Spotlight - movie review

Spotlight

Plot: The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams
Director: Tom McCarthy
Rating: 15
Runtime: 2hrs 8 mins
Release Date: Friday 29th January 2016

The term 'Oscar-bait' is thrown around quite frequently. It describes a film as having a classic, emotional and heart driven story that has unfortunately been seen multiple times. I can wholeheartedly say that Spotlight is anything but an 'Oscar-bait' film. Yes, it may have an emotional story at its core but it's delivery is what stands it above others. It deals with a very sensitive and controversial topic in a calm and gentle manner allowing the audience to be eased into the story without any prior knowledge.



Spotlight may have one of the best ensembles of any movie nominated this year. As head of the Spotlight team at the Boston Globe is Michael Keaton as Walter Robinson. After his star turn in Birdman last year, Keaton continues to prove himself as a qualified dramatic actor. Some may know him as Beetlejuice or Batman but after these two phenomenal performances, he is gradually solidifying himself as a high class talent. Rachel McAdams surprised me in this film. She most certainly surpassed my expectations thinking she wouldn't be able to hold her own against some of the more experienced actors. Not only was I wrong but she even shone above them. She is no longer the Regina George from Mean Girls, she truly has developed for the better. McAdams adds sincerity to her role and I was often captivated with how her character pursued the investigations. Also starring in supporting roles were Liev Schreiber (thankfully putting the disaster of The 5th Wave behind him), John Slattery and Stanley Tucci. They were all fantastic in their roles and never wasted a moment of their screen time. My only issue, especially with Schreiber and Tucci, was their limited screentime. I was infatuated with the performances but it was a shame they were only given intermittent roles. But the most stunning performance in this jam packed cast was Mark Ruffalo as Mike Rezendes. His is deserving of his supporting acting nomination, whether he'll win or not is a different question (I'm hoping for Stallone). But nominations aside, his character was the one I was most intrigued to watch. Ruffalo doesn't put on an accent as such but he alters his voice slightly to seem more accurate to the Portuguese reporter. It caught me off guard to begin with but it didn't bother me at all. His performance though is undeniably fantastic. His nuanced and subtle approach to this hard-hitting case is a revelation to watch. It was also pleasant to see him move away from his Hollywood focused roles such as The Hulk and allow us to see how capable of an actor he truly is.

From the opening scene to the closing credits, this movie had me hooked and transfixed. The pace at which this film travels is fast and unrelenting. My advice would be to stay in your seats at all times because if you take your focus away from it for even a few seconds, you may have missed something crucial for the rest of the story. That may be viewed as a negative in some cases, but for me, it is masterful storytelling. I'm also very glad that Tom McCarthy has managed to move on from his absolute disaster that was The Cobbler. It proves to me that it was just a misstep and he is now back on track. The pace of the movie also helps justify my argument when I say that this movie was a drama and thriller combined. There were legitimate scenes of tension that had me gripped and because of my limited knowledge of these events, I was unsure of the overall outcome. That was something that I did not expect from a film about journalism. Unfortunately, some parts of the story were not as effective as others. Most notably was a small side plot involving Rachel McAdams' character and her grandmother. It felt out of place and more of a forced attempt to add development and more emotion to these characters even though I was fully committed to them during their work. In some respects, I can appreciate the abrupt ending for dramatic effect, but after the ride that I had been taken on with these characters, I was a little disappointed that we didn't follow up to see what they are doing today.

The social context and relevance featured in this film is by far one of the most impressive aspects. To even discuss the idea of Catholic priests abusing children is a tough subject to deal with but I'm glad that it was taken care of in a tasteful manner. There could have been the unfortunate option to twist the story into something clichéd and uninteresting but the originality and enthrallment shines. The script by Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy was astounding. I cannot stress how real the dialogue felt with characters having genuine pauses within their speeches adding to the overall authenticity of this film. It may not be the most technically advanced movie ever made but it wasn't attempting to be. Its intention was to tell a true and harrowing story and that it did with heaps of conviction. Spotlight also does something ingenious. In movies nowadays, journalists are usually painted in a negative light, but here they are given the recognition they deserve.

It may win the Oscar for best picture, it may not. But winning doesn't dispute this film from being one of the best nominated. The stellar performances and captivating storyline make for an riveting experience and McCarthy succeeds in making this story relevant again. I can't see this film being something I would watch repeatedly but it is something that I recommended very highly. 

My Verdict: 9/10

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