Spotlight (2015 film)

Directed by Thomas McCarthy and written by McCarthy and Josh Singer, Spotlight is the story of reporters for The Boston Globe who uncover a major scandal involving sexual abuse of children in the hands of Catholic priests in Boston in 2002. The film is a dramatization of the events that would shake up the world of Catholicism in the hands of a group of journalists who struggle with their own upbringing as well as uncovering the truth to an entire city. Starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schrieber, Brian d’Arcy James, Billy Crudup, John Slattery, and Stanley Tucci. Spotlight is a riveting and exhilarating film from Thomas McCarthy.

Set from the summer of 2001 to early 2002 in Boston at The Boston Globe, the film revolves the famed Spotlight investigative journalist team who are asked by the paper’s new editor to do a story about a sex abuse scandal involving a Catholic priest at a parish in Boston. There, the journalists not only uncover more about what happened but also cover-ups and the fact that they themselves had a chance to tell the story years ago but never did. It’s a film that isn’t just about a sex scandal involving priests who abused children for many years in Boston but also the fact that the Catholic church in Boston was willing to cover up and do things in their power to pretend that it never happened. Even as the journalists try to figure out what are they hiding as they realize that this is bigger than one priest but an entire city that was involved and maybe the entire world.

The film’s screenplay by Thomas McCarthy and Josh Singer opens with a chilling scene of priest making a settlement with lawyers over a sex scandal which establishes what is common in Boston that people know but don’t want to talk about. It then cuts to the arrival of new Boston Globe editor Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) who is aware that he has to gain the trust of the staff including the Spotlight team where he asks them to follow-up on a column about a sex abuse scandal from a Catholic priest. Leading the Spotlight team is Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton) who is joined by Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), and Matt Carroll (Brian d’Arcy James) as they were looking for something to do where Rezendes would try to talk to attorney Mitchell Garabedian (Stanley Tucci) is reluctant to talk publicly to Rezendes yet eventually reveals what is at stake.

With the team talking to victims as well as revelations that they had a chance to tell the story years ago when Robinson was part of the team. While Robinson does admit guilt on his own part for not taking the chance to cover the story, he would redeem himself in not just going further once it becomes clear that the story is bigger than one parish but rather a whole city. Especially as it becomes clear that many who work for the paper are Catholic where they seem to know what is happening but they are either too scared to reveal what happened or are in denial. By the film’s third act where it becomes clear that there is evidence to get one priest to finally confess about his actions. Robinson realizes that it’s not one name they need to go after but the almost 100 names that they’ve uncovered including one living in Carroll’s neighborhood.

McCarthy’s direction is quite engaging for the way it plays into the atmosphere of the newspaper world where many are struggling with the new age of internet news and the decline of print. Even as it plays into events such as 9/11 as the world of the newspaper and journalism is a very busy one where many colleagues talk and socialize about what stories to tell. McCarthy’s usage of tracking shots, wide, and medium shots don’t just play into that atmosphere but also help flesh out the drama where the camera would pull back in scenes where the Spotlight team try to gather whatever they can use to tell the story. While McCarthy does use close-ups for some intimate moments where the characters talk to victims or what they do in their personal lives as it relates to Pfeiffer accompany her grandmother to church on Sundays. It helps establish not just what kind of city Boston is but also why it has this very unique relationship with the Catholic church.

McCarthy would also know how to build up drama such as a scene where Rezendes gains access to old testimonial records with the aid of Garabedian as he tells the team that they should unleash the story now. Yet, it becomes clear that these scandals have taken a personal toll for the team as well as one of its key editors in Ben Bradlee Jr. (John Slattery) who admit to being a lapse Catholic. Even as there are those who were thinking about returning to church to regain some idea of faith but the scandal has damaged that faith as they aren’t sure if revealing this to the city would destroy all of that for those who still believe in the church. It adds to the dramatic conflict as the decision that is made doesn’t just hit home for the entire team but would also for an entire city and maybe the entire world. Overall, McCarthy creates a chilling yet visceral drama about a group of newspaper journalists uncovering a sexual abuse scandal in their home city.

Cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the usage of natural lights for many of the daytime exteriors as well as the usage of lights for the scenes set at night in the interior/exterior settings. Editor Tom McArdle does amazing work with the editing as it‘s mostly straightforward with a few jump-cuts for dramatic purposes as well as montages to play into the team at work. Production designer Stephen H. Carter, with set decorator Shane Vieau and art director Michaela Cheyne, does fantastic work with the look of the set of The Boston Globe building as well as the room where the Spotlight team works at plus the home of a few characters in the film.

