Aging sitcom stars are supposed to fade away, toil in the reality show trenches or spark sad TMZ headlines.
Justine Bateman hasn’t just shattered those low expectations. She’s become Tinsel Town’s voice of uncommon reason.
Bateman played Mallory on the ‘80s smash “Family Ties.” The NBC sitcom made Micheal J. Fox a superstar and showed a wholesome clash between the Left and the Right during the Reagan era.
“Family Ties.” 1982. Paramount Television. Ubu Productions. IMDB.
This wasn’t a “Crossfire” style shooting match but a family pushing past their political differences. The show ran for seven seasons and propelled Bateman into the running for a feature film career.
Her breakout role in “Satisfaction” (1988) didn’t catch fire. She still appeared on the big and small screen for the next two decades. She eventually switched to gigs behind the camera, writing and directing indie films that didn’t crash the zeitgeist (2021’s “Violet.”) but attracted reputable stars (Justin Theroux, Olivia Munn).
NBC. 20th Century Fox.
Still, she was working on her craft and, more importantly, observing the cultural landscape. Now, she has a lot to say and plenty of people are nodding along.
Bateman started speaking out in 2023 against AI’s reach into Hollywood fare. She became a voice during the dueling Hollywood strikes, warning what it meant to remove humans from the creative process.
“I think generative AI is one of the worst ideas we’ve ever had in this society,” she told Deadline after the SAG AFTRA strike ended in 2023.
She spoke with confidence and clarity at a time when many stars might have been too afraid to even touch how AI could impact the creative process. She was back in the spotlight but on her terms.
Her breakout moment came last year after the presidential election results poured in.
“Decompressing from walking on eggshells for the past four years,” she posted on X, a line that has now generated more than 6 million views.
Decompressing from walking on eggshells for the past four years.
— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) November 8, 2024
That cryptic quote touched a nerve. And, like a Hollywood veteran who understands her audience, she leaned into the sentiment. She excoriated Cancel Culture and the “woke mind virus” without using those specific terms. She sensed a free speech comeback under a second Trump administration without ever putting on a red hat.
I feel like there was this kind of suffocating cloud that was kind of over us… Regular people who had questions about decisions that were being made were threatened subtly or obviously into silence. And I feel like that’s been broken, that sort of suppression has been kind of broken.
She embraced X and Substack as her platforms of choice, snagging major interviews with the likes of Megyn Kelly along the way.
Through her metamorphosis, she refused to align with a political party. It’s not about politics, she insisted, drawing more fans in the process.
Sometimes common sense has a political bias in the 21st century.
CELEBRATE #47 WITH 47% OFF DAILYWIRE+ MEMBERSHIPS + A FREE $20 GIFT
She also began a series of tongue-in-cheek video reviews where she assessed amateur filmmakers melting down over the election results. She wasn’t cruel or cutting, but she offered professional advice that similarly went viral.
Hashtag #SocialMediaVideoCritique
Here’s just one example:
“The second major issue is the unpredictability of the camera movements. Because the emotions are high, the scene would have benefitted from a locked-off camera position, or a slow, graceful movement. The jiggling of the camera doubles down on the emotions and is overkill.”
– The second major issue is the unpredictability of the camera movements. Because the emotions are high, the scene would have benefitted from a locked-off camera position, or a slow, graceful movement. The jiggling of the camera doubles down on the emotions, and is overkill. 2/
— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) November 7, 2024
She has called out incompetent California Democrats for the wildfires fiasco while high-profile comedians like Jon Stewart spin on their behalf. It’s not partisan to excoriate a mayor who directs those impacted by wildfires to visit “URL.”
She even blasted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for depositing themselves in the middle of the wildfires tragedy, dubbing them “Disaster Tourists.” That label may linger.
She’s even struck a blow against Hollywood ageism. She’s refused to get plastic surgery or Botox, letting the world see her 50-something face without apology. It’s not easy to greet the public as a fresh-faced teen on a hit sitcom and age like the rest of us. She’s proud of her accomplishments over her vanity.
Justine Bateman directing her film short, “Five Minutes.” Photo by Steven Meiers.
One irony stands out.
Bateman’s brother, Jason Bateman, has been one of Hollywood’s more popular stars through the years. He, too, cut his teeth on sitcom fare like “Silver Spoons” and “The Hogan Family.” He kept working on high-profile projects, from iconic comedies (“Arrested Development”) to comedic film franchises (“Horrible Bosses”).
His star rose higher when he anchored Netflix’s “Ozark,” and his recent string of successes includes “Air” (2023) and “Carry On,” one of Netflix’s most popular original films. He also co-hosts “Smartless,” one of the podcasting realm’s biggest shows alongside Will Arnett and Sean Hayes.
Jason Bateman has been mostly silent on the culture war front. He’s a Democrat but he hasn’t shouted his views from the rafters. He proved more sly, literally lending his voice to the progressive cause. He appears to be of a different mindset than his older sister, but the two speak fondly of one another in public forums.
He’s been far more “successful” in Hollywood parlance, but Justine Bateman’s cultural impact appears far greater at the moment. She has found her cultural voice, and she’s only warming up.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at HollywoodInToto.com. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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[[{“value”:”
Aging sitcom stars are supposed to fade away, toil in the reality show trenches or spark sad TMZ headlines.
