Tuesday, November 8, 2011

J. EDGAR (D+)

Bottom Line: Not unlike the surname of the titular figure in this snail-paced biopic – J. EDGAR (Hoover) kind of sucks. It’s pure Oscar bait from the occasionally Oscar-worthy direction of Clint Eastwood. Its hopes at the top prize, however, are far out of reach as the movie plays out like a heavy-handed, disjointed, clunky, passionless and boring story of an immensely controversial man. You may find something to emotionally grasp if you’re over 50 (doubtful) and I’ll throw a plus at DiCaprio, Hammer, most of the cinematography and some of the make-up design which are all worth a nod from the Academy – but I still can’t recommend that you waste 137 minutes of your valuable time. I'm giving it the 'D' because it's a drag.

Rated: R
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts and Judi Dench
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Running time: 137 minutes
Story: J. Edgar explores the public and private life of one of the most powerful, controversial and enigmatic figures of the 20th century. As the face of law enforcement in America for almost fifty years, J. Edgar Hoover was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career and his life. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Trailer: www.jedgarmovie.warnerbros.com

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Make no mistake "J. Edgar" stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Armie Hammer, Josh Lucas and Judi Dench.

http://i56.tinypic.com/2mn3ywl.jpg

BRTaibl said...

Josh Lucas was hardly in it - didn't think his inclusion (in my review) was warranted. Didn't want people to say 'Sweet, Josh Lucas' and then come to find that he has, maybe, six lines in the movie. Eastwood's credits oversell him I think...

BRTaibl said...

Big fan of JL, however, and thought he did more with his small role in THE LINCOLN LAWYER. Would like to see him in more stuff.