We’ll admit it: we here at Mandatory aren’t huge fans of The Power of the Dog, but that’s mostly due to the slow-as-fuck pacing and the passive-aggressive climax. Actor Sam Elliott, however, has some strong opinions about the film (or as he called it “that piece of shit”) that he shared on a recent episode of WTF With Marc Maron.
Marc Maron: Did you see Power of the Dog, did you see that movie?
Sam Elliott: Yeah do you wanna talk about that piece of shit?
Marc: [ohh noo] You didn’t like that one?
Sam: Fuck no. pic.twitter.com/BGdOd6scwe— Jonathan (@jonathanmb32) February 28, 2022
Among his complaints about the 12-time-Oscar-nominated film were that cowboys in the film (most notably played by the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch) were akin to Chippendale’s dancers “who wear bowties and not much else.”
“That’s what all these fucking cowboys in that movie looked like,” Elliott griped. “They’re all running around in chaps and no shirts, there’s all these allusions to homosexuality throughout the fucking movie.”
Then he spewed some vitriol at director Jane Campion because he’s an equal-opportunity hater.
“She’s a brilliant director, I love her previous work, but what the fuck does this woman from down there, New Zealand, know about the American West?” he asked. “And why the fuck did she shoot this movie in New Zealand and call it Montana and say ‘this is the way it was?’ That rubbed me the wrong way, pal.”
So just to be clear, Sam: the gay cowboys rubbed you the wrong way? (Ahem.) There’s so much homophobia and misogyny here, we don’t even know where to start unpacking it all. Luckily, we don’t have to take Elliott to task – Twitter did it for us. These are the funniest Twitter reactions to Sam Elliott slamming The Power of the Dog.
Twitter is so fucking woke and people are probably gonna jump down my throat, but whatever – I agree with Sam Elliott. There wasn't even one powerful dog in that movie, let alone a dog powerful enough to warrant naming the movie after it. Clifford should have been called The Powe
— ian karmel (@IanKarmel) March 1, 2022
I like Sam Elliott but someone probably needs to remind him he's an actor from Sacramento who lives in Malibu, not an actual cowboy
— stuart (@punished_stu) March 1, 2022
Sam Elliott angry about The Power of the Dog's gay cowboy as if he wasn't giving THIS in Road House pic.twitter.com/IlgxGtJYBV
— Jacob Oller (@JacobOller) March 1, 2022
I sincerely don’t remember a bunch of naked cowboys playing grab ass in The Power of The Dog. Benedict had his lake dips but where… were the Chippendales ranch hands? Which Power of The Dog did Sam Elliott watch and why can’t I?
— Jordan Crucchiola (@JorCru) March 1, 2022
Sam Elliott watching Power of the Dog pic.twitter.com/Z1dk6fvXXC
— Andrew ?️ (@henryevil) March 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/asmilingbag/status/1498691944154734593?s=20&t=aYcZWEJKlmFVFhVPiCLzlw
https://twitter.com/PhilNobileJr/status/1498702397446803462?s=20&t=aYcZWEJKlmFVFhVPiCLzlw
Wondering what part of Power of the Dog first made Sam Elliott stop and shout “wait is this shit gay?!”
— Mitchell Beaupre (@itismitchell) March 1, 2022
sam elliott is the kind of guy to go see brokeback mountain based solely on these advertisements pic.twitter.com/wYUrOc06Lj
— arden || ? TIFF (@pavlyndon) March 1, 2022
Sam Elliott is not an pic.twitter.com/CAq13QPxMg
— use me kosho (@samcorb) March 1, 2022
Everyone who's giddy over the Marc Maron interview with Sam Elliott is telling on themselves. "Oh, it's so great to hear someone be honest for once!" Yeah, we never – EVER – hear from old white dudes who hold outdated views on sexuality, toxic masculinity & gender! Fucken hell?♀️
— Erin M (@pfinger18) March 1, 2022
Sam Elliott on POWER OF THE DOG “What the fuck does this woman from down there know about the American west? Why the fuck did she shoot this movie in New Zealand and call it Montana?”
In other Western location news… pic.twitter.com/6ol1ljhOGj
— ?Donald Clarke?️ (@DonaldClarke63) March 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/ScottFeinberg/status/1498586809093156864?s=20&t=aYcZWEJKlmFVFhVPiCLzlw
sam elliott thought the power of the dog was the channing tatum movie
— Carrie Wittmer ? (@carriesnotscary) March 1, 2022
WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT GET SAM ELLIOTT STARTED ON THE CURRENT STATE OF LIFEGUARD MOVIES
— Doug Benson (@DougBenson) March 1, 2022
sam elliott's worst nightmare pic.twitter.com/CnuTdFs1Zi
— raph (@r4phito) March 1, 2022
sam elliott watching a movie where a guy strips to bathe in a river: these perverse allusions to homosexuality have NO PLACE in the myth of the american west
— the ways in which (@dykeprivilege) March 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/doraspenlows/status/1498713918499434496?s=20&t=aYcZWEJKlmFVFhVPiCLzlw
Me: How’d you like the Power of the Dog?
Sam Elliott: pic.twitter.com/7wVV8tnGu0
— Guy P. Football (@Guy_P_Football) March 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/erinmartina/status/1498728132626587649?s=20&t=aYcZWEJKlmFVFhVPiCLzlw
