture". The New York Times Company. March 9, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.

[9] Wood, Michael (February 3, 2016). "Review : In Better Living Through Criticism AO Scott Offers Insight". The New York Times. Retrieved May 13, 2016.

[10] "From Culture to Book Review: A New Chapter for A.O. Scott". The New York Times Company. February 21, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.

[11] Barbaro, Michael. "Our Film Critic on Why He's Done With the Movies". The Daily. Retrieved May 31, 2023.

[12] Goldwert, Lindsay; Praetorious, Dean (August 5, 2009). "'At the Movies' Drops Hosts Lyons, Mankiewicz". ABC News. Retrieved July 28, 2022.

[13] Phil Rosenthal (August 5, 2009). "Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips, N.Y. Times' A. O. Scott take over 'At the Movies'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 9, 2010.

[14] Rosenthal, Phil (March 24, 2010). "Tower Ticker: Disney-ABC cancels 'At the Movies,' Siskel and Ebert's old show". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 28, 2022.

[15] "A. O. Scott". The School of The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2019.

[16] Wesleyan University Website as of 5 November 2023. [1]

[17] Shih, Cynthia W. (May 29, 2013). "A.O. Scott". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved November 20, 2021.

[18] The Pulitzer Prizes

[19] "Five Favorite Films With A.O. Scott". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 23, 2022.

[20] "The 25 Best Films of the 21st Century So Far". The New York Times. June 9, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2022.

