The Rob Schneider Movie So Awful It Exposed the Lamest Marketing Hoax in Movie History

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Around 24 years ago, a strange situation unfolded in the world of movie reviews. While Hollywood has always pushed boundaries, this case was particularly unusual. Today, we’re used to fake news and aware of things like bots and deepfakes, but back in 2000, people generally trusted what they read and heard. That’s when a writer named David Manning, working for the Ridgefield Press, started appearing, writing very positive reviews for movies like Hollow Man, The Patriot, and A Knight’s Tale. Suspicion grew, however, when he gave rave reviews to The Animal, a poorly received film starring Rob Schneider – a comedian known for his time on Saturday Night Live and even having his own signature catchphrase during his run on the show.

We won’t criticize him for something he couldn’t help, but this incident started a decline in his professional standing that he never overcame. It quickly became apparent this wasn’t a standard review. Manning seemed easily pleased, praising every movie he watched, leading to questions about whether his positive reviews were genuine or paid for. The truth, we soon learned, was worse. Manning was simply a public face – a fake reviewer used by Sony to promote their own releases, often appearing in promotional materials. This deception highlighted Sony’s lack of faith in their films and their disregard for their audience.

“Another Winner!”


Universal Pictures

It’s common for filmmakers to seek out positive reviews to attract audiences, but Sony Pictures took things a step further with their latest Adam Sandler comedy. Unable to find enough enthusiastic praise for their raunchy film, they fabricated positive quotes for promotional materials. While other movies might have been easily ignored, simply having a professional critic praise a Rob Schneider performance felt too far-fetched, especially considering the overwhelmingly negative reviews elsewhere.

Even years ago, critics often disliked Adam Sandler, despite his strong following with Gen X and Millennials. That hasn’t really changed. Peter Travers of *Rolling Stone* went as far as to insult people who enjoyed the movie, calling them fools. When film critic Mr. Manning called it “another winner,” it reached a peak of disbelief. *Newsweek* revealed the truth in the spring of 2001, with reporters pointing out that a particularly positive reviewer was known for consistently favoring Columbia Pictures. This highlights a pattern of questionable quality coming from the studio at the beginning of the 2000s.

Will the Real David Manning Please Stand Up?


Sony Pictures Releasing

The Ridgefield Press was a well-respected New England newspaper, but no one working there actually wrote the review in question. Sony admitted that a couple of its marketing employees created the fake review on their own. They thought it would go unnoticed, except perhaps by an overly diligent employee at Newsweek with a lot of time on their hands.

Nowadays, online users would expose a fraud like this in just an hour, but twenty-five years ago, it took a full year for people to realize what was happening because trust in companies was much higher. Sony’s representatives acted surprised when the news came out. Even though the story broke on the same day as the movie’s release, *The Animal* still made a good profit, ranking just behind the huge hits *Shrek* and *Pearl Harbor* in its first week, according to data from *The Numbers*.

Fake Reviewers, Real Consequences?


Sony Pictures Releasing

Sony initially said the controversial scene was just a temporary placeholder, but changed that story when the legal case began. According to the BBC, Sony then surprisingly argued that it was protected by freedom of speech – a defense the judge quickly dismissed. Ultimately, Sony had no good explanations left and faced the consequences. As reported by Variety in 2005, Sony disciplined two employees, was fined by Connecticut for fraud, and paid over a million dollars to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by moviegoers seeking refunds.

Compared to the overall box office success of these movies, the controversy was minor. *The Animal*, in particular, was quite profitable despite being made on a low budget. The film also illustrates the common difference between what critics and audiences think, which makes it hard to know if the hoax involving Joel Manning actually had any real impact.

To make matters worse, Sony repeatedly changed its explanation of what happened, seemingly trying to hide the truth. They ultimately settled the case without admitting any wrongdoing. This whole situation with David Manning perfectly illustrates why you shouldn’t trust public relations professionals. Now that there’s talk of a sequel to *Animal*, we’re eager to see what the marketing team comes up with. If the first *Animal* is anything to go by, the marketing will be the most captivating aspect of the project. While the film isn’t terrible, it would have likely been forgotten without the media attention – and it probably should have been.

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2025-10-19 20:48