Summary: This film chronicles the life and career of J. Edgar Hoover, founding director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. He started working for the government when crime scene investigation wasn't practiced. Edgar grew frustrated with this, suggesting they were letting criminals get away with things. His appointed second-hand man, Clyde Tolson, stuck by Edgar through think and thin, occasionally pointing out flaws in Edgar's approach. Edgar's long-time secretary was the keeper of his secrets and one of the few people he could trust with everything.It follows him from the time no one took him seriously, through the time he became the legend that he is today.
OaTs: When this film was announced, I was fairly excited to see it. I have been a fan of Clint Eastwood, the director, and Leonardo DiCaprio for a long time now. I thought it would be a great match. And it wasn't a horrible match, but I have to say that I expected more.
I felt like it was trying too hard. DiCaprio has always been a favorite of mine, but I am recently coming to a different conclusion. I'm getting frustrated with the showiness of his performances. I will always love him in The Departed, and maybe even Revolutionary Road, but I feel like he is going to have to do something really different in order for me to consider myself a fan once again. I'd like to see him play an average guy using his given voice. I can't remember a time I've seen him in a movie without a fake accent, except maybe Inception, of which I was not a fan. His next role is Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. I'm looking forward to seeing what he does with that.
Eastwood has been letting me down as of late. I was one of the few who enjoyed Hereafter last year, but it wasn't anywhere near his best stuff. Invictus and Changeling were disappointments. Gran Torino, on the other hand, was fantastic. Anyway, I'm not sure if I am on the Eastwood band-wagon anymore either.
J. Edgar is a fascinating person, so I can understand why it was so appealing to make a film about his life. I do feel, however, that there is too much left unknown. I couldn't help but think to myself, "I wonder how much of this is true." Since I'm a history nerd, I like to see historical movies tell the truth. I understand that this doesn't always make for a good movie. So why even make them? There are some truly excellent films about history that are honest as well as entertaining. If you're going to do it, do it right.
Then there was the makeup. I keep going back to two films that used aging makeup to great effect: Citizen Kane, of course, and La Vie En Rose, the latter of which won the academy award for Best Achievement in Makeup. They realistically changed performers in their twenties and thirties into older versions of their characters and you didn't even think about the makeup until the movie was over. The entire time that I looked at DiCaprio as the older Hoover, I got distracted by the stuff on his face. Armie Hammer as Clyde Tolson was even worse. As Hoover's secretary, Ms. Gandy, Naomi Watts' makeup was pretty good, though.
I think that, once again, an effort to get DiCaprio an Academy Award has failed. He needs to stop trying so hard. With The Departed, I could tell that it wasn't his goal. It was a movie made for entertainment and it happened to be fantastic. In my opinion, that's a much better way to win awards than to aim for it and win. Make a good movie. If it's recognized, that's great. If not, at least you still have a good movie instead of a failed attempt at Oscar glory. All in all, a very disappointing movie. I was hoping for better.
J. Edgar is a fascinating person, so I can understand why it was so appealing to make a film about his life. I do feel, however, that there is too much left unknown. I couldn't help but think to myself, "I wonder how much of this is true." Since I'm a history nerd, I like to see historical movies tell the truth. I understand that this doesn't always make for a good movie. So why even make them? There are some truly excellent films about history that are honest as well as entertaining. If you're going to do it, do it right.
Then there was the makeup. I keep going back to two films that used aging makeup to great effect: Citizen Kane, of course, and La Vie En Rose, the latter of which won the academy award for Best Achievement in Makeup. They realistically changed performers in their twenties and thirties into older versions of their characters and you didn't even think about the makeup until the movie was over. The entire time that I looked at DiCaprio as the older Hoover, I got distracted by the stuff on his face. Armie Hammer as Clyde Tolson was even worse. As Hoover's secretary, Ms. Gandy, Naomi Watts' makeup was pretty good, though.
I think that, once again, an effort to get DiCaprio an Academy Award has failed. He needs to stop trying so hard. With The Departed, I could tell that it wasn't his goal. It was a movie made for entertainment and it happened to be fantastic. In my opinion, that's a much better way to win awards than to aim for it and win. Make a good movie. If it's recognized, that's great. If not, at least you still have a good movie instead of a failed attempt at Oscar glory. All in all, a very disappointing movie. I was hoping for better.
Score: 5/10
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