"Michael Clayton"
Mr. Fixer, please fix this movie and tell us why so many Hollywood people like it.
Now, I like George Clooney — suave, humanitarian, nice voice. In February, I listed this as the third worst movie to ever be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar in the last 15 years. I had good reasons to think this out. There are no standout performances here. The entire time I watched this, I kept thinking that I was watching a TV drama starring Clooney.
Tilda Swinton’s Karen was a yawn. A person gets an Oscar for repeating her lines to herself is not Oscar worthy. The only time that has ever worked would be Ben Kingsley’s role in Sexy Beast and he didn’t get an Oscar for it.
The only highlight was Tom Wilkerson. I just kept hoping that this remarkable actor would not win an Oscar for this role. Yes, he slightly brilliantly performed here, but giving him an award would legitimize this movie.
The only part I liked involved the horses. It was a good metaphor for Clayton in comparison with the paths before him. It also represented his place between the two family extremes — the straight-and-narrow cop brother and the strung-out druggie brother. Michael is in the middle of the two extremes and finally recognizes it at the right moment in his life.
permalink | | film | 03/26/2008
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