Costume designer Wendy Chuck does terrific work with the costumes as a lot of it is casual with the exception of the clothes that some of the priests and cardinals wear. Visual effects supervisor Colin Davies does nice work with the minimal visual effects in the film which is essentially set dressing for some of the exteriors to make the city look like Boston circa-2001. Sound designer Paul Hsu does superb work with the sound to play into the atmosphere of the rooms at the Boston Globe to the machines where the papers are printed and other parts of the city. The film’s music by Howard Shore is brilliant for its very low-key piano score that has a few orchestral flourishes as it‘s mostly straightforward to play into the drama as well as the heaviness of what is happening while music supervisor Mary Ramos provides a more low-key soundtrack filled with bands based on Boston that only appears in the background.

The casting by Kerry Barden, John Buchan, Jason Knight, and Paul Schnee is incredible as it features some notable small roles from Neal Huff as one of the victims in Phil Savino, Len Cariou as Cardinal Bernard Law whom Baron meets early in the film, Paul Guilfoyle as one of the people involved with the church in Peter Conley, Jamey Sheridan as one of the church’s attorneys in Jim Sullivan whom Robertson knows, Maureen Keiller as columnist Eileen McNamara who would create the column that would start the investigation, Gene Amoroso as investigative reporter Stephen Kurkjian, Richard Jenkins as the voice of a noted psychiatrist for the victims, and Billy Crudup as attorney Eric MacLeish who is reluctant to reveal the settlements he took part in as well as reveal some revelations about the paper. John Slattery is fantastic as Ben Bradlee Jr. as one of the editors of the Globe who tries to make sure everything Spotlight does is under wraps where he realizes how big the story is prompting to get Baron on their side.

Stanley Tucci is excellent as Mitchell Garabedian as a man who is trying to defend the victims as he is reluctant to provide information because of the church where he gives Rezendes tips about what to find. Liev Schreiber is brilliant as Marty Baron as the new editor-in-chief who tries to understand more about the world of the Catholic church in Boston as he is a Jewish man trying to see what is going on where he learns more about what is really happening prompting him to put more support on Spotlight. Brian d’Arcy James is superb as Matt Carroll as a Spotlight reporter who helps piece many of the stories and sources that happens while making a chilling discovery about how close to home the scandal is at.

Rachel McAdams is amazing as Sacha Pfeiffer as a Spotlight reporter who talks to the victims in the streets while she would also talk to a former priest only to realize more of what is happening as she copes with how the news will affect her grandmother. Mark Ruffalo is phenomenal as Michael Rezendes as a Spotlight reporter who meets with Garabedian where he would go into the records with Carroll and Robertson where he would later uncover a major breakthrough for the story. Finally, there’s Michael Keaton in a remarkable performance as Walter “Robby” Robertson as the Spotlight chief who leads the charge where he would make some revelations into what he discovered as well as carry the guilt that he had the chance to reveal it years ago where he realizes the chance to do things right for himself and for Boston.

Spotlight is a tremendous film from Thomas McCarthy. Featuring a great ensemble cast, an intriguing story, well-crafted direction, and top-notch technical work, the film isn’t just a fascinating newspaper drama. It’s a film that explores people coping with something they either knew or didn’t want to know as they try to find a way to expose it to their city and the world in the hopes that something like this never happens again. In the end, Spotlight is a sensational film from Thomas McCarthy.

Thomas McCarthy Films: (The Station Agent) - The Visitor - Win Win - (The Cobbler)

© thevoid99 2015

Good Night, and Good Luck.

Directed by George Clooney and written by Clooney and Grant Heslov, Good Night, and Good Luck is the story of TV broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow and his conflict to call out Senator Joseph McCarthy in the early 1950s during the period of McCarthyism where people are accused of being affiliated with communism. The film is a historical look into a man who refused to give in to McCarthy’s accusations amidst the pressure of corporate sponsors and such during the early years of television. Starring David Strathairn, George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, and Frank Langella. Good Night, and Good Luck is a fascinating yet rich film from George Clooney.

In the early 1950s where Senator Joseph McCarthy calls out on American citizens with Communist ties believing they’re working for the Soviet Union. The film revolves around Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) and his team to stand up to McCarthy and his many accusations believing that he is calling out regular people and making them cower to his claims. It’s a film that plays into a period in time during the early years of television where Murrow wants to voice his opinions at great risk from losing corporate sponsors. It is a film where people are scared and have no idea who to turn to during this time where Murrow would be a voice for those who are afraid of McCarthy.

