Spotlight is a drama which details the efforts of the Boston Globe's "Spotlight" journalistic team in exposing the lurid child abuse scandal within the Catholic Church in the early 2000's. With stars like Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schrieber, Mark Ruffalo and a host of other recognizable faces, Spotlight is a movie oozing with professionalism and poise, as its talented cast and near perfect script make it a must see drama. Spotlight is a movie with few, if any flaws, and is a cool and calculated exposé that handles its disturbing details with care. Both subtle and bold, Spotlight excels as a procedural that is both relevant and entertaining, which is a rare blend in Hollywood today, and also what perhaps pushes this movie to be truly great.
Spotlight is a perfectly paced film, rich with cinematic value that doesn't compromise the story in a flashy or glitzy way. Meaning, the direction by Tom McCarthy is subtle yet beautiful, and it opens up the stage for the actors to truly shine. There is a certain art that McCarthy displays in his restraint rather than indulgence, and it pays off in dividends for the cast. Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo both excelled greatly in their portrayals, particularly Ruffalo, whose character is more passionate than any of his previous roles. Ruffalo played a man who was a little off-beat, but truly cared about what he was doing and was determined beyond belief. It was a nice change of pace for Ruffalo, as his career continues to blossom with his taking of riskier roles, a la Foxcatcher, rather than his usual comic book/rom-com schtick. McAdams also does a fine job in her role as a thoughtful and determined writer. One of Spotlight's many strengths is the way the lurid and dicy details are handled. Spotlight doesn't pile on the disturbing details about its controversial subject, but provides just enough vile substance to not only level emotionally with the audience, but also emphasize the importance of the crisis within the Catholic Church. Some of the film's most gripping and heartbreaking moments are the testimonials given by the victims, thus displaying McCarthy's impressive feat of finding cinematic value in some realistic and frightening stories. Being significant and entertaining is no easy task, but Spotlight weaves through both with relative ease.
Movies based on true stories these days run the risk of being conventional and tedious. Biographical films that span decades and give step by step accounts of a significant person's life seem to be a popular genre, serving as a consistent form of Oscar Bait. However, Spotlight is different in the fact that is follows a little known group of journalists who made a very big impact. This film doesn't go on and on about how great they were, or end in a cliche fashion. It is brutally honest and neutral in its portrayal. Spotlight doesn't make all priests look like sexually depraved monsters, or all of the journalists look like lion crested heroes. Spotlight is unbiased and fair, and plays out in an entertaining and realistic way. Spotlight is timely, and really damn good.
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