Brett Ratner, let's be honest, has never been known for the most erudite wit or even ability to say anything that made him seem like more than an overprivileged, under-talented rich kid. But he might have outdone himself at a screening of his new movie Tower Heist over the weekend, when answering a question about the kind of rehearsing he did with his actors on the shoot. According to people who were at the screening, via Vulture, Ratner "waved his hand dismissively and said, 'Rehearsing is for fags.' " No word on whether he got a laugh out of it, but given the assumptions I make about the people who paid to see Tower Heist based on how mediocre it is, I wouldn't be surprised.
On one hand, there's not really a point in attacking a guy based on a single dumb comment he made, especially when it comes hand in hand with the many other dumb Brett Ratner comments out there, like his Attack of the Show appearance in which he talked about sleeping with the show's former host, Olivia Munn. On the other hand, come on dude. He knows better than that, and proved as much when he issued an apology to The Wrap, saying it was a "dumb way of expressing myself," and trotting out the apology that's common for people who get caught saying something offensive: "Everyone who knows me knows that I don’t have a prejudiced bone in my body." Yeah, usually it sounds more believable before you say something offensive in public.
Brett Ratner is getting ready to produce the Oscars, which isn't called "the gay Super Bowl" for nothing. He hopes to direct an adaptation of Wicked, and you don't need me to tell you the historical connection between the gay community and Broadway. Ratner just stuck his foot in his mouth at the exact moment it's the least convenient for him. Really, it couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy.
