Spotlight. 2015

I took myself to the Bam Rose Cinema yesterday to see what is probably the most hyped movie of the Fall season. The critics have been ga ga over this tight movie about a cover up in Boston of a sex abuse scandal in the Catholic church and the efforts of the Boston Globe to expose the dirty deeds. And expose they do. I must say that I wasn't that impressed with the film, and yes I know I'm in the minority when it comes to this opinion. I found most of it tedious and dull even though there are some good performances especially from Mark Ruffalo and Stanley Tucci as a lawyer who pretty much steals every scene he's in and might very well win an Oscar for it. |
The film is a popular success judging by the sold out screening I was at, and there was even mild applause at the end, whether it was for the film itself or that it was finally over. It wears it's history well in terms of journalistic expose films, but to compare it to Citizen Kane or even All The President's Men is ludicrous but thats what some of the critics are doing. I prefer my journalistic films to be a bit more lively and exciting (Zodiac comes to mind) which this one isn't, even though it tries hard with subtle bits of hanging treats and implied violence.
The film is best when the grown victims of the abuse and violence are interviewed, and it comes alive for a time. The cinematography has a grey brown blue washed out look which recalls the look of some of the American films made in the 1970's making it seem like the sun never shines in Boston.