It’s not the low box-office numbers for the weekend that smarts so much as the way the Reuters writer treats the movies. I mean, sure, “The American” taking the top spot with a Friday-to-Sunday gross of $13 million (for $16.1 million overall) isn’t exactly a triumph, but is this description really appropriate?

The film, in which Clooney plays a stone-faced gun enthusiast holed up in a picturesque Italian town, was directed by rock photographer Anton Corbijn.

Note the clever juxtaposition of “stone” and “rock”. (And note my sarcastic usage of “clever” just there.) Also, “gun enthusiast” isn’t really an accurate summation of Clooney’s character.

But let’s not forget this:

The opening is slightly better than industry forecasts, but is similar to that of his 2008 flop “Leatherheads,” which ended its brief run with $31.3 million.

The opening may be similar, but there’s really no other connection to “Leatherheads” — a period rom-com that opened in the springtime — besides the fact that both films starred Clooney.

After that, we go on to smack Drew Barrymore around for a bit:

“Going the Distance” stars Barrymore and Justin Long as bi-coastal lovers. It is the latest in a string of rom-com flops for the actress, including “Lucky You,” “Music and Lyrics” and “Fever Pitch.”

“Lucky You” wasn’t a romantic comedy, and “Music and Lyrics” wasn’t a flop, was it? It made, like, $50 million. I know it’s a long weekend and the regular beat reporter’s probably taking the kids to college, but really, even a throwaway piece like this should be as accurate as possible. And maybe a little less bitchy.