Last night at an event honoring Robert Downey Jr., a lot of celebrities showed up and Robert took the chance to tell the assembled that everyone should forgive Mel Gibson. He talked about how, when no one would give him a chance, Mel did, and when no one would insure him, Mel did and and that he owes everything to Mel Gibson so we should all forgive him because he helped Robert. You know, it is one thing to say that everyone should forgive Mel, but it is another for the public to forgive and the only way that would happen is for him to have a movie that no one would want to miss. I don't know if he has one of those in him and I don't know if anyone would give him one because they would be scared of it bombing. What do you think? Should we forgive Mel?
If Mel showed any sort of remorse, then sure. Everyone deserves a second chance I guess.
ReplyDeleteApples and oranges. RDJ was a drug addict, Mel is a racist and hits women. I don't forgive that.
ReplyDeletei couldn't hold a grudge if it had a handle on it, so i tend to forgive everyone, but that is just me. if he showed some true remorse, like Jasmine said, then, yes, he should be given a shot.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Anita_Mark.
ReplyDelete@Anita_mark, I came on here to right my usual rant about this piece of shit (mel not RDJ) but then I read this:
ReplyDelete"Apples and oranges. RDJ was a drug addict, Mel is a racist and hits women. I don't forgive that."
I wish this comment came from inside a cookie- cause I love it SOOOOOO much I just wanna eat it!!!
Said perfectly succinct and perfectly accurate- I air high five you for this one girl~
bleck- WRITE not right. I swear I have better english skills than a 3rd grader ;O
ReplyDeleteHe's partially right. Hollywood should forgive Gibson, they have forgiven Polanski, didn't they? If they can forgive a child-rapist why not forgive a wife-beater and antisemite?
ReplyDeleteNow, for "we" as the public...let me think....erm...nope. But then, I am not an apologist for childrape.
RDJ has a reason to forgive Gibson. I have no reason. Mel Gibson can bite me.
ReplyDeleteIt's really weird: I usta watch "Road Warrior" and think, "Wow; what a shame Mel Gibson turned into such a twatwaffle because he usta be SO hot!" Now when I watch that movie, I just think, "You infected dick. I can't wait until this shit is remade and Tom Hardy is Max Rockatansky. He'll be a THOUSAND times hotter than YOU ever were, and he has LIPS!"
It's really weird how life does 180s sometimes. I'll bet Gibson thinks about that all the time. And Meg Ryan.
I am with BinkyM:
ReplyDeleteRDJ has a reason to forgive Gibson. I have no reason. Mel Gibson can bite me.
Commenter Hmmmm=RJD?
ReplyDeleteI mean RDJ and Himmmmm of course and it is not a question. Total confirmation.
ReplyDeleteDr Laura says that forgiveness requires responsibility, remorse, and repair from the offender, and no repetition of the offending behavior (I'm not a fan of hers, but I agree with this quote). Gibson fails on all four of those as far as I'm concerned, but I'm just a member of the ticket buying public.
ReplyDeleteThat's a no-brainer for me. No way I can forgive a man that beats women. Oh and is a racist also.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'd apply the Golden Rule...it seems to me you can't go wrong doing that.
ReplyDeleteIf Roman Polanski can still make films that are watched and reviewed, I don't see why Mel Gibson can't pursue his career opportunities.
ReplyDeletei like that RDJ doesn't forget how Gibson helped him
ReplyDeleteHonestly i don't care because all i want is good movies and actings and Mel Gibson knows how to direct a good badass movie
There has always been something sweet and likeable about RDJ--even when he was messed up on drugs. Mel's hateful rant on those tapes his ex released are still ringing loud and clear in my head, and probably will for a long time to come. It is hard to forget that level of sheer rage, and that is sad--because I loved Mad Max and Lethal Weapon.
ReplyDeleteHe needs to show more remorse. Maybe it's a little too soon, perhap a couple years exile from Hollywood. Some public charity, visit Israel, try to be a good Christian, stop looking crazy. I'm pretty sure he'll always be racist but he also has a drinking problem. The abuse? God. People have forgiven Chris Brown. But physically abusing another human is so violent. Hard to get over that.
ReplyDeleteHe is a talented filmmaker. I think he needs a better crisis manager. Whoevers calling the shots needs replacement.
