J. Edgar - New Flm with Leonardo DiCaprio

[Steven180]

Curious as well to what the initial thoughts are out there...

Read the review for release this morning in the Times and have mixed thoughts from that...

M.

 

[ButteMT61]

Saw it Thursday. Not much to say. I was disappointed. Once it's been out a while we can discuss.
Trying to respect those who haven't seen it yet.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Saw it this afternoon, and had some issues -- granted, much of the film was "as recalled/described by" Hoover, rather than an attempt to recreate history, but some of the characterizations -- especially in connection with the Lindbergh case -- were so far off the mark as to make even unconvincing reminiscences. The actual Dr. John F. Condon, for example, was a large, florid, overoratorical,white-moustached Irish-Catholic, not a hand-wringing Bronx-Jewish nebbish, and there was no narrative reason or purpose for Hoover to remember him as such. Nor was Bruno Hauptmann a skinny, dodgy-eyed ferret-face -- no less than Lindbergh himself described him as "a handsome, magnificently-built man."

DiCaprio did a better job than I expected, though -- the voice was not especially good, but the physical embodiment of Hoover was quite convincing, even granted the layers of latex. Toison's makeup job was rather horrific, though -- at the end he looks more like Pruneface, wandered over from a random Dick Tracy Sunday page, than any actual human being.

As for the rest of the story -- well, at least there's no red dress.

 

[ButteMT61]

Yep, makeup was pretty surprisingly bad given who made this film. It was beautiful in many ways, but too many issues for me to really like it. Condon reminds me of the "Indians" in old Hollywood movies - many portrayed by Jewish actors. Well, it was still better than "Tree Of Life".

 

[up196]

Toison's makeup job was rather horrific, though -- at the end he looks more like Pruneface, wandered over from a random Dick Tracy Sunday page, than any actual human being.

I laughed out loud when I read that. I thought he looked familiar, but I just couldn't place him.

 

[Big Man]

I still haven't had an opportunity to see the movie, but hope to within the next week or two. I'm surprised that more here haven't made comments, as this film would appear to be one that covers a wide range of interest represented on the Fedora Lounge.

 

[BigFitz]

I didn't like it. Most movie makers try to get you involved in the movie by making you care about the characters one way or another. Maybe that wasn't a concern in this movie because in the end I had no feelings whatsoever for any of the characters which made me feel empty when I left the theater. A documentary about Hoover would probably be far more interesting than this movie.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I didn't like it. Most movie makers try to get you involved in the movie by making you care about the characters one way or another. Maybe that wasn't a concern in this movie because in the end I had no feelings whatsoever for any of the characters which made me feel empty when I left the theater.

That could easily be a review for the film "Public Enemies".