Science Writer Sues American Hustle over That Microwave Scene

A science writer who used to work for The New Yorker is reportedly filing a lawsuit against the producers of the movie American Hustle for, he alleges, grossly misrepresenting an article he wrote about microwaves and food. This comes from a scene where Jennifer Lawrence‘s character sets her brand-new microwave (or as she calls it, “the science oven”) on fire, and when her husband gets home, she gets very defensive about it and says she read an article explaining that microwaves suck the nutrition out of your food.

She name-checks Paul Brodeur, who has written about the subject. There’s just one snag: he says he argued the complete opposite. Back in January, a month after the movie came out, Brodeur complained to The Huffington Post about this “serious error.” Now, if you’ve seen the movie, you’re aware that Lawrence’s character isn’t exactly the most thoughtful, so it’s possible the character misread the article.

But according to TMZ, Brodeur is going ahead with a lawsuit, claiming that the scene has damaged his reputation and invited unwarranted ridicule and scorn. He’s reportedly seeking $1 million and wants his name removed from all copies of the movie.

You can watch the scene in question here, via Sony Pictures Entertainment:

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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