Christopher Nolan addresses Peloton instructor's harsh 'Tenet' review at Golden Globes
"Oppenheimer" filmmaker Christopher Nolan pedaled back against potential beef with Peloton instructor Jenn Sherman during the 2024 Golden Globe Awards.
"Nothing but love for Peloton, but I did not climb on it today. I might just skip it for a little while," the best director winner told Variety backstage during the ceremony Sunday.
The comments were made after internet sleuths circulated a clip of Sherman disparaging Nolan's film "Tenet," which comes from a 2020 workout class by the Peloton instructor. After queuing up Travis Scott's song "The Plan" from the movie "Tenet," Sherman asked whether anyone else had seen the heady sci-fi thriller.
"I need a manual," Sherman bemoaned. "I'm not kidding, what was going on in that movie? Do you understand? Seriously, you need to be a neuroscientist to understand. And that's two and a half hours of my life that I want back."
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While accepting the best director prize at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards on Jan. 3, Nolan recalled a mortifying moment during a virtual cycling class.
"Directors have a complex emotional relationship with critics and criticism," Nolan said onstage. "I was on my Peloton doing a high-interval workout. I'm dying. The instructor started talking about one of my films and said, 'Has anyone else seen this? Because that's a couple hours of my life I'll never get back again.'"
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After Nolan's Critics Circle speech went viral, Sherman took to Instagram on Jan. 4 to post a lighthearted apology video.
"Listen, it was 2020. It was a dark time," Sherman said. "I'm up on the platform, teaching my class, running my mouth off like I'm known to do, and I make a random comment about a movie I had seen the night before."
She went on to say that while she still doesn't understand "Tenet," she has seen "Oppenheimer" twice. The cycling instructor ended her video with an open invitation for Nolan, asking him to join her for an in-person workout.
“Mr. Nolan, I'm inviting you to come for a ride with me in the Peloton studio," Sherman said. "You can critique my class. You'll have a great time. You'll sit in the front row. And I promise you it'll be insult-free.”
The time-bending "Tenet," which stars John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, was released at the height of COVID-19 in September 2020. The film was labeled "Nolan's most confusing movie" by the New York Post, but still managed 69% positive reviews on aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.
Contributing: Jay Stahl
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Christopher Nolan talks Peloton instructor's review at Golden Globes