The film’s screenplay by George Clooney and Grant Heslov opens and ends with Murrow at a gala in his honor in 1958 with colleagues there to praise him as he talks about the importance of what television should do rather than just entertain. Even as much of the film takes place from late 1953 to early 1954 where there’s a lot of discussion of the stories that Murrow and his producer Fred W. Friendly (George Clooney) want to talk about as it relates to those who lost their jobs because of McCarthy’s accusations or those who are victimized by McCarthy such as Annie Lee Moss. Though Murrow, Friendly, and some of their staff believe they’re doing something right to call out McCarthy for his actions. They still had to contend with their bosses who are worried about losing their corporate sponsors and the fact that they could be shut down by those sponsors or the powers that be.

Clooney’s direction is very simple yet stylish in not just the way he frames some of the things that goes on inside a television studio. It’s also in how he manages to capture the sense of energy that goes on whenever a story is about to be told through Murrow’s mouth. Using a lot of tracking and steadicam shots to capture some of the movement that goes inside the studios, Clooney would also take great stock in getting close-ups and medium shots to play into the conversations that happens along with very entrancing shots of Murrow talking to the camera. There’s also a few wide shots in the film as Clooney is more focused on maintaining a sense of intimacy of what goes inside a newsroom during the early 1950s in the era of McCarthy. Notably as it also plays into the power of what television could do and how it would affect all sorts of change despite some of the behind-the-scenes politics that goes on which would change everything all because of greed. Overall, Clooney creates a very engaging yet provocative film about a journalist standing up to Joseph McCarthy.

Cinematographer Robert Elswit does incredible work with the film‘s black-and-white photography that is a major highlight of the film with its approach to lighting for many of its interior scenes as well as the scenes set at night. Editor Stephen Mirrone does excellent work with the editing where it is very stylized with some simplistic yet methodical cuts along with some inspired usage of stock footage from the McCarthy hearings. Production designer James D. Bissell, with set decorator Jan Pascale and art director Christa Munro, does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the offices and the control room as well as the studio where Murrow does his broadcast.

Costume designer Louise Frogley does nice work with the costumes that plays into the period of the times in what the women wore as well as the clothes the men wore. Sound editors Aaron Glascock and Curt Schulkey do fantastic work with the sound to play into the atmosphere of the newsroom as well as some of the audio heard in the news clippings and such. The film’s music by Jim Papoulis is superb for its jazz-based score while music supervisor Alan Sviridoff would play into that period with a lot of jazz music as it’s sung on location or in post-production by Dianne Reeves.

The casting by Ellen Chenoweth is great as it features notable small roles from Rose Abdoo as news editor Mili Lerner, Matt Ross as editor Eddie Scott, Reed Diamond as editor John Aaron, Alex Borstein as the secretary Natalie, Tate Donovan as editor Jesse Zousmer, Thomas McCarthy as editor Palmer Williams, and Grant Heslov as the news director Don Hewitt. Ray Wise is terrific as news journalist Don Hollenbeck as a reporter for CBS who finds himself being targeted by the government as a Communist as he starts to unravel. Robert Downey Jr. and Patricia Clarkson are brilliant in their respective roles as correspondent Joseph Wershba and wife/editor Shirley Wershba as two co-workers trying to keep their marriage a secret as it was forbidden for co-workers to be married in those times.

Jeff Daniels is excellent as CBS news director Sig Mickelson as a man who is trying to warn Friendly and Murrow about what not to say as he is struggling to keep their sponsors as well as reveal what things have to be done in the office. Frank Langella is amazing as CBS chief executive William Paley as the head of the company who knows what Murrow and Friendly are doing but warns them about what they will lose. George Clooney is superb as producer Fred W. Friendly as a friend of Murrow who tries to figure out what to cover and how to help Murrow out with the news as well as see what kind of trouble they would get into. Finally, there’s David Strathairn in a phenomenal performance as Edward R. Murrow as a no-holds barred journalist who decides to spar with Joseph McCarthy over his accusations on people who claim to have ties with Communism in an attempt to do what he feels is right as well as see television as a way to help people instead of other things as it‘s Strathairn in one of his greatest performances ever.

Good Night, and Good Luck is a remarkable film from George Clooney that features a towering performance from David Strathairn as Edward R. Murrow. The film isn’t just a look into a period of time when the world of journalism stood up to Joseph McCarthy and his witch hunt. It’s also a film that showcases the world of news on television in its infancy where it was not afraid to speak the truth despite pressures from corporate sponsors. In the end, Good Night, and Good Luck is a spectacular film from George Clooney.

