SPOTLIGHT (2015)

This is the true story of how a special investigative unit (called "Spotlight") of the Boston Globe spent upwards of almost two years working to uncover a massive scandal developing within the Catholic Church involving accusations of priests who were molesting children....and the systemic cover-up to protect those priests.  And it was not only an important story but highly acclaimed to the point where this would win the Oscar for Best Picture that year.  Directed by Tom McCarthy (The Visitor, The Station Agent, Stillwater), it also features an all-star cast lead by Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, and Stanley Tucci. 

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

Transcript

SPOTLIGHT – 2015

Directed by Tom McCarthy

Starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Brian D’Arcy James, Elena Wohl, Gene Amoroso, Doug Murray, Sharon McFarlane, Jamey Sheridan, Neal Huff, Billy Crudup, Paul Guilfoyle, Michael Cyril Creighton, Duane Murray, Michael Countryman, and Liev Schreiber 

Genre: Investigative Drama (Audio clip)

It doesn't happen that often but every once in a while, the Oscar winner for Best Picture is ACTUALLY the best film of that year....and 2015 was a pretty strong year with Mad Max Fury Road, The Big Short, Beasts of No Nation, Creed, The Martian. As far as I'm concerned, this was as deserving as any of those. It's pretty much a straightforward procedural which rarely stops nor even slows down to give us more personal insight into the journalists investigating this. But like All the President's Men, it had such a gripping story with strong momentum behind it that it doesn't matter - we KNOW our main protagonists care deeply about the story they are investigating and that's enough.

It all centers on one particular investigative division of the Boston Globe called "Spotlight" which spent much of 2001 and 2002 getting to the core of the Catholic Church's long-running efforts to run interference for its many priests (we're told roughly 6% by a psycho-therapist who they consult - he has been studying this for decade) who are caught abusing and/or molesting vulnerable children from their parishes. They were doing so entirely with the power structure of the Church around Boston...which we are also often reminded (as are our reporters by everyone they encounter) is a VERY Catholic "small town" where the local Cardinal has enormous influence. Needless to say this is both a heartbreaking story and also a somewhat inspiring underdog story - that this film and it's screenplay (co-written by McCarthy and Josh Singer) achieve such a delicate balance of both the horror of what these reporters unearth and the triumph of how they accomplish this is all the more impressive! 

It's a highly watchable film thanks to crisp pacing and a very engaging star-studded cast - Mark Ruffalo plays the more emotional reporter ruled by passion while Michael Keaton plays the more cynical editor while Rachel McAdams plays the more dogged reporter who just won't let up, etc...each of these characters are distinct types but never sinking into cliche, we believe their sincerity every step of the way. For me, the standout has always been Liev Schriever's new editor Marty Barron who is treated as an outsider by every local Boston bigwig he encounters - his scenes interacting with these folks also have the potential to sink into cliche but Schriever avoids that by playing Barron with a very quizzical calm. He never raises his voice nor does he even ask too many questions...he's mostly observing but also has a knack for drawing people out with simple, direct suggestions. I just LOVE the voice Schreiver gives him...always soothing but very articulate, he's literally the boss most of us would wish for without ever being cloyingly obvious about it. 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Toronto’s own composing favorite son Howard Shore composes the score for this movie and if that name sounds familiar…..well that’s because he’s done some BIG scores.  In fact he Shore won THREE Oscars composing the music for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  And beyond that, he has been cited on this podcast before as well for being ESPECIALLY adept at crafting gut-wrenching, TENSE scores for disturbing movies….wouldn’t you know it, he has been a frequent collaborator of David Cronenbergs along with early David Fincher….hmmm.  That includes very affecting scores for previous episodes A History of Violence, Seven….along with future episodes Silence of the Lambs and The Fly.  When you’re showing some GENUINELY disturbing stuff on screen, there has been no one better at providing an operatic score to accompany it. (Audio clip) 

So considering the subject matter, does he go that route here?  Not at all and it still works very effectively.  You see unlike pretty much all of those films I just referred to, this is much more of a procedural and also based on true events….so Shore’s score for this is much quieter, more piano-based….you don’t even notice it much of the time which makes sense.  And THIS type of score tends to be a much better fit for journalistic docudramas like previous episodes She Said and All the Presidents Men.  It gets the point across, keeps the story moving, but never gets in the way of the performances nor the information being shared on-screen – the one melodic theme we hear throughout the film is a good one and it’s fittingly called…The Theme From Spotlight” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

