Whoopi Goldberg Says The Odyssey Shows ‘the Stupidity of Men’
On The View, Whoopi Goldberg took a dim view of The Odyssey’s men during her chat with Christopher Nolan’s cast — and framed it as a recurring pattern.
Whoopi Goldberg didn’t mince her words on The View this week, and Christopher Nolan’s latest epic The Odyssey got the full treatment. She sat down with Nolan, Matt Damon, and Anne Hathaway on the sofa and, as ever, found a way to cut through the polite chat and get right into what the film says about men, war, and the cleverness of women. If you thought daytime telly couldn’t be genuinely revealing, this was one for the books.
Goldberg on Men, War, and Homer’s Epic
As far as Goldberg’s concerned, The Odyssey isn’t just ancient Greek drama dusted off for cinema screens – it’s basically a showcase for what she called ‘the stupidity of men’. She pointed out that, throughout the film, blokes are repeatedly warned not to do something, promptly barrel ahead anyway, and then act baffled when it all kicks off.
'Men are told in this movie, "Don’t do this because this is going to happen." Every time, they go and do that, and they’re surprised that it’s going the other way!'
At 70, Goldberg’s not shy of connecting fictional sea battles with ongoing real-life horrors either. She saw the film’s sprawling war scenes as a direct reminder of the pointlessness of conflict: nobody really wins. ‘We have to be reminded why war doesn’t really work for anybody. No one wins in a war. There are no winners, and I got that,’ she said.
Penelope, Outsmarting Everyone
Then, turning to Anne Hathaway’s role as Penelope, Goldberg switched gears and celebrated the brighter side of the story: women being far cleverer than the blokes around them. Apparently, it’s Penelope who runs rings round the suitors for twenty years while waiting for Odysseus to find his way home (satnav still not invented in ancient Greece, obviously). Goldberg told Hathaway that too many women forget just how strong and resourceful they can be – but Penelope’s a timely reminder.
Box Office and Awards Buzz
If you’re wondering whether the audience has shown up, the numbers are outrageous. The Odyssey pulled in $264 million worldwide following its Friday debut, smashing Nolan’s own launch record, previously held by The Dark Knight Rises ($249 million back in 2012). Mind you, adjusting for inflation, that 2012 haul would be about $366.9 million now, so it’s not quite as massive as the headlines might make out – but still, it’s a monster hit.
The film earned $264 million worldwide in its opening weekend.
- The Odyssey opened on Friday
- $264 million global box office (unadjusted)
- Beats Nolan’s previous record from The Dark Knight Rises
- Oscar talk already brewing for 2027
- Nolan riding high after Oppenheimer’s Best Picture win
Oscar speculation’s already swirling for next year. The momentum from Nolan’s Oppenheimer hasn’t faded, and it looks like The Odyssey will be grabbing plenty of nominations when awards season rolls round. The View continues weekdays on ABC, and The Odyssey is playing now, if you want to see whether Goldberg’s take rings true.