George Clooney Films: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - (Leatherheads) - The Ides of March - The Monuments Men

© thevoid99 2015

The Great New Wonderful

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/20/06 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Directed by Danny Leiner and written by Sam Catlin, The Great New Wonderful is a multi-layered film revolving around five different stories in post-9/11 New York City as it involves an ambitious pastry chef, an old woman rekindling an old friendship, two Indian security chief officers, a couple dealing with their troubled son, and an accountant going into therapy. It's a film that plays into the lives of people as the deal with themselves and their own surroundings in New York City. Starring Olympia Dukakis, Jim Gaffigan, Tony Shalhoub, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Judy Greer, Tom McCarthy, Stephen Colbert, Naseerudin Shah, Sharat Saxena, and Edie Falco. The Great New Wonderful is a compelling yet flawed film from Danny Leiner.

Going through a break-up with his girlfriend, an accountant named Sandie (Jim Gaffigan) is seeking therapy from an oddball, office therapist named Dr. Trabulous (Tony Shalhoub). The therapy is taken into an unconventional approach as Sandie becomes evasive. Only Trabulous finally breaks through in which he reveals the anger that Sandie has been swallowing. In another part of New York, an old woman named Judie Hillerman (Olympia Dukakis) is stuck in a monotonous marriage with Henry (Ed Setrakian) as she spends her life doing the same thing while making collages. One day at a council meeting, she sees an old high school friend named Jerry Bono (Dick Latessa) where a couple of days later, they rekindle their friendship. Judie hopes this renewed friendship will break away from her monotonous life with her husband.

Back in the city, an ambitious pastry chef named Emme Keeler (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is trying to get some clients for the most competitive season of the year. Still living in the shadow of cake-queen Safarah Polsky (Edie Falco), Emme hopes to finally get one of her clients. Meanwhile, she is dealing with her own life with boyfriend Danny (Will Arnett) and after a meeting with Polsky, she decides to get into competition. With her team that included Alexa (Martha Millan), Clayton (Seth Gilliam), and Justin (Jim Parsons), they hope to attract the attention of a young actress named Lisa Krindel (Ari Graynor) which nearly falters but Emme gets the job. In another part of the city, Two Indian top-security guards in Avi (Naseerudin Shah) and Satish (Sharat Saxena) are watching over a visiting foreign general (Kapil Bawa). Avi and Satish discuss life as Avi talks about flirting with a woman he met a supermarket while Satish is feeling frustrated about the things in the world.

The fifth and final story revolves around a couple in David (Tom McCarthy) and Allison Burbage (Judy Greer) are dealing with their son Charlie’s (Bill Donner) who is starting to act out in a dysfunctional, violent way. While David is trying to get a client for his firm, Allison works as a teacher where Charlie's behavior has become strange in which he's wearing a cape and wearing hand puppets while not participating in any student events and starts to become violent towards them. Finally turning to the school's child psychologist Mr. Peersall (Stephen Colbert), it's been revealed that Charlie has been suspended several times and things aren't going great. A comment that Peersall says forces David and Allison to see what they can do with Charlie as everyone else is forced to deal about their own lives and all of their achievements and failures.

While the film does have moments that audiences can relate to. Not everything that screenwriter Sam Catlin and director Danny Leiner work. There are five stories. One of them is great which is the two Indian security guards since it's filled with a lot of humor and frustration of two men trying to deal with their lives. Two of them are excellent in the form of Emme's story and the story of Allison and David. The story of Emme is wonderfully told in how a young woman try to do anything to become the cake queen of New York only to realize that it's sometimes not worth it. The story of David and Allison is interesting for its mix of drama and humor, in which the latter is provided by a restrained Stephen Colbert in what he had to say. It's really wonderfully told. 

Another is fine yet flawed, in the story of Judie where despite its elliptical approach towards pacing, it does fulfill everything in her frustration with her marriage and how she tries to break the monotony. The only segment that doesn't work is the Sandie-Trabulous story since the dialogue, particularly Sandie’s evasiveness really gives the segment a lagging feel where it's becomes very inattentive and uninteresting despite Shalhoub's performance. The result is a film that is better in the sum of its parts rather than a whole. While they're all cut in an inter-connected way where all the stories are seen from one to another and to another, it does give the film a sense of being a bit uneven. Still, the film's ending for some of the stories do fulfill about everything that happened one year ago while it has a sense of irony. Despite the flaws and some heavy-handiness, it's still a film that has a bit of entertaining and profound moments.