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@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 | children           = 2
 | spouse             = {{marriage|Justine Henning|1991}}
-| relatives          = [[Joan Wallach Scott]] (mother)<br>[[Eli Wallach]] (great-uncle)<br>[[Anne Jackson]] (great-aunt)
+| mother =  [[Joan Wallach Scott]]
+| relatives          = [[Eli Wallach]] (great-uncle)<br>[[Anne Jackson]] (great-aunt)
 }}
 '''Anthony Oliver Scott''' (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic, known for his film and literary criticism. After starting his career at ''[[The New York Review of Books]]'', ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', and ''[[Slate (website)|Slate]]'', he began writing film reviews for ''[[The New York Times]]'' in 2000, and became the paper's chief film critic in 2004, a title he shared with [[Manohla Dargis]]. In 2023, he moved to ''[[The New York Times Book Review]]''.
-==Early life==
+== Early life and education ==
-Scott was born on July 10, 1966, in [[Northampton, Massachusetts]].<ref name = Bio>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/critics/A-O-Scott |title=A. O. Scott |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=March 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106173026/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/critics/A-O-Scott |archive-date=January 6, 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref> Both of his parents were professors. His mother, [[Joan Wallach Scott]], is the Harold F. Linder Professor at the School of Social Science in the [[Institute for Advanced Study]] in [[Princeton, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sss.ias.edu/community/scott.php |title=The School of Social Science |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218153321/http://www.sss.ias.edu/community/scott.php |archive-date=December 18, 2007 |access-date=March 22, 2019 |publisher=[[Institute for Advanced Study]] |first=Joan Wallach |last=Scott |author-link=Joan W. Scott}}</ref> His father, Donald Scott, is a professor of American history at the [[City University of New York]]. He is a great nephew of the married acting couple [[Eli Wallach]] and [[Anne Jackson]] (his maternal grandfather was Eli's brother).<ref>{{cite journal |journal=[[The Alcalde]] |date=March 2000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hM4DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA28 |access-date=May 28, 2012 |publisher=[[Emmis Communications]] |page=28 |issn=1535-993X |volume=88 |issue=4 |title=Eli Wallach, BA '36}}</ref> Scott identifies as [[Jewish]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/movies/04scot.html |title=Jewish History, Popcorn Included |first=A. O. |last=Scott |date=October 4, 2009 |access-date=May 28, 2017 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=AR1}}</ref> He attended public schools in [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]], [[Rhode Island]], including [[Classical High School]] before graduating ''[[magna cum laude]]'' from [[Harvard College|Harvard]] in&nbsp;1988 with a degree in literature.
+Scott was born on July 10, 1966, in [[Northampton, Massachusetts]].<ref name = Bio>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/critics/A-O-Scott |title=A. O. Scott |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=March 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106173026/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/critics/A-O-Scott |archive-date=January 6, 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref> Both of his parents were professors. His mother, [[Joan Wallach Scott]], is the Harold F. Linder Professor at the School of Social Science in the [[Institute for Advanced Study]] in [[Princeton, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sss.ias.edu/community/scott.php |title=The School of Social Science |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218153321/http://www.sss.ias.edu/community/scott.php |archive-date=December 18, 2007 |access-date=March 22, 2019 |publisher=[[Institute for Advanced Study]] |first=Joan Wallach |last=Scott |author-link=Joan W. Scott}}</ref> His father, Donald Scott, was a professor of American history at the [[City University of New York]]. He is a great nephew of the married acting couple [[Eli Wallach]] and [[Anne Jackson]] (his maternal grandfather was Eli's brother).<ref>{{cite journal |journal=[[The Alcalde]] |date=March 2000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hM4DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA28 |access-date=May 28, 2012 |publisher=[[Emmis Communications]] |page=28 |issn=1535-993X |volume=88 |issue=4 |title=Eli Wallach, BA '36}}</ref> Scott identifies as [[Jewish]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/movies/04scot.html |title=Jewish History, Popcorn Included |first=A. O. |last=Scott |date=October 4, 2009 |access-date=May 28, 2017 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=AR1}}</ref> He attended public schools in [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]], [[Rhode Island]], including [[Classical High School]] before graduating ''[[magna cum laude]]'' from [[Harvard College|Harvard]] in&nbsp;1988 with a degree in literature.
-==Career==
+== Career ==
-===Print===
+=== Print ===
 Scott began his career at ''[[The New York Review of Books]]'', where he served as an assistant to [[Robert&nbsp;B. Silvers]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://nymag.com/news/features/establishments/68496/ |title=The Amazing Human Launching Pads |journal=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |date=September 26, 2010 |access-date=March 22, 2019}}</ref> Scott then served as book critic for ''[[Newsday]]'', while also serving as a contributor to ''The New York Review of Books'' and ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]''. In 1993, he wrote television reviews for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', using the name Tony Scott.<ref>{{cite book |author=Prouty |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PS1g1rnX7rsC&pg=PA113 |title=Variety and Daily Variety Television Reviews, 1993–1994 |page=113 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |year=1996 |isbn=9780824037970}}</ref>
