Written by Jack Fincher, David Fincher’s late father, Mank is a sharp screenplay that will fully engross film lovers and likely bore casual viewers. Mankiewicz's story is not a beautiful one, but the film's look is — thanks to Eric Messrschmidt's gorgeous black and white throwback cinematography. The look, editing, and screenplay, which is full of flashbacks, pays not-so-subtle tribute to 1941's Kane and films of that period.
Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) plays Mankiewicz ("Mank") in a bravado performance alongside Mank's personal secretary Rita Alexander played by Lily Collins (Emily in Paris), boss Louis B. Mayer played by Arliss Howard (Full Metal Jacket), and his "co-screenwriter" Orson Welles, played by Tom Burke (The Souvenir). But it is Amanda Seyfried (Les Miserables, Mamma Mia) that turns heads here. She plays starlet and famed Hearst mistress Mario Davies who was forever unfairly linked to fictional Susan Kane, the untalented singer baron Kane promoted in the film.
Seyfried dazzles on screen and made my at-home-tv experience feel like a large cinema visit.
Aside from Oldman and Seyfried, this all adds up to a series of vignettes that film lovers will respect but miss an emotional connection to. I wanted a little more heart. The film gets lost in the bigness of the time period and would have benefitted from showing us more on the writer's process and the making of such a classic. But I'm a fan of old Hollywood so it still makes my top five films of the year list. (A pretty small list in 2020 of course.) Available now on Netflix.
In a nutshell: Old Hollywood buffs rejoice! Other viewers may skip this for casual movie night.
Award potential: Expect a tall tally of nominations for Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, Original Screenplay, Actor, Supporting Actress, and more. Seyfried and father/screenwriter Fincher each have a good chance to win.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.
Aside from Oldman and Seyfried, this all adds up to a series of vignettes that film lovers will respect but miss an emotional connection to. I wanted a little more heart. The film gets lost in the bigness of the time period and would have benefitted from showing us more on the writer's process and the making of such a classic. But I'm a fan of old Hollywood so it still makes my top five films of the year list. (A pretty small list in 2020 of course.) Available now on Netflix.
In a nutshell: Old Hollywood buffs rejoice! Other viewers may skip this for casual movie night.
Award potential: Expect a tall tally of nominations for Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, Original Screenplay, Actor, Supporting Actress, and more. Seyfried and father/screenwriter Fincher each have a good chance to win.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.
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