Honestly I can’t think of ANY talent in front of nor behind the camera who is particularly wasted here but I’ll just make an observation.  This film came out about ten years ago and was pretty much the prototypical Oscar-season release….killing at the festivals, garnering acclaim, racking up awards, and steadily rolling out to movie theaters.  It would end up grossing just under $100 million worldwide on a $20 million budget….FANTASTIC, no complaints!  However that WAS TEN YEARS AGO….if this was developed today, would it more likely be a ten-episode prestige streaming series on Hulu or Netflix?  Sadly….yeah….and don’t get me wrong, there’s probably MORE than enough material here to merit such an endeavor.  However well you know the title of the podcast right?  Yes we are here for CINEMA….because in my opinion, THE best way to tell a compelling story is in the range of two hours….ONE succinct story.   I can remember seeing this in a PACKED theater outside Las Vegas about ten holiday seasons ago…..with my wife and my late mother.  We were not only entertained but we were enthralled….often angry, upset throughout…..and we SAT there with most of the rest of the audience watching that VERY long chiron not only explaining the aftermath of this investigation….but also listing over several reels ALL of the different places around the world where scandals were uncovered after this one.  It was moving and we had a good discussion afterwards.  You see movies are MORE than just superheroes fighting sky-beams, jump scares, and brightly colored anthropomorphic animated characters learning life lessons……THIS is what movies are about too.  And I hope that Hollywood always remembers that….and that audiences once again hopefully show up. 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Yes I’m going to go the super-obvious route here as this particular scene has not only become a meme and one of THE prototypical examples of shameless overacting from The Rewatchable’s podcasts….but sorry I just don’t care, you need it and it’s a necessary pressure release at a key point in the movie.  It occurs about ninety-five minutes into the film and it immediately follows a key finding on the part of Ruffalo’s Mike – he has unearthed a very disturbing church memo which completely incriminates Cardinal Law’s involvement….so he brings it back to the folks at Spotlight. (Audio clip) 

Of course it’s cynical to watch an exchange like this and see it as an obvious OSCAR CLIP….and guess what?  Mark Ruffalo DID deservedly receive an Oscar nomination for this….though I think Keaton was also deserving if I’m being honest.  But this scene is also a sharply drawn clash between two well-intentioned characters who just see things differently at that point in the story….and they’re BOTH probably right.  It also illustrates key tension DRIVING this story: when you’re running an EXHAUSTIVE long-form investigation into a subject so important AND urgent…..WHEN is the right time to pull the trigger on it?  In this particular instance, Walter was probably right….history bears that out, the story was able to build to the point where it incriminated the SYSTEM…..but what if he wasn’t?  What the reveal about Cardinal Law got out and resulted in more necessary sources just circling their wagons on behalf of the Catholic Church?  That why the scene works SO well….and it’s a brilliant acting showcase for not just Ruffalo but the rest of the main principals as well. (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

Over the past 30+ years, McCarthy has just been one of those journeyman actor/writer/directors….he’s done it all.   He hasn’t directed that many films but his batting percentage is pretty damn good including the underrated wrestling drama Win-Win, the immigration drama The Visitor, AND his lovely directorial debut from 2003 a  delightful dramedy starring Peter Dinklage….previous episode The Station Agent. (Audio clip) 

What each of those films showcased was a gentle tone, a sharp pace, and an adeptness of drawing good natural performances from his actors.  And he brings that here too…..even at 130 minutes, this story MOVES forward with an undeniable momentum and we get to spend JUST enough time with these characters to like them and respect what they’re trying to do.  I’m at a loss as to HOW he pulls this off so well but it’s clear that as a director, he had a direct handle on this material and knew when to just let it play out with minimal manipulation along the way.  For directing one of THE best films about journalism ever, Tom McCarthy is the MVP. (Audio clip)   

Final Rating: 5 stars out of 5 

Streaming on Starz & kanopy

Because of its very challenging subject matter, Spotlight isn't your standard feel-good movie yet I always find myself feeling gratified after watching it – Happy Tenth Anniversary to a truly special film!

And that ends another SYSTEMIC review!