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Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!

Simon Brew


It’s finally happened: the Daily Mail has noticed that Kick-Ass is coming out, and it’s reacted in its own unique, measured way. Er…

Published on Mar 1, 2010

It was, as we predicted way back in December last year, just a matter of time. When we caught an early screening of Kick-Ass at the back-end of last year, our exact prediction - which you can read in full here - was, "Hit-Girl is going to make the Daily Mail shit kittens."

Ladies and gentlemen, those kittens have now firmly been shit.

It's a perfect storm of a Daily Mail story, to be fair. Kick-Ass features a violent 11-year-old girl swearing a lot. And the screenplay was written by Jane Goldman, who just happens to be the wife of Jonathan Ross. So what's the headline? Admit it - you saw this one coming...

"Jonathan Ross's wife Jane Goldman causes outrage with film featuring a foul-mouthed 11-year-old assassin."

How dare she be married to Jonathan Ross! I bet Jane Goldman is feeling really, really daft this morning.

The story, posted on the Mail's website last night, feels like it could have been made by the Daily Mail article construction kit. Check this out for an opener:

"With his eagerness to offend, his vast salary and the obscene ‘Sachsgate' phone calls, Jonathan Ross is no stranger to controversy.

Now, it seems, his wife Jane Goldman is out to prove that anything he can do, she can do worse.

Miss Goldman has caused outrage with a film she has written featuring a foul-mouthed girl assassin aged only 11."

Heck, never let a Daily Mail journalist near the back of a school bus. They would not have a very good day.

The Daily Mail story then dissects the character of Hit-Girl, happily quoting her lines but with liberal asterisks to protect the poor, swear-word-repellant eyes of Daily Mail readers. Brilliantly, the Mail also tracked down a seemingly rent-a-quote academic, this time the professor of sociology at Kent University. Presumably nobody else would return the calls.

The report then goes through the usual stuff about how kids aren't kids any more, and while it raises valid points about whether the very young should have access to such material (the stronger trailers of Kick-Ass, not the Daily Mail), it cloaks it all in such reactive, knee-jerk nonsense that any hope of a sensible debate is long out the window.

Naturally, the article ends with another dig at Jonathan Ross, as the Daily Mail mentions for the 28895932th time this year the Andrew Sachs affair. Even though, last time we checked, Jonathan Ross had nothing to do with the Kick-Ass movie. Heck, if Jonathan Ross' second cousin twice removed does anything bad, the Mail will be sure to tell us, won't it?

Anyroad, here's what you need to know: Kick-Ass is a terrific film, and one suitable for 15-year-olds and over. Which is why it'll have a certificate at the start to cement that fact.

If you want to read the Daily Mail piece, it's here. And we've also got a list of 10 more things that wel can blame videogames for that we wrote in reaction to its Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 rants last year. That's here. And the videogames that the Daily Mail won't mind you playing can be found here.

I can't wait to see what happens when the Mail actually reviews the film proper. It's going to be amazing. One star review, perchance?

Kick-Ass is out on March 26th in the UK.

 

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Users Comments

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By picknmix 1 March 1, 2010 09:06:24 AM

Time to Tool-up, Honey Bunny!

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By DamonD 1 March 1, 2010 09:22:11 AM

You could set your watch by them.

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By MadProphet 1 March 1, 2010 10:05:05 AM

Chris Tookey is going to shit kittens when he sees the film. I didn't like The White Ribbon, and annoyingly, his was the only bad review I could find. Unfortunately his criticism centred largely around how it wouldn't make a good musical????! What the fuck is he talking about?

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By Nocturne 1 March 1, 2010 10:07:38 AM

Well its been a while since the Daily Mail hasn't gone gunning for immigrants, Paedophiles and House Prices

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By monomatt 1 March 1, 2010 10:20:58 AM

brilliant, just brilliant. god i love the daily mail.

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By pete3206 1 March 1, 2010 11:02:14 AM

I can't understand the fuss. The movie looks like a grubby piece of shit.

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By rumleech 1 March 1, 2010 11:05:50 AM

The Daily Mail has genuine problems with real young people even the ones on it's own doorstep. This from 3 years ago http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/columnists/article-432683/Where-Jade-winner.html

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By ChrisDWelsh 1 March 1, 2010 12:35:43 PM

My favourite comment from the Mail site is the one regarding the 'dumming' down of cinema. The film looks fucking ace.

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By bartyboy 1 March 1, 2010 01:16:06 PM

Ha ha ha! Yet again the Daily Mail does what it does best...'immigrants with aids will eat your children'!! Can't wait for this film.

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By Dutchface 1 March 1, 2010 01:39:52 PM

just in case any Daily Mail writers are looking at this.. i'll put it in a way you'll understand. ***s off with your garbage story.

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By Name1ess 1 March 1, 2010 05:40:42 PM

Oh man, I thought we were in trouble with all this talk of an 11 year old Assassin! But I checked it out and Chloe Grace Moretz, who plays Hit-Girl, was born on the 7th February 1997 which makes her actually 13.

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By spago 1 March 1, 2010 05:54:33 PM

i love how they'll do anything to tie it into Johnathan Ross by implicating his wife, yet fail to mention that her script is based on a comic. Lazy Journalism if you ask me!

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By hellhound 1 March 1, 2010 06:24:25 PM

The Sunday Times was similarly out raged yesterday. They did at least mention it was based on a comic. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article7043924.ece

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By procrastinationathon 1 March 1, 2010 09:52:18 PM

I wonder if they'll manage to top last years Antichrist outrage? Highlight = call for an outright ban bought to you by someone who hadn't bothered seeing the film at all.

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By GoldbergV 1 March 1, 2010 11:40:11 PM

The Daily Mail will proclaim this film causes and/or heals cancer at some point too, like they fucking do with EVERYTHING ELSE

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By denofgeek_simon 1 March 2, 2010 09:10:08 AM

Apologies - we've had to prune one or two of the, er, 'stronger' comments here :-) Feel free to repost them though with Daily Mail asterisks included!

Re: Yes! The Daily Mail goes for Kick-Ass!
Posted By Lachesis 1 March 2, 2010 08:01:51 PM

You know now we have the internet can't all these archaic tabloids just die?
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Kick-Ass: Hit-Girl

Kick-Ass: Hit-Girl

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