Justine Bateman hasn’t just shattered those low expectations. She’s become Tinsel Town’s voice of uncommon reason.
Bateman played Mallory on the ‘80s smash “Family Ties.” The NBC sitcom made Micheal J. Fox a superstar and showed a wholesome clash between the Left and the Right during the Reagan era.
“Family Ties.” 1982. Paramount Television. Ubu Productions. IMDB.
This wasn’t a “Crossfire” style shooting match but a family pushing past their political differences. The show ran for seven seasons and propelled Bateman into the running for a feature film career.
Her breakout role in “Satisfaction” (1988) didn’t catch fire. She still appeared on the big and small screen for the next two decades. She eventually switched to gigs behind the camera, writing and directing indie films that didn’t crash the zeitgeist (2021’s “Violet.”) but attracted reputable stars (Justin Theroux, Olivia Munn).
NBC. 20th Century Fox.
Still, she was working on her craft and, more importantly, observing the cultural landscape. Now, she has a lot to say and plenty of people are nodding along.
Bateman started speaking out in 2023 against AI’s reach into Hollywood fare. She became a voice during the dueling Hollywood strikes, warning what it meant to remove humans from the creative process.
“I think generative AI is one of the worst ideas we’ve ever had in this society,” she told Deadline after the SAG AFTRA strike ended in 2023.
She spoke with confidence and clarity at a time when many stars might have been too afraid to even touch how AI could impact the creative process. She was back in the spotlight but on her terms.
Her breakout moment came last year after the presidential election results poured in.
“Decompressing from walking on eggshells for the past four years,” she posted on X, a line that has now generated more than 6 million views.
Decompressing from walking on eggshells for the past four years.
— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) November 8, 2024
That cryptic quote touched a nerve. And, like a Hollywood veteran who understands her audience, she leaned into the sentiment. She excoriated Cancel Culture and the “woke mind virus” without using those specific terms. She sensed a free speech comeback under a second Trump administration without ever putting on a red hat.
I feel like there was this kind of suffocating cloud that was kind of over us… Regular people who had questions about decisions that were being made were threatened subtly or obviously into silence. And I feel like that’s been broken, that sort of suppression has been kind of broken.
She embraced X and Substack as her platforms of choice, snagging major interviews with the likes of Megyn Kelly along the way.
Through her metamorphosis, she refused to align with a political party. It’s not about politics, she insisted, drawing more fans in the process.
Sometimes common sense has a political bias in the 21st century.
CELEBRATE #47 WITH 47% OFF DAILYWIRE+ MEMBERSHIPS + A FREE $20 GIFT
She also began a series of tongue-in-cheek video reviews where she assessed amateur filmmakers melting down over the election results. She wasn’t cruel or cutting, but she offered professional advice that similarly went viral.
Hashtag #SocialMediaVideoCritique
Here’s just one example:
“The second major issue is the unpredictability of the camera movements. Because the emotions are high, the scene would have benefitted from a locked-off camera position, or a slow, graceful movement. The jiggling of the camera doubles down on the emotions and is overkill.”
– The second major issue is the unpredictability of the camera movements. Because the emotions are high, the scene would have benefitted from a locked-off camera position, or a slow, graceful movement. The jiggling of the camera doubles down on the emotions, and is overkill. 2/
— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) November 7, 2024
She has called out incompetent California Democrats for the wildfires fiasco while high-profile comedians like Jon Stewart spin on their behalf. It’s not partisan to excoriate a mayor who directs those impacted by wildfires to visit “URL.”
She even blasted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for depositing themselves in the middle of the wildfires tragedy, dubbing them “Disaster Tourists.” That label may linger.
She’s even struck a blow against Hollywood ageism. She’s refused to get plastic surgery or Botox, letting the world see her 50-something face without apology. It’s not easy to greet the public as a fresh-faced teen on a hit sitcom and age like the rest of us. She’s proud of her accomplishments over her vanity.
Justine Bateman directing her film short, “Five Minutes.” Photo by Steven Meiers.
One irony stands out.
Bateman’s brother, Jason Bateman, has been one of Hollywood’s more popular stars through the years. He, too, cut his teeth on sitcom fare like “Silver Spoons” and “The Hogan Family.” He kept working on high-profile projects, from iconic comedies (“Arrested Development”) to comedic film franchises (“Horrible Bosses”).
His star rose higher when he anchored Netflix’s “Ozark,” and his recent string of successes includes “Air” (2023) and “Carry On,” one of Netflix’s most popular original films. He also co-hosts “Smartless,” one of the podcasting realm’s biggest shows alongside Will Arnett and Sean Hayes.
Jason Bateman has been mostly silent on the culture war front. He’s a Democrat but he hasn’t shouted his views from the rafters. He proved more sly, literally lending his voice to the progressive cause. He appears to be of a different mindset than his older sister, but the two speak fondly of one another in public forums.
He’s been far more “successful” in Hollywood parlance, but Justine Bateman’s cultural impact appears far greater at the moment. She has found her cultural voice, and she’s only warming up.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at HollywoodInToto.com. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
“}]]