@@ Line 36: / Line 37: @@
 Scott left his role as a film critic in March 2023 and joined ''[[The New York Times Book Review]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.nytco.com/press/new-chapter-for-a-o-scott/|title = From Culture to Book Review: A New Chapter for A.O. Scott|website = The New York Times Company|date = February 21, 2023|accessdate = March 11, 2023}}</ref> About his departure from film criticism, he said: "I have found that the way that I’ve practiced it has gotten harder to do. And also, the feeling of disconnection between the critic and the audience feels much stronger And the gulf feels much wider."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Barbaro |first1=Michael |title=Our Film Critic on Why He’s Done With the Movies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/23/podcasts/the-daily/ao-scott-film-critic-american-cinema-movies.html?showTranscript=1 |website=The Daily |access-date=May 31, 2023}}</ref>
-===Television===
+=== Television ===
 In 2006 and 2007, Scott served as a guest critic on ''[[At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper|Ebert & Roeper]]'' during [[Roger Ebert]]'s absence due to thyroid cancer.
@@ Line 43: / Line 44: @@
 On August&nbsp;5,&nbsp;2009, it was announced that Scott, along with ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' critic [[Michael Phillips (critic)|Michael Phillips]], would take over hosting duties on ''[[At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper|At the Movies]]'' from [[Ben Lyons]] and [[Ben Mankiewicz]], who would no longer be involved with the show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/print?id=8254270|title='At the Movies' Drops Hosts Lyons, Mankiewicz|work=[[ABC News]]|date=August 5, 2009|first1=Lindsay|last1=Goldwert|first2=Dean|last2=Praetorious|accessdate=July 28, 2022}}</ref> Scott and Phillips began their duties when the show started its new season on September&nbsp;5,&nbsp;2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/towerticker/2009/08/chicago-tribunes-michael-phillips-ny-times-ao-scott-in-on-at-the-movies-ben-lyons-ben-mankiewicz-out.html| author=Phil Rosenthal|title=Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips, N.Y. Times' A. O. Scott take over 'At the Movies' |date=August 5, 2009|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=July 9, 2010}}</ref> The show was canceled after one season due to low ratings, concluding its run in August 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/towerticker/2010/03/disneyabc-to-cancel-at-the-movies-siskel-and-eberts-old-show.html|title=Tower Ticker: Disney-ABC cancels 'At the Movies,' Siskel and Ebert's old show|date=March 24, 2010|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|first=Phil|last=Rosenthal|accessdate=July 28, 2022}}</ref>
-===Academia===
+=== Academia ===
-Scott is a professor of film criticism at [[Wesleyan University]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytedu.com/instructors/a-o-scott/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615032353/https://www.nytedu.com/instructors/a-o-scott/ |archive-date=June 15, 2018 |title=A. O. Scott |access-date=March 22, 2019 |work=The School of The New York Times |url-status=live  }}</ref>
+Scott is a professor of film criticism at [[Wesleyan University]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytedu.com/instructors/a-o-scott/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615032353/https://www.nytedu.com/instructors/a-o-scott/ |archive-date=June 15, 2018 |title=A. O. Scott |access-date=March 22, 2019 |work=The School of The New York Times |url-status=live  }}</ref> As of 2023, he is no longer listed as being on the faculty at Wesleyan.<ref>Wesleyan University Website as of 5 November 2023. [https://www.wesleyan.edu/cfilm/academics/faculty.html]</ref>
 == Personal life ==
 Scott is married to Justine Henning, and they have two children.<ref name = Bio/><ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2013/5/29/scott/|title = A.O. Scott|work = [[The Harvard Crimson]]|last = Shih|first = Cynthia W.|date = May 29, 2013|accessdate = November 20, 2021}}</ref>
+== Accolades ==
+Scott was a finalist for the 2010 [[Pulitzer Prize for Criticism]] "for his incisive film reviews that, with aplomb, embrace a wide spectrum of movies and often explore their connection to larger issues in society or the arts".<ref>[https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/ao-scott The Pulitzer Prizes]</ref>
 == Preferences ==
@@ Line 63: / Line 67: @@
 # ''[[Million Dollar Baby]]'' (USA, 2004)
 # ''[[A Touch of Sin]]'' (China, 2013)
-# ''[[The Death of Mr. Lazarescu]]'' (Romanian, 2006)
+# ''[[The Death of Mr. Lazarescu]]'' (Romania, 2006)
 # ''[[Yi Yi]]'' (Taiwan, 2000)
 # ''[[Inside Out (2015 film)|Inside Out]]'' (USA, 2015)
@@ Line 74: / Line 78: @@
 Since becoming a film critic, Scott has named these films the best of the year:
 {{columns-list|
+* 2000 - ''[[Yi Yi]]''
 * 2001 – ''[[A.I. Artificial Intelligence]]''
 * 2002 – ''[[Talk to Her]]''
@@ Line 98: / Line 103: @@
 }}
-==Filmography==
+== Filmography ==
 {| class="wikitable sortable"
 |-
@@ Line 149: / Line 154: @@
 * [[New Yorkers in journalism]]
-==References==
+== References ==
 {{reflist}}
-==External links==
+== External links ==
 {{Commons category}}
 * {{IMDb name}}

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