John Oliver laughs at FIFA's self-financed vanity-film flop, United Passions
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If timing is everything in Hollywood, FIFA caught a tough break when the glowing FIFA movie it largely financed opened just days after the U.S. charged nine FIFA executives with corruption and racketeering, forcing the resignation of FIFA's powerful president, Sepp Blatter. And testing the adage that no publicity is bad publicity, the film, United Passions, brought in only about $900 in its U.S. opening weekend. On Sunday's Last Week Tonight, noted soccer fan and FIFA hater John Oliver enjoyed a minute (and four seconds) of schadenfreude.
"The reviews so far have been phenomenal," Oliver said, and he didn't mean that in a good way. You can watch Oliver's brief victory dance on FIFA's cinematic grave below, but be warned there is one slightly salty joke thrown in. Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
