First, the review blurb in question:
"Sometimes when casting a movie you can throw a bunch of big names into the mix and it all works out. This is not one of those movies. George Clooney and Angelina Jolie feel especially out of place and wrong for their parts."
In a blog post following the film's release, writer James Morgan took exception to Stockton criticizing some of the film's more high-profile casting and felt that other big films have featured similar casts without anything being mentioned in reviews.
Now for a statement from Jeff Stockton:
"It can't be easy having someone critique your work on a daily basis, but it is my job and I am not going to bite me tongue and hold back on my opinion, especially in this case where it is pretty innocuous. High Society's big name stars: George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Jesse Eisenberg, Michael B. Jordan, etc. all are very different actors - and at times it felt like they were in entirely different movies, even when sharing the screen together. Clooney is the type of actor who likes to have fun and keep things light on the set, whereas Jolie is a more rigid, self-serious performer - and it showed in their performances. They just didn't line up chemistry-wise. Jolie's divorce from one of Clooney's best friends probably could not have helped things on set, but they are both professionals who probably did not make an outward issue of it on-set (but it still must have been awkward). Actors with different styles can work if there is a director involved who is an actor's director. George Miller is not that director. He is a tactician and very technical director who simply expects the actors to show up and perform; he isn't one to finesse performances out of actors.
As for Morgan's other (dubious) claim that some sort of double standard is being applied to his film, well, that's just ludicrous. He doesn't name names, but I imagine one would be the Mass Effect series. Personally, I don't think you can really lump in the supporting motion-capture performances of that series with spending over $50 million dollars on big name actors, even those in supporting roles. I believe comparing the two films and their approaches to casting are like comparing apples and lettuce (they're not even in the same food group!). Tom Hardy wasn't making $20 million to play Wrex in Mass Effect like Jolie was in High Society.
Let it be known, I have nothing against high-profile casts, it just didn't mesh together well in High Society, that is all. Despite his assertions, having a big name cast does not equate to universal acclaim, not even just for the casting. I'm not even going to dignify such a baseless claim with examples. Sometimes a cast works, sometimes it doesn't, and it has very little to do with fame and much more to do with talent, suitability and fit.
Even after his comments, I still have nothing against James Morgan. He is a talented writer who has made some very strong films (you can even still find my argument for his for second film And Then There Were None to win Best Ensemble Cast as the Season 2 Golden Reel Awards if you search hard enough). I eagerly await his next film, which I've heard has some big names attached... Hopefully the pieces simply fit together better next time around." - Jeff Stockton, Deseret News
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