Helping Leiner in his visual presentation of NYC is cinematographer Harlan Bosmajian whose use of colors ranging from sepia in the Judie Segment to more colorful flourishes in other sequences reveal the difference of the NYC world. Production designer Laura Ballinger and art director Tyler Q. Rosen also works to NYC's diversity from the posh world of Emme to the middle-working class world of David and Allison. Costume designer Alysia Raycraft also works to the film's different class structures on the clothing. Editor Robert Frazen does to do superb work on the cutting the film's structure in moving one segment to another where it doesn't lose its place or anything. Sound designer Jeff Kushner also does wonderful work, especially in the film's ending signifying the one-year anniversary of 9/11. The music of Brett Boyet and John Swihart is wonderfully plaintive to convey the emotions and moods of the characters and stories.

The film's cast is good for the most part with small, notable performances from Bill Donner, Seth Gilliam, Will Arnett, Ari Graynor, Martha Millan, Jim Parsons, Kapil Bawa, Ed Setrakian, and a cameo from playwright Tony Kushner. Jim Gaffigan is a good actor but the role he's been given and his performance was very bizarre and underwritten in a way that he's uncomfortably restrained and it lacks depth. Tony Shalhoub is a great actor and he is funny in his oddball approach but the story doesn't give him much to do and he's largely wasted in some ways. Olympia Dukakis is excellent in her role as the frustrated Judie who is trying to break from her monotonous lifestyle while Dick Latessa is wonderfully charming as her old school friend. Edie Falco is wonderful in her one-scene performance as Emme's rival Safarah who has seen all kinds of success but wants something that's fulfilling as she provides something for Emme. Maggie Gyllenhaal is excellent in her role as the ambitious but shallow cake-maker who is desperate to become queen while leading a posh-like lifestyle where she realizes how unfulfilling her life is in a scene where Gyllenhaal reveals the depth and emotions of her performance.

Judy Greer and Tom McCarthy are excellent in their roles as frustrated parents trying to handle their own love life as well as their anti-social, violent son. Stephen Colbert meanwhile, gives one of the film’s best performances, notably a scene where he steals the show with one line that really shows his talents as an actor and not as the usual Colbert reporter that people know. Sharat Saxena is excellent as the frustrated, grumpy Satish who is trying to figure out his own role in the world while being a guard for a foreign general. Bollywood icon Naseerudin Shah is really the film’s most likeable and charming performance as the charismatic Avi. Shah's wittiness on the mysteries of life and women really gives the film and his segment the most entertaining side as he is also a great comedic man to Saxena's straight-man role.

The Region 1 DVD for The Great New Wonderful from First Independent Pictures presents the film in the 16x9 aspect ratio and 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The special features the film has includes the film's theatrical trailer plus a trailer for the film version of David Mamet's play Edmond starring William H. Macy, Rebecca Pidgeon, Joe Mantegna, Julia Stiles, Mena Suvari, and Denise Richards. The features the film brings includes a two-minute character stills presentation featuring promotional pictures. The one-minute NYC Behind the Scenes featurette is really left-over footage of shots of NYC. One big feature of the film that will please its audiences are the film's five segments seen as shorts where audiences can watch the shorts but nothing new is added.

The deleted scenes segment includes 12-minutes worth of 7 deleted scenes with commentary from director Danny Leiner and screenwriter Sam Catlin. Scenes included an alternate opening with voice-over dialogue, Dr. Trabulous leaving a theater, Avi talking about sugar, David and Allison coming home from dinner where they talk to their son's baby sitter (played by Alexa Dziena of Broken Flowers), two scenes with Dr. Trabulous and Sandie where a woman (Karen Leiner) walks out crying and a scene of Trabulous talking about a play. One final scene involves a councilman and an old man talking. Leiner explained that they were cut due to creative reasons and timing. The feature-length commentary track from Leiner and Catlin isn't very interesting largely due to the fact that the two discussed the writing of the film and said "Oh this scene has good writing" and stuff. Not much talk on the cast and the film where the result is very boring and makes the film a bit unwatchable.

The Great New Wonderful is a superb though uneven film from Danny Leiner. While it had a great cast as well as some wonderful stories about people living in post-9/11 New York City, it's a film that is has a lot to offer but also moments that don't work. In the end, The Great New Wonderful is a very good film from Danny Leiner.

© thevoid99 2015

Win Win

Written and directed Thomas McCarthy from a story co-written with Joe Tiboni, Win Win is the story about an attorney and high school wrestling coach who is appointed an elderly client suffering from dementia. When the client’s grandson shows up, the attorney reluctantly takes him in to live with his family while putting him on the wrestling team. The film explores a man’s willingness to try and do the right thing while dealing with the realities of the world. Starring Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Alex Shaffer, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor, Melanie Lynskey, Margo Martindale, and Burt Young. Win Win is a witty yet heartfelt comedy-drama from Thomas McCarthy.

Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) is an attorney struggling to maintain his law practice with friend Stephen Vigman (Jeffrey Tambor) as the two also coach the local high school wrestling team. While he’s also raising two girls with his wife Jackie (Amy Ryan), Mike is dealing with financial problems as he takes in aging client named Leo (Burt Young) who is suffering from the early stages of dementia. Unable to reach Leo’s daughter Cindy (Melanie Lynskey) and Leo is to be in the care of the state, Mike decides to take care of him as he needs the money that will be received every month. Meanwhile, Leo’s grandson Kyle (Alex Shaffer) arrives to live with his grandfather as Mike and Jackie take him in for a few days while Leo is staying at an old folk’s home.

Realizing that Kyle refuses to come home to his mother as she is currently in rehab, Mike and Jackie try to figure out what to do as Mike learns that Kyle is a talented wrestler. With help from his friend Terry (Bobby Cannavale) as an assistant coach, Mike puts Kyle in the team as Kyle becomes the team’s star while helping them become a better team. With Kyle being part of Mike and Jackie’s family while Leo remains in good care, Cindy suddenly shows up with her lawyer (Margo Martindale). Mike tries to settle things until things eventually unravel due to Cindy’s presence as Kyle starts to act out and become unsure who to trust.

The film is about a guy trying to do what is right and save his law practice while taking care an elderly man and his grandson with the help of his wife and a couple of friends. While it’s a premise that doesn’t seem exciting, it is told in a more realistic fashion as it’s about a guy trying to do what is right but he does a few things that is wrong while not being open to his wife about these problems. Yet, Mike Flaherty is a guy who means well and wants to make sure that this old man is in good care. The problem is that he can’t have him stay at his home and watch him all the time due to things he’s got to do while the man’s grandson arrives which further complicates things.

While Kyle is just a kid who has endured a troubled home life due to his mother’s substance abuse and other issues. He finds a home in Mike and Jackie where he is able to have a good home and actually do good in school until his mother arrives. While Cindy is looking for a payoff, she’s not a totally despicable person as she wants to get herself together despite her testy relationship with Kyle. Part of Thomas McCarthy’s gift as a writer is creating characters who are human and all have good intentions though they do the wrong things. McCarthy’s script does follow a certain formula in terms of its structure including a more dramatic third act. McCarthy does manage to stray away from certain dramatic and humorous touches to create a story that is touching but also funny.

McCarthy’s direction is straightforward in terms of its compositions and scene setting but it’s also very engaging in the way he portrays the drama and humor. Notably in the latter as it’s mostly played naturally without striving too hard to get a laugh. McCarthy’s approach to directing actors is to have them figure their characters out while giving them a chance to relax and play their parts. Shooting on location in a small town in New Jersey, the film does have an atmosphere where it does feel like a small town but also that’s full of life. Overall, McCarthy crafts a very solid and light-hearted film that does more than its premise suggests.

Cinematographer Oliver Bokelberg does a nice job with the film‘s colorful cinematography from the sunny yet winter-like look of the exteriors to more intimate shadings for the nighttime interior scenes. Editor Tom McArdle does a very good job with the editing in maintaining a leisured pace for the film including an amazing montage to emphasize Mike‘s sudden streak of good luck. Production designer John Paino, with set decorator Amanda Carroll and art director Scott Anderson, does terrific work in the look for Mike and Leo‘s respective homes along with the more posh home of Terry.

Costume designer Melissa Toth does a fantastic job with the costumes from the more casual clothing most of the characters wear to the wrestling uniforms Kyle and his teammates wear. Sound editor Paul Hsu does some fine work in the sound pieces from the intimate conversation moments to the raucous atmosphere of the wrestling matches. The film’s score by Lyle Workman is wonderful for its folk-rock based score of guitars and pianos along with a soundtrack that is a wide mix of hard rock and metal for the music in the wrestling training scenes to other music from acts like the National and Bon Jovi.

The casting by Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee is truly a highlight of the film for the ensemble that is created. Appearing in small roles include Nina Arianda as Mike’s secretary Shelly, Sharon Wilkins as the judge that appoints Mike the role of Leo’s guardian, David W. Thompson as the very funny wrestling teammate Stemler, Clare Foley as Mike and Jackie’s eldest adolescent daughter Abby, and in the dual role of their youngest daughter Stella are Penelope and Sophia Kindred. Other notable small roles include Margo Martindale as Cindy’s reasonable attorney, Burt Young as the ailing but funny Leo, Jeffrey Tambor as Mike’s witty law/wrestling associate Stephen, and Melanie Lynskey as Kyle’s troubled and conniving mother Cindy.

