The guy's an idiot.
Sad thing is, Ehrenstein, when wearing his professional cap, can be such an astute and informative critic (see this capsule review of Alain Resnais's 1963 classic
Muriel ou Le temps d'un retour for evidence):
http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/07/44/muriel.html But when Ehrenstein is writing off the cuff, he can be suprisingly petulant and childish, of which this Jake-related comment is, unfortunately, but one of many examples.