Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959)[1] is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for Variety magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with Peter Debruge. Previously, Gleiberman wrote for Entertainment Weekly from 1990 until 2014. From 1981 to 1989, he wrote for The Phoenix.
Owen Gleiberman | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 24, 1959 Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation(s) | Film critic, writer, author |
| Years active | 1981–present |
Early life and education
Gleiberman was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, to Jewish-American parents.[2] He was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is a graduate of the University of Michigan.[3]
Career
Gleiberman's work has been published in Premiere and Film Comment, and collected in the film criticism anthology Love and Hisses.[3] Gleiberman reviews movies for NPR and NY1.[3] He is a member of the New York Film Critics Circle.[3] He is one of the critics featured in Gerald Peary's 2009 documentary film For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism.[4]Gleiberman's autobiography, Movie Freak, was published by Hachette Books.[5]He and his wife Sharon live in New York City with their three daughters.[5][6]
In 2016, Gleiberman incited controversy over a piece on the film Bridget Jones’s Baby, criticizing the physical appearance of actress Renée Zellweger. Actress and MeToo activist Rose McGowan penned an op-ed in The Hollywood Reporter defending Zellweger and lambasting Gleiberman.[7]