A few people have pointed out Deb Ducommun's absurd "review" she did of my documentary in her "Rat Report." Yes, it was a huge mistake on my part putting her in the documentary. I had hours and hours of footage to choose from and I put her in thinking it was going to help promote rats, not thinking at the time she would become Siskel and Ebert and "review" the movie as if she was writing a movie column for the LA Times. How someone can give a negative review to a film that they are apart of is beyond me. The whole point of the documentary was to get the word out how good rats are as pets and hopefully save a few lives, not create Citizen Kane. I honestly thought putting her in would help promote rats (that was the ONLY reason I put her in, I had plenty of interviews from people and she wasn't put in because she's a "star" like she thinks she is, and she by no means is the "star" of the documentary) and I should have known because I was warned about her ego (and then witnessed it as she made at least 25 references to being on TV. I'm the absolute last guy who's going to be impressed by that, since I've been on more TV shows than she has and all my friends are in the business, so repeating "usually when a TV crew comes here to do a story on me, they're here for three days" six times isn't impressing me in the least). As for the "quality" of the documentary, I still can't figure out what she's talking about since the documentary was filmed with a Sony VX2000 broadcast quality camera, narrated by an Emmy winning actor and hasn't received a single negative review from anyone who's watched it (including my own personal picky, negative showbiz friends who find fault in all films). And even if the documentary was filmed using a 1980s camcorder in black and white with no lighting, you don't badmouth something that is there to help promote rats as pets, especially when you claim that's what you do.

Stuff like that is going to bite her in the butt. I don't think she realizes how many people's she's alienated with that "review" and in the end, we all know what kind of person would do something like that. I'm sure it's hurt sales and I definitely won't use her for anything in the future, that is for sure. (note: When the documentary was in development at Animal Planet, she wasn't in it at all! I should have gone with that version I guess). Thanks to everyone who has mentioned it to me and pointed out that her "review" is absurd.

Other comments on Ducommun's review:
Comment 1
Comment 2
Comment 3
 
 
 
 
 

Note: Here is an email I received regarding Deb's penchant for giving bad reviews for the sake of giving a bad review:

I noticed the blurb on your website regarding the Debbie Ducommun review.  I
haven't read it, but knowing her, I can certainly imagine...

A couple of years ago we invited Debbie Ducommun to be the keynote
speaker at Ratapalooza.  The club subsidized her travel expenses, paid her an
honorarium, and provided her with a booth, at which she spent most of
the day selling and autographing her books at a steady pace.  We were all
very pleased with the way the event had gone and at the time we thought that
Debbie had been too.  Then we read her review of the event in The Rat
Report in which she trashed practically everything to the point where we
wondered if we had in fact attended the same event she was describing.  If that
were not bad enough, in a trade magazine aimed at pet store owners, she
wrote an even worse review, probably thinking we were never likely to see it.
Little did she know that our club vice president was at that time the co-owner
of a pet supply store.

Debbie D. has definitely burned her bridges with us, just as she does,
sooner or later, with practically everyone she comes into contact with.
I have observed that her Rat Fan Club has been losing rather than gaining
in membership for many years now, whereas I believe the popularity of rats
as pets has been growing, slowly but steadily.  It's my theory that the
Rat Fan Club is not gaining in membership mainly because Debbie keeps pissing
people off, although I'm sure she doesn't have the people skills to even pick
up on that.  Anyway, I just wanted to say that I wouldn't let a bad review
from Debbie discourage you.  We certainly didn't!  The legion of pet rat
people who have been pissed off, annoyed, or outright offended by Debbie "It's
All About Me" Ducommun is far greater than the membership of Debbie's
little fan club.

Another note:

Dan,
It certainly is discouraging that Debbie Ducommun would write anything negative about your Rat Documentary.  First of all, even if she were a "professional critic", I find it difficult to believe that she would find anything to complain about in your DVD.  Second, the fact that she would negate a documentary about something that she is supposed to care about I find sad and disappointing.  I have recommended Debbie D.'s books many times and I have always held her in high regard.  I hope that she isn't starting to care more about her public appearances than she is about the rats.  Certainly rats need all the positive PR they can get and I for one will always be grateful to you Dan for your many efforts including a professional well done documentary about rats and for the overwhelming number of rats you have rescued!
Debra

Your "RATS The Great Underrated Pet" is a documentary
that  I have been waiting years to see and fills a
hole that was badly needed. All rat-loving people -
yes and also those who hate them -  should see it.
The photography showing rats of all breeds and colors
in their various actions is brilliant and the sound
was very good. The writing explaining the spiritual
meaning of rat icons in the various countries and
their history is very interesting.  And it's so well
done,  interspersed with some interviews of people  of
importance (TO RATS):  a veterinarian,  doctors,
major rescuers, just plain rat lovers and also Debbie
Ducommun, the founder of The Rat Fan Club.
 
Now here comes a disappointment, not in the DVD, but
that Mrs. Ducommun, when mentioning this long needed
documentary in her Rat Report, has few good things to
say about it , even calling it a little
disappointing.  I am wondering why?  Was it because
some other personalities were given more time?  Was it
because a Special Thanks was not given to her but
rather to Diane Newburg, a friend who helped you in
many ways to accomplish this work and whose interview
was not even in the main section?  There seems to be
this disappointing tone in her mentioning the "ten
minutes" she appears in it.  I am sure doctors, the
veterinarian, and those who have taken in many
hundreds of dying rats at one time did not count the
minutes they were interviewed.  Well this was not a
documentary about Mrs. D. or any other person, but a
documentary to show and inform all people what an
interesting and loving companion pet rats can make.
Mrs. D. could have really helped rats a lot, helped
dispelling their bad image, by recommending this good
non-fiction DVD rather than criticizing it.
 
Ingrid