Bobby Cannavale is excellent in a very funny performance as Mike’s best friend Terry who helps Mike coach the team to evade his own personal issues. Alex Shaffer is brilliant as the troubled teenager Kyle who finds a home in Mike and Jackie while dealing with his own personal issues as he tries to get to know his grandfather. Amy Ryan is superb as Jackie where Ryan displays a great sense of wit as a woman who becomes the mother that Kyle needs as there’s a real sense of toughness in a woman who doesn’t take shit from anyone. Finally, there’s Paul Giamatti in a very remarkable performance as Mike Flaherty. Giamatti brings a great sense of humility and earnestness as a man wanting to do what is right while hoping to actually gain something that will make him think he’s a good guy as it’s Giamatti at his best.

Win Win is a stellar and enjoyable film from Thomas McCarthy. Featuring a marvelous ensemble cast led by Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan, it’s a film that is well-acted along with a fascinating story about people trying to find some sort of happiness as well as win a few in life. While it’s the most accessible film that McCarthy has done in terms of humor and light drama. It’s also a film that allows the audience to find characters that they can relate to. In the end, Win Win is a rich and delightful film from Thomas McCarthy.

Thomas McCarthy Films: (The Station Agent) - The Visitor - (The Cobbler) - Spotlight

© thevoid99 2012

The Visitor (2008 film)

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 2/15/09 w/ Additional Edits.

Written and directed by Thomas McCarthy, The Visitor tells the story of a widowed economics professor whose life is taken a dull turn as he deals with the death of his wife and the boredom of being a professor. When an immigrant couple is seen in his apartment believing that they had rented it, he reluctantly takes them in as he befriends them and eventually takes on a new lease on life. The film explores the world of immigration, identity, and cultural understandings in the post 9/11 world of New York City as McCarthy gives Richard Jenkins the role of the widowed professor. Also starring Haaz Sleiman, Danai Jekesai Gurira, Richard Kind, Michael Cumpsty, Marian Seldes, and Hiam Abbass. The Visitor is a powerful, touching drama from Thomas McCarthy.

Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) is a widowed economics professor living a life that is very routine with not much going on. Trying to do piano lessons with a teacher (Marian Seldes) while finishing a book hasn't given him much excitement as his teaching has also become uninspired. When he's asked to present a paper that he co-authored by his department head Charles (Michael Cumpsty), he reluctantly takes the offer to go to New York City to attend the seminar. Arriving to NYC from Connecticut, Walter arrives at his apartment that he owns and lives on occasional periods to find that two people are living there. The Syrian Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and his Senegalese girlfriend Zainab (Danai Jekesai Gurira) are immigrants who believed that the apartment was available only to realize they were swindled. Walter decides to take them in since they weren't really being any trouble.

Tarek works as a djembe player for jazz bands in NYC while Zainab sells handmade ethnic jewelry that has given them some money as Walter befriends Tarek. Notably on the djembe drum which Walter takes a liking to as it's given him some excitement in his life. Especially as Walter becomes bored by the seminar work he's doing as he and Tarek take part in a drum circle in a NYC park as it broadens Walter's state of mind. When Walter and Tarek go to the subway as they return from a drum circle, a misunderstanding at a subway turnstile gets Tarek in trouble as Walter tries to tell the cops that Tarek didn't do anything wrong. After telling Zainab about what happened to Tarek, she decides to leave the apartment to live with a cousin in the city. After visiting Tarek at a detention center near Queens, Walter calls in a lawyer (Amir Arison) to take the case.

Walter then gets an appearance from Tarek's mother Mouna (Hiam Abbass) who hasn't received a call from Tarek in five days. After telling Mouna what's going on, Mouna wants to see the center that Tarek is in but knows she can't go in. Mouna stays with Walter as she calls Tarek from the center while talking to the lawyer about what could happen as Tarek hadn't done anything wrong at all. After meeting Zainab, Mouna wants to know the things that Tarek and Zainab does giving Walter a chance to take time away from the seminar. Following a brief return to Connecticut, he returns to NYC to check up on Tarek while giving Mouna a chance to have a night in the city. Awaiting word on Tarek, Walter deals with what might happen to Tarek as Mouna reveals something. For Walter, the experience of the people he's met in the few weeks would reawaken the lost soul he had been dealing with.

