If I asked a dozen friends “who was the Atlanta Olympics bomber?” I expect half or more would answer “Richard Jewell.” That type of misinformation, which spread so wildly in pre-internet 1996, is the focus of this docudrama from director Clint Eastwood. Clarity in reporting is obviously still a relevant topic today.
Overzealous security guard Jewell is played by Paul Walter Hauser (I,Tonya, BlackKklansman), in a performance that should be on the shortlist for all acting awards — if he wasn’t outshined by the mega names already on them. Hauser is phenomenal at commanding empathy for this gentle and flawed man, before and after he’s caught in a whirlwind of finger-pointing from the FBI — and the world.
Kathy Bates and Jon Hamm have less success sinking into these very real roles, which makes me glad that original actor Jonah Hill did not play Jewell. Worse, Olivia Wilde plays a heightened version of AJ-C journalist Kathy Scruggs that seems misplaced and irresponsible. In a film that explores what happens when people are misrepresented, it’s an odd choice to portray anyone this way.
But damn, there’s also Sam Rockwell. It seems everything he does this decade gets the gold, and his turn as lawyer Watson Bryant is a joy to watch.
Eastwood, with his minimal style and recent focus on scrutinized heroes (American Sniper, Sully, The Mule) is the right director for this story, but he misstepped with the Scruggs story.
In a nutshell: It’s a film that is worth seeing for the winning performances of Hauser and Rockwell, and to make sure this story is told.
Award potential: I’d give the Oscar gold to Hauser, but it’s a rough path for a subtle performance by an unknown to get nominated. He's in a crowd of megastars like De Niro, Pacino, Pitt, Hanks, Bale, DiCaprio, Driver, and Joacquin Phoenix — all in showy performances. Hauser already failed to land a nomination for SAG or Golden Globes.
Overzealous security guard Jewell is played by Paul Walter Hauser (I,Tonya, BlackKklansman), in a performance that should be on the shortlist for all acting awards — if he wasn’t outshined by the mega names already on them. Hauser is phenomenal at commanding empathy for this gentle and flawed man, before and after he’s caught in a whirlwind of finger-pointing from the FBI — and the world.
Kathy Bates and Jon Hamm have less success sinking into these very real roles, which makes me glad that original actor Jonah Hill did not play Jewell. Worse, Olivia Wilde plays a heightened version of AJ-C journalist Kathy Scruggs that seems misplaced and irresponsible. In a film that explores what happens when people are misrepresented, it’s an odd choice to portray anyone this way.
But damn, there’s also Sam Rockwell. It seems everything he does this decade gets the gold, and his turn as lawyer Watson Bryant is a joy to watch.
Eastwood, with his minimal style and recent focus on scrutinized heroes (American Sniper, Sully, The Mule) is the right director for this story, but he misstepped with the Scruggs story.
In a nutshell: It’s a film that is worth seeing for the winning performances of Hauser and Rockwell, and to make sure this story is told.
Award potential: I’d give the Oscar gold to Hauser, but it’s a rough path for a subtle performance by an unknown to get nominated. He's in a crowd of megastars like De Niro, Pacino, Pitt, Hanks, Bale, DiCaprio, Driver, and Joacquin Phoenix — all in showy performances. Hauser already failed to land a nomination for SAG or Golden Globes.
I’d also give a nomination to Rockwell, but I think voters have been punching his name too often lately, including Jo Jo Rabbit this year, and this film is flawed. I'm not sure if a Eastwood has a blind spot for female reporters or just reporters, but that misstep should hurt the films chances at nods in other categories.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.
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