What did Sam Elliott say? 'Yellowstone' star trolled with memes after calling Jane Campion's 'The Power of the Dog' 'a piece of s**t' movie

Veteran actor Sam Elliott recently landed in hot water after criticizing Jane Campion's Oscar-nominated film The Power of the Dog.

While speaking to Marc Maron on the WTF podcast earlier this week, the Yellowstone star called the film "a piece of s**t" movie for its representation of the American West:

"What the f*** does this woman from down there, New Zealand, know about the American west? And why in the f*** does she shoot this movie in New Zealand and call it Montana and say, 'This is the way it was.' That f***ing rubbed me the wrong way, pal."

Sam Elliott also expressed his displeasure about the LGBTQ+ portrayal of cowboys in the film. His criticism disappointed netizens, with many taking to social media to troll the actor for his remarks.

---

Look into Sam Elliot's criticism of 'The Power of the Dog'

Sam Elliott criticized 'The Power of the Dog' during his appearance on the 'WTF' podcast (Image via The Power of the Dog/Netflix)

While Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog is leading the race for the 2022 Oscars with 12 overall nominations, actor Sam Elliott was left unimpressed with the critically acclaimed film.

During a recent appearance on the WTF podcast to promote his upcoming Yellowstone prequel, 1883, Elliott spoke about his disappointment at the portrayal of the American West in The Power of the Dog:

"There was a f***ing full-page ad out in the LA Times, and there was a review, not a review, but a clip, and it talked about the 'evisceration of the American myth.' And I thought, 'What the f**k?'"

The 77-year-old also compared the representation of cowboys in the film with Chippendales dancers:

"They made it look like — what are all those dancers, those guys in New York who wear bowties and not much else. Remember them from back in the day? That's what all these f***ing cowboys in that movie look like."

The Quick and the Dead star further criticized the "allusions" of the LGBTQ+ community presented in the film:

"There's all these allusions to homos**uality throughout the f***ing movie. I think that's what the movie's about."

Elliott even called out the characterization of closeted rancher Phil Burbank (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) in the film:

"I mean, Cumberbatch never got out of his f***ing chaps… he would walk in from somewhere, he never was on a horse, maybe once, he'd walk into the f***ing house, storm up the f***ing stairs, go lay in his bed in his chaps, and play his banjo."

Although Sam Elliott called Jane Campion a "brilliant" director for her previous works, he continued to condemn her latest gothic thriller:

"I just came from Texas, where I was hanging out with families — not men, but families. Big, long, extended, multiple-generation families that made their living and their lives were all about being cowboys. And boy, when I f***ing saw that [film], I thought, 'What the f***? Where are we in this world today?'"

The Power of the Dog revolves around Phil Burbank's personal and repressed feelings about his identity and resentment against his new sister-in-law and her son at their Montana ranch. It traces his journey towards loving his family and covers themes of love, hate, grief, jealousy, and s**uality.

---

Twitter reacts to Sam Elliott's remarks on 'The Power of the Dog'

Sam Elliott was trolled online for his criticism of 'The Power of the Dog' (Image via Vincent Sandoval/Getty Images)

Based on Thomas Savage's 1967 novel of the same name, The Power of the Dog received universal acclaim following its official release on September 2, 2021. The film has received the maximum number of Oscar nominations this year and has already won three Golden Globe Awards.

While the American Film Institute named it one of the best films of 2021, the movie also made history for director Campion by making her the first woman to receive two nominations for best director at the Oscars following her initial nomination for The Piano in 1993.

Contrary to the general reception, Sam Elliott heavily criticized the film and its director. However, his comments backfired as social media users condemned his review and trolled the actor on Twitter using hilarious memes and humorous remarks:

As reactions continue to pour in online, it remains to be seen if Jane Campion will respond to Sam Elliott's criticism of the film. Meanwhile, the latter has also maintained his silence regarding the reception of his review on social media.