Mel wouldn't have helped him if he were Black, Jewish, or Gay...so I say FU Mel Gibson.
ReplyDeleteYou forgive him Robert I won't.
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ReplyDeleteRDJ .. I love you and am happy you pulled your life out of the fire and have a wonderful, happy life. But that being said, Mel Gibson is a hateful f*ck who I will never forgive. So .. no.
ReplyDeleteI will always love RDJ, he's SO talented, you can't take that away from him. He was robbed an Academy Award for Chaplin and I never even liked Charlie Chaplin, I only watched the movie because of RDJ. I will never forget sitting there watching the awards show and I surprised myself by tearing up when he lost. He was also in one of my favourite comedies, Tropic Thunder and did an amazing job in that just to prove how versatile he is. I could forgive him lots.
ReplyDeleteMel, not so much. He reminds me of lots of good looking guys who when you get to know them are all kind of rotten inside when you open them up. I did enjoy the Road Warrior series and The Bounty but that was a long time ago. He really hasn't done anything that has interested me in a long time.
I understand why RDJ feels that way--Mel really did stick his neck out for him, and helped him get back on his feet career-wise when nobody else would give him the time of day, and if a friend is someone who sticks by you even after you fuck up, then Mel is definitely a good friend of his, and now that the tables are turned, vice versa. He's always struck me (RDJ, that is) as been a genuinely kind person, and as Audrey pointed out, there's always been a definite sweetness there as well. (Hell, if I ever actually get this blog I keep meaning to start about my adventures in the alt-music scene over the years off the ground, I fully intend to make RDJ its patron saint. :-) (continued)
ReplyDeleteAs far as Mel goes, well...not so much. He definitely has his good side, as RDJ has attested to, but now? *sigh* Yes, there are people out there who've done far worse and are still doted upon in Hollywood, as RDJ has mentioned in various interviews (Polanski, anyone?); I would never deny that, and I would never say that either of them, or plenty of others equally guilty, should be kept from working in their field. Saying that they're allowed to make a living, though, and being an active booster are two very different things. I'm sorry, Bob, but I can't be Mel's booster--as a woman, and as someone who's known far too many women who've been abused, and other people who've been the targets of racists and homophobes, I won't do it. Behaving the way he did was bad enough (yes, Oksana was a gold-digger, but you still don't go there, especially not with the mother of your child), but the apparent utter lack of remorse seals the deal, and even if it was the booze talking, he still needs to make amends, not to mention getting off the sauce. Were he to do those things, I might be able to forgive him in time...but this is not that time.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing, and then I'll shut the hell up...Bob, just in case you're reading this, you were so totally screwed out of that Oscar for Chaplin it isn't even funny--the Academy owes you big time, especially in light of to whom they did give it that year. I mean, sure, Al Pacino deserved an Oscar at some point in his career, but Jesus H. Christ, NOT for that overblown one-man pity party in that turgid treacly turd, Scent of a Woman. Really while it would have sucked anyway to lose it to one of the other 3 nominees (that would be Clint Eastwood for Unforgiven, Stephen Rea for The Crying Game, and Denzel Washington for Malcolm X, for those following this at home), but at least they would have been worthy--but crimony, Al Pacino giving one of the worst performances of his entire career in that particular piece of craptastic celluloid??? *head**desk*
ReplyDelete(You do realize, of course, that this means you'll finally get your golden boy for one of your lesser works, because that's the way AMPAS rolls...but such is Hollywood.)
Sorry, folks, just had to get that off my chest... :-)
with time everything gets "forgiven" in the public eye... mike tyson used to beat the crap out of robin givens and now he's the beloved guest star of hangover... alec baldwin called his daughter a disgusting pig (i believe) and now he is the favorite guest of SNL and has his own show. thing will cool down with mel because that is what time does.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure plenty of KKK members are great friends to each other. Doesn't make them decent human beings.
ReplyDeleteAnnie, I have forgiven Mike Tyson because I believe he sincerely, deeply regrets his past actions, and as far as I know, he hasn't done anything awful for quite a long while. Alec Baldwin, I'm less convinced, but he still gave a more believable apology than Gibson has.
I've never seen Chaplin! Guess I'll be adding that to my queue.
ReplyDelete@Cheryl - I don't think RDJ would have time to read a gossip blog. Right?
