Will Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar" starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer make the cut for the Oscars?
Oscar season has arrived. As predictable as the autumn's falling leaves, studios are preparing to release the most worthy films in hopes of garnering a nomination before the year's end. So it was no surprise that director Clint Eastwood's biopic, "J. Edgar," would have a fall release. With a solid cast, intriguing subject and a renowned director, I expected "J. Edgar" to blow me away. Unfortunately, there are a few too many flaws lurking within the film that could prevent it from making the award lineup.
As a diehard DiCaprio fan, I still have hope that he will finally win an Academy Award some day. It is hard to believe he hasn't already because he's been putting out phenomenal films since puberty. Even in this case, his performance as J. Edgar Hoover, the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was nothing short of spectacular. His physical demeanor, speech and clear understanding of J. Edgar's flawed personality were authentic and admirable. DiCaprio has once again proven his ability as a passionate, gifted actor who can assume drastically different characters to perfection. If there is any reason to see this film, it is to witness DiCaprio's genius performance as one of the most controversial figures in the history of the United States.
Starring alongside DiCaprio is Hammer as J.Edgar's right hand man and rumored lover, Clyde Tolson. Since his role in "The Social Network," Hammer has proven to be as talented as he is handsome. He holds his own throughout the film, giving it a sweet touch of emotion as the audience witnesses the relationship between Tolson and Hoover flourish.
Eastwood attempted to verify the rumored homosexuality of J. Edgar by interviewing several officials of the FBI, but was unable to find an account of their relationship. Despite the lack of insight into the nature of Tolson and Hoover's companionship, Eastwood manages to create a moving portrayal of two men who relied on each other throughout their lives.
Despite two very strong performances from DiCaprio and Hammer, "J. Edgar" has errors that are too strong to ignore. The cheesy make up and prosthetics used to age the cast were disturbingly unconvincing and laughable. The lighting felt as if it were attempting to emulate an old film, everything discolored and gray, which didn't necessarily suit the overall tone of events. The story itself was filmed in a choppy, nonlinear fashion that moved too quickly. Overall, the plot was muddled together making events confusing. I felt as though the movie was trudging and then bouncing along with nothing significant or clear enough to hold my interest. Too many poorly executed elements were distracting from what was actually well done.
As a whole product, "J. Edgar" falls short of anything "Oscar-worthy." The direction of Eastwood may have been what hindered this film. Perhaps DiCaprio and Hammer will be able to get this movie to scrape by onto the nomination list, but that seems unlikely.
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