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Kyle Smith (critic)

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Kyle Smith
Born1966 (age 57–58)
East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation
  • Critic
  • columnist
  • novelist
Alma materYale University (BA)
Spouse
Sara Austin
​
(m. 2007)​
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
RankLieutenant
Battles / warsPersian Gulf War

Kyle Smith (born 1966) is an American critic, columnist, and novelist. He is currently the film critic for The Wall Street Journal[1] and the theater critic for The New Criterion.[2] Earlier, he was critic-at-large for National Review,[3] a film critic and columnist for the New York Post,[4] and a contributor to The Wall Street Journal,[5] People, New York, Forbes,[6] The New York Times,[7][8][9] and Commentary.[10]

Education

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Smith graduated from East Longmeadow High School in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts in 1984 and from Yale University, summa cum laude, as an English major, and as a Phi Beta Kappa member.[11][12] Smith served in the U.S. Army during the Persian Gulf War, holding the rank of lieutenant.[13][14] From 1996 to 2005 he worked at People magazine as editor of book and music reviews.[15]

Writing

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A writer in Entertainment Weekly described Smith's film-reviewing style as "an exercise in hilarious hostility".[16] He has been dubbed "America's most cantankerous film critic" by The Atlantic.[17]

Love Monkey

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Love Monkey was published by William Morrow[18] in 2004.[19] Times critic Janet Maslin called the book "hilarious". Time magazine said, "You couldn't ask for a more entertaining drinking buddy – watch out for a memorable strip-club meltdown scene – but there's a deep, dark subway of despair running underneath his riffs, and that's what makes the book more than a standup routine... Love Monkey nails it."[20]

On January 17, 2006,[21] a one-hour CBS TV series based on the book debuted; it was a dramedy also called Love Monkey. It starred Tom Cavanagh, Judy Greer, Jason Priestley and Larenz Tate.[21] The show aired on CBS in January–February 2006, but was pulled from the CBS prime-time schedule after only three episodes had been aired. Shortly afterwards, VH1 announced that it had acquired the rights to broadcast all 8 episodes which had been filmed to that point. They aired on VH1 in April and May 2006.[22]

A Christmas Caroline

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Smith's second novel, A Christmas Caroline,[23] was published in 2006, also by William Morrow. The Wall Street Journal critic Joseph Bottum wrote, "For those who prefer their sentimentality seasoned with a dash of cynical wit, Kyle Smith's A Christmas Caroline may be a good selection. Mr. Smith ... turns in a quick, enjoyable read about a selfish woman at a fashion magazine who is taught the true meaning of Christmas by three spooky visitors. From the moment you meet Caroline's assistant—a devious redhead named Ursula Heep—you know you're at play in the fields of Charles Dickens.... Mr. Smith takes Dickens' old, familiar tale and stuffs it into a woman straight out of The Devil Wears Prada".[24]

References

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  1. ^ "Kyle Smith Movie Reviews & Previews | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  2. ^ Archive of Kyle Smith's pieces at The New Criterion Archived November 29, 2018, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  3. ^ "Kyle Smith". National Review. Archived from the original on December 24, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  4. ^ "Kyle Smith". New York Post. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  5. ^ "The Wall Street Journal Online - Taste Commentary". Opinionjournal.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  6. ^ "Kyle Smith - Moneybull". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  7. ^ ""Metropolitan Diary", December 11, 1996". The New York Times. December 11, 1996. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  8. ^ "SUNDAY, JULY 23, 1995; NOBLES: Get Ready For Ethelred". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  9. ^ "Metropolitan Diary". The New York Times. May 10, 1998. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  10. ^ "Bridge to Nowhere". November 2014. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  11. ^ "Kyle Smith," Bookreporter.com Archived August 10, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  12. ^ "Sara Austin, Kyle Smith - New York Times". The New York Times. August 26, 2007. Archived from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  13. ^ "Author Profile: Kyle Smith". Bookreporter.com. October 31, 2006. Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  14. ^ "The Wall Street Journal Online - Leisure & Arts". Opinionjournal.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  15. ^ "BOOKS OF THE TIMES; Corrosive Characters in Two Novels About Journalists". The New York Times. February 12, 2004. Archived from the original on January 20, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  16. ^ Ross, Dalton (January 26, 2007). "Reviewing the Reviews: 'Catch and Release' | PopWatch Blog". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  17. ^ Randall, Eric (March 16, 2012). "America's Most Cantankerous Film Critic". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  18. ^ "William Morrow -". HarperCollins Publishers. March 24, 2010. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  19. ^ Kyle Smith (March 24, 2010). "Kyle Smith from". HarperCollins Publishers. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  20. ^ Grossman, Lev (February 16, 2004). "You've Got Male". Time. Archived from the original on January 12, 2005. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  21. ^ a b Flynn, Gillian (January 23, 2006). "Love Monkey". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 16, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  22. ^ "'Love Monkey' finds new life on VH1 - TV comedy - MSNBC.com". Today.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  23. ^ Lamb, Wally (October 31, 2006). A Christmas Caroline: A Novel: Kyle Smith: Books. HarperCollins. ISBN 0061119873.
  24. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved January 7, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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