|
| Movie Review: J. Edgar Alternate Title: What a Drag
Story: Sigh. I was hoping for
so much more from Oscar winning director Clint Eastwood
and Oscar winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.
The 50 year span of the career of J. Edgar Hoover has been fodder for
many films and TV shows. He has been played by over 30 actors along
the way. So what was wrong with this version of the life
of J. Edgar Hoover? It is painfully slow - plodding,
at times. Eastwood chose to highlight Hoover's dictation to a secretary
of how he wanted the FBI (and himself) to be remembered in history,
through vignettes. Those of us (on the left) that lived through the
era of J Edgar do not remember him fondly. The erosion of one's rights
and privacy by Hoover and the FBI are more blatant now than ever. Eastwood skims over important moments in time
as the FBI grows more powerful each decade. I would have liked to see
more about how Congress ceded power to the FBI, but that too, is glossed
over. Essentially, whenever an interesting moment in history comes to
the front, it is viewed more like a trailer to another film and then
we are on the the next topic. Aurgh. Hoover himself is treated with a combination
of fact and rumor. Did he have a homosexual relationship with his lifelong
pal, Clyde Tolson? After viewing this film - one cannot but connect
the dots. Was he a cross dresser? That scene heard giggles all over
the theater. Long, long story short - you can pass on this
film. Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XULIO67YIRA Acting: Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover was fine
once you get over the latex mask. Naomi Watts as Helen
Gandy really had nothing to do in her part. Armie Hammer
as Clyde Tolson was fine (except for his latex mask as he aged). Josh
Lucas as Charles Lindbergh was a forgettable Nazi. Jeffrey
Donovan as Robert F. Kennedy was fine in his very short scene.
Judi Dench as Hoover's mother, Annie is always good
and is the busiest actor around. Predilection: None - other than I like political films.
Trivia: Screen writer Dustin Lance Black is
a former Mormon. He has won two Writers Guild of America Awards for
his work on the television series Big Love and an Academy Award for
the 2008 film Milk. Check out the Five Myths About J. Edgar Hoover from
the Washington Post here. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-j-edgar-hoover/2011/11/07/gIQASLlo5M_story.html
Food: Many scenes took place in restaurants where
mostly meat and potatoes were the 'all American' fare of the day.
Sex Spectrum: An implied and at time overt relationship
between Hoover and Tolson is a running theme throughout the film.
Soundtrack: Typical Eastwood tracks,
Opening Titles: The opening scene features an elderly
Hoover dictating his view of the FBI's rise to power to a secretary.
Visual Art: The film has an overall sepia and at
time, black and white overtone to recall days of yore.
Theater Audience: About a dozen other early Saturday
morning movie goers like me. One other woman laughed at the short scene
that featured Nixon.
Weather: Not a factor.
Sappy Factor: 0
Quirky Meter: 0
Squirm Scale: The Government's slow take over of
our rights and privacy made me squirm.
Drift Factor: I looked at my watch about 20 times.
Predictability Level: High
Tissue Usage: 0
Oscar Worthy: No
Big Screen or Rental: Either would do for this clunker.
Length: Overly long at 2 hours and 17 minutes.
LOBO HOWLS: 5 |