"Spotlight" (2015), Director Tom McCarthy's Portrayal of Catholic Church Abuse - Academy Award Winner for Best Picture

[DonRocks]

I'm in the process of watching "Spotlight" - the Academy Award winner for Best Picture of 2015 - on Amazon.com, and am typing this as I go. A couple interesting things right off the bat:

* "Spotlight" is the first picture since 1952 ("The Greatest Show On Earth") to win Best Picture, and only one other award (in this case, Best Original Screenplay).

* There's a fascinating (some might say "annoying") feature on Amazon called "X-Ray," which is sort of a real-time CliffsNotes, listing who is in what scene, and occasional blurbs of trivia, as the film advances (the viewer can disable X-Ray, but I'm taking something of a studious approach to this film (surprise, surprise!), so I'm using it, despite it being a clear-and-present distraction). And yes, it *is* available on Amazon right now, but it will set you back $5.99 to watch.

Okay, let me get this over with: Good picture, for sure, but not Best Picture material. I haven't seen the others in 2015, so I have nothing to compare it to, but this just isn't a Best Picture film.

I can easily see how it didn't win anything else, other than Best Original Screenplay.

However, I'm glad I saw it, as I was simply unaware of the magnitude of the Boston Priests cover-up. Never mind the other cities; I'm talking only about Boston, and (assuming the numbers they throw out at film's-end are true) the problem was of such enormous magnitude that I'm a better person for having seen the film - there's no way I could ever forget, now that I've seen it fully acted out.

In fact, I'd say that it's miraculous that the Catholic Church survived to the extent that it did, although there's nobody to "destroy" it except its own parishioners, and they don't want that to happen, so I guess it's not all that miraculous. And quite frankly, I'm not sure the Catholic Church *is* going to survive this.

The guy protesting every day on Massachusetts Avenue - I really feel sorry for him. And assuming the figures - and list of cities - at the end of the film are correct (and I'm sure they are), well, let's just say that if this was a publicly traded company, it would be shut down and disbanded.

I'd love to know what others thought of the film - I can't think of a single performance that I would consider to be "outstanding" (although many were very good), and I don't understand how enough Academy members voted for this for it to win. Anybody?

[Josh]

"Spotlight" was the only movie I saw this year that was in contention for an Oscar.  I'm agnostic as to the "Best Picture" designation, but I actually found the acting to be superb.  It is really difficult to portray "normal" people on screen and make it compelling, and I think each of the actors fully inhabited their roles.  I initially had the feeling that Mark Ruffalo overdid it a bit, but later watched a video of him hanging out with Michael Rezendes (who he plays in the film), and realized he really nailed the guy's quirks.  

[DIShGo]

I enjoyed the film, but I agree, it didn't strike me as "Best Picture" material. None of the other nominated films that I saw did, either.

I also agree that the actors did fine jobs portraying regular people doing everyday work. I was invested in the characters and wanted them to succeed.

I think it is interesting to compare and contrast this film with "Birdman," the 2015 winner for "Best Picture." Both starred Michael Keaton, but that is where the similarities end.

While "Spotlight" is the retelling of a true story with likable characters and straightforward cinematography, "Birdman" is a filmmakers' film. It is a dark comedy, filled with magical realism, cutting edge cinematography, and a story that can be interpreted in a number of ways. The characters, while riveting, are largely unlikable.

I saw all of the films nominated for "Best Picture" in 2015, and I think "Birdman" deserved the designation.

[porcupine]

I'll take exception to your description of the film in the thread title: this film was not a portrayal of Catholic Church abuse.  It was a portrayal of how an investigative journalism group called Spotlight did their jobs to break the story.  That might sound like a semantic quibble but it's a big difference.

I wish Hollywood would make more films like this.  It lacked the typical Hollywood overly dramatized, added love-interest bullshit.  It was tightly written with no side plots to distract.  Also tightly acted, with realistic portrayals.  It was excellent in a quiet sort of way.

[LauraB]

I wish Hollywood would make more films like this.  It lacked the typical Hollywood overly dramatized, added love-interest bullshit.  It was tightly written with no side plots to distract.  Also tightly acted, with realistic portrayals.  It was excellent in a quiet sort of way.

+1000

For me, this was a perfect film.  A suspenseful thriller without the violence and the car chases.  One of the most moving scenes in the film for me was when the editor was sitting in his car in the pre-dawn hours outside the printing plant, watching as the trucks started rolling out carrying the edition containing the bombshell story.  The anticipation of what was about to happen was goosebump-inducing.

[Barbara]

+1000

For me, this was a perfect film.  A suspenseful thriller without the violence and the car chases.  One of the most moving scenes in the film for me was when the editor was sitting in his car in the pre-dawn hours outside the printing plant, watching as the trucks started rolling out carrying the edition containing the bombshell story.  The anticipation of what was about to happen was goosebump-inducing.

This was also the only film I saw that was nominated for Best Picture. I thought it was worthy of the award but didn't think it would win precisely because there were no car chases or sex scenes or any explosions.

The scene that will stay with me forever is when Marty Baron opens the present from Cardinal Law (who told him that it was everything he needed to know about Boston) and discovers a copy of the Catechism. The sheer hubris of that was just breath-taking. (The real Marty Baron wrote in the WaPo that they used the actual book that was given to him all those years ago). It was very gratifying for me when it actually won. This ranks right up there with "All the President's Men" and I hope it will be shown for a very long time. The script and the acting were superb and the subject can't be discussed enough. Maybe Hollywood decided that they could actually do good by awarding this film its top award.

[porcupine]

The line that will stay with me forever (forgive me if I don't get it exactly right): "if it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one."

[DonRocks]

I'll take exception to your description of the film in the thread title: this film was not a portrayal of Catholic Church abuse.  It was a portrayal of how an investigative journalism group called Spotlight did their jobs to break the story.  That might sound like a semantic quibble but it's a big difference.

I wish Hollywood would make more films like this.  It lacked the typical Hollywood overly dramatized, added love-interest bullshit.  It was tightly written with no side plots to distract.  Also tightly acted, with realistic portrayals.  It was excellent in a quiet sort of way.

+1000

For me, this was a perfect film.  A suspenseful thriller without the violence and the car chases.  One of the most moving scenes in the film for me was when the editor was sitting in his car in the pre-dawn hours outside the printing plant, watching as the trucks started rolling out carrying the edition containing the bombshell story.  The anticipation of what was about to happen was goosebump-inducing.

This was also the only film I saw that was nominated for Best Picture. I thought it was worthy of the award but didn't think it would win precisely because there were no car chases or sex scenes or any explosions.

The scene that will stay with me forever is when Marty Baron opens the present from Cardinal Law (who told him that it was everything he needed to know about Boston) and discovers a copy of the Catechism. The sheer hubris of that was just breath-taking. (The real Marty Baron wrote in the WaPo that they used the actual book that was given to him all those years ago). It was very gratifying for me when it actually won. This ranks right up there with "All the President's Men" and I hope it will be shown for a very long time. The script and the acting were superb and the subject can't be discussed enough. Maybe Hollywood decided that they could actually do good by awarding this film its top award.

It's said that all politics is local.

How many people can say they love this movie *and* love the Catholic Church?

Speak up, please.