The film's title is about a man visiting a world that's different to him as he is reawaken from his routine, dull life. In some ways, the film is political given the policy towards illegal immigrants following 9/11 as it deals with racial profiling and ethnicity that was going in G.W. Bush-era America. Yet, it's really a character study that writer-director Thomas McCarthy sets up as explores a man trying to find new meaning in his life through the people he encounters as he explores new worlds and passions that gives him meaning. After meeting the mother of the man he meets, he helps her do things that she wanted to do and attend that also gives his life more meaning where he gets to confess about his own life and lack of purpose.

McCarthy's script is wonderful in its emphasis on character development, issues, and staging allowing its protagonist along with three supporting characters to interact and get to know each other with audiences having the time to get to know them. McCarthy's direction is mostly straightforward yet engaging in its drama and staging. Notably in giving the actors a chance to perform while McCarthy reveals the unique world that is New York City which is essentially, a cultural hotbed where it's mostly a city of different worlds and cultures. Not just some American city. While the film does move slow in some spots, Thomas McCarthy does create a film that is magical and engaging with a universal story about the reawakening of a man and his explorations into new worlds.

Cinematographer Oliver Bokelberg does excellent work with the film's photography which is mostly straightforward in its look of NYC and Connecticut in its daytime exteriors and interiors. The nighttime scenes in the interiors with little light reveals the intimate mood and world that Walter lives in as it works to complement the mood of the film. Editor Tom McArdle does some excellent work in the editing with its smooth transitions, fade-outs and rhythmic cutting though the pacing at times is slow in a few moments. Production designer John Paino, set decorator Kim Chapman, and art director Len Clayton do fine work with the apartment and home of Walter while doing great work in creating the look of Zainab's table of jewelry. Costume designer Melissa Toth does good work with the costumes as it's mostly straightforward from the suits that Richard Jenkins wears to the exotic clothing that Zainab wears.

Sound editor Paul Hsu does great work in capturing the sound of New York City in all of its chaos but also the performance of the drum circle that goes on in the city that adds vibrancy to the film. Music composer Jan A.P. Kaczmerek brings a light score driven by soft piano melodies to complement the mood of the film. Yet, it's mostly the Afro-beat music of drum circles plus a couple of tracks from Fela Kuti that are the highlight of the film's soundtrack.

The casting of the film is truly superb with cameos and small appearances from Richard Kind as a neighbor of Walter's from the apartment, Marian Seldes as Walter's piano teacher, Deborah Rush as a woman buying Zainab's jewelry, Amir Arison as the lawyer Walter hires for Tarek's case, Michael Cumpsty as Walter's colleague Charles, and Maggie Moore as the photo of Walter's late wife. Danai Jekesai Gurira is very good as Zainab, Tarek's Senegalese girlfriend/jewelry maker who tries to deal with Tarek's arrest while finding an unlikely friend in Walter whom at first, isn't receptive. Haaz Sleiman is excellent as Tarek, a djembe player who gives Walter a new lease on life while being in trouble as he finds a true friend in Walter. The film's best supporting performance is veteran Israeli-Arab actress Hiam Abbass as Mouna, Tarek's mother. Abbass' subtle, quiet performance is done with little emotion and charm that it's one that really stands out. Especially in her scenes with Richard Jenkins that's more about emotions and conversations instead of something that could've gone into a romantic angle.

Finally, there's Richard Jenkins in what has to be the performance of his career. With not much emphasis on high drama or trying to look all pathetic. Jenkins' performance is filled with restraint and a mild-mannered approach of a man just unsure what to do and how to get out of his dull life. Jenkins' performance allows the character of Walter Vale to wake up and be alive where Jenkins adds new life to the character without missing a step. It's truly a remarkable and sensational performance from the veteran actor who is often seen in supporting roles or in character-driven parts.

The Visitor is a superb, enthralling film from Thomas McCarthy featuring a brilliant leading performance from Richard Jenkins. While the film might not have the humor or richness of McCarthy's previous The Station Agent, The Visitor proves that McCarthy is a unique storyteller that touches on real characters in real-life situations that makes them endearing to watch. Along with a great supporting cast, notably Hiam Abbass, the film truly belongs to actor Richard Jenkins who gets a chance to shine in the spotlight while nabbing a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his performance. In the end, The Visitor is a gem of a film that deserves to be seen by a wide audience.

Thomas McCarthy Films: (The Station Agent) - Win Win - (The Cobbler) - Spotlight

© thevoid99 2012