“Digger” — the satirical black comedy starring Tom Cruise — was a major box-office flop, grossing just $8 million domestically on opening night despite an estimated $160-$180 million production budget.
Critics complain the movie is unfunny, features over-the-top, abrasive performances, and has a preachy climate message.
Comedian and BlazeTV host Dave Landau, however, disagrees and says he very much “enjoyed” the film.
“I was laughing out loud through most of the movie,” he tells co-host of “Stu and Dave Do America” Stu Burguiere.
Contrary to critic and audience complaints, Dave says Cruise’s character — a wealthy oil tycoon named Digger Rockwell — is “great.”
A common complaint is that the Digger in the film is very different from what people expected based on the marketing of the film, but Dave says to be forthcoming about his character in advertising would have “[ruined] the film.”
“Like if the ‘Sixth Sense’ came out, like ‘he sees dead people.’ ... That would be a bad part of the trailer,” Stu analogizes.
“[Digger] is an oil baron, kind of out of control, gregarious sort of character is how I pictured it from the marketing, which was very limited,” he continues. “My understanding, and tell me if this is true, is that ... half an hour in or so, the whole movie kind of changes.”
Dave confirms that this is true — but unlike critics, he enjoyed this surprise element of the film.
“I don't want to give away too much, but one part is obviously lampooning the right, and one part is obviously lampooning the left,” he tells Stu, equating watching the movie to “wearing your team colors,” but “you're not able to see the jokes being made at the other side.”
The character of President Compson, played by John Goodman, is “definitely Trump-esque,” says Dave, but it’s “not what you think it is.”
“The way that [the movie] twists, I think, is brilliant ... Tom Cruise when he plays these characters is really entertaining,” he says. “Like, I know Tom Cruise is a lunatic and a Scientologist, but my God, he's so good at acting.”
“I think you should see it. I enjoyed it. I laughed so much during it.”
To hear more of Dave’s review, watch the episode above.
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