It’s the summer of 2001, and a new Rob Schneider comedy has just opened in theaters: The Animal. You assume, since it’s a Rob Schneider movie, that it’s probably terrible and not worth your time, but you decide to check out the critic reviews anyway.
Of course, the negative reviews dominate the press, like Scott Chitwood of ComingSoon.net who said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if teenage boys walked out on this one.” Or Glenn Whipp of the Los Angeles Daily News who said, “Fails to develop its ideas or jokes in a way that would satisfy anyone over the age of 10.”
But then, in the sea of negative reactions, you see one glowing review from David Manning of The Ridgefield Press who said, “The producing team of Big Daddy has delivered another winner!”. And maybe that positive review convinces you to give The Animal a shot. The only problem is… David Manning doesn’t exist.
Well, in truth, there was a real Dave Manning, but he was a medical and industrial supply salesman; pretty far from being a film critic. But, Dave Manning happened to be old college friends with Matthew Cramer, a man who would go on to become the promotional director at Sony. Cramer borrowed his friend’s name with permission when dreaming up a…