@LeLaina Pierce--read AND comment. A lot. Not in a long time, but go back and read the post "mel Gibson speaks," and the comments. Himmm pretty much says the same things RDJ says here. @Robin, weren't you in on that conversation as well?
ReplyDelete@Cheryl
ReplyDeleteI totally remember that conversation! Good catch!
@Cheryl - I just went back and re-read it. I'm still not so sure...
ReplyDelete@Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteYou read my mind and beat me to posting...My thoughts EXACTLY. I remember the Hmmmm comments well, this post is practically word for word.
Sidenote, I can forgive someone without financially supporting them.
Cheryl: *does quick search* Why yes...yes I was. I'm only sorry I don't tend to go back and read posts again that I've already commented on, or I would have thanked Himmmm for the lovely compliments, not to mention the good laugh I had over his epic denial. ;-) Whoever he may be, it would be fun to have him back commenting again, as his perspective as an insider is always welcome...not to mention, he's a funny bastard, too. :-)
ReplyDeleteI adore Robert Downey, Jr. - always have - but it doesn't mean I agree with everything he says. As for Mel Gibson, I have never been a fan and have even less reason to like him now.
ReplyDeleteMel doesn't need my forgiveness. What Robert really meant to say was "I think people should be willing to spend their money on a Mel Gibson movie again."
ReplyDeleteSorry, Robert. You see his films for free. I do not. And I can't even watch the old stuff that I once liked of his without thinking of his horrific rants. It's too soon. Maybe give it a few decades.
And to Enty - thank you for posting over the weekend, this was an awesome surprise!
sorry RDJ but you should be kissing Jon Favreau's ass for pitching you to the studios and fighting for you to get the Iron Man role. That is what put you back on the map.
ReplyDeleteThere is a big difference from being a f'd up junkie who got a handle on their addictions. To being a drunken woman hitting anti-semite.
F Mel.
Just to play the other side of the fence, I'm going to throw this out there... lol!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I need to 'forgive' Mel in order to watch his movies.. I always enjoyed the Lethal Weapon movies, and have liked many movies he has been in or directed. It's not like I'm going to be meeting him for coffee, and don't plan on inviting him for Xmas dinner, so its nothing personal for me. There are so many effed up people around the world, including people in Hollywood, that have most likely done much worse things than Mel Gibson has done. We sit beside them at work, at church... they fly under the radar because they are not famous. Mel had his sins laid bare because he is in the public eye, and is suffering because of it. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it, but I'm not going to burn my Lethal Weapon series because he's an a**hole. Wentworth Miller got drunk and killed a 17 yr old kid, and he's back working...Roman Polanski got a lifetime achievement award at the the Zurich film festival, and he's a pedophile! Chris Brown beat the snot outta Rihanna, and he is on the top of the billboard charts. It's not up to me to judge him for his personal beliefs, no matter how wrong they may be, and if he smacked his girlfriend...?? Well, thats what cops are for.
Wentworth Miller did not get drunk and kill a 17 yr. old. That was Lane Garrison. Still don't like Mel Gibson, never did never will.
ReplyDeleteI totally apologize... you're right old ;ady, it was Lane Garrison. I always get the two of them confused:(
ReplyDeleteI'm just going to copy and paste what Fish at Superficial said, since it basically says everything I feel about this:
ReplyDelete"...Anyway, since then, Mel Gibson has become a pariah after drunkenly stating the Jews control everything and following that up by demanding blowjobs with threats of fiery death, admitting to striking women to “bring them back to reality” and suggesting that black people travel in packs raping people. So almost exactly like Robert’s coke problem – you can barely tell them apart."
There's self-abuse, then there's hatred and abuse of others. Which category does Mel fal into?
I can still watch Mad Max, Lethal Weapon, etc...I can separate the man from the characters.
ReplyDeleteAs a Jew, no way will I forgive what he said. We've been persecuted forever for fuck's sake - try hearing people say they got "Jew'd out" of something on a regular basis and see how forgiving you'd be.
I don't recall when MG said anything about homosexuals -- what did he say? And if he had a hate on for the gays, why would Jodie Foster still stick up for him and tell people that she will always love him?
ReplyDeleteI think Mike Tyson is a convicted rapist, not just a girlfriend-beater. Yet he replaced Mel Gibson in that beaver movie. Yeah, Hollywood really makes sense.
ReplyDelete