Monday, January 28, 2008

Fine, I'll give you a pass on the title: "Michael Clayton"

Because I have to say, I've never been fond of films with the full name of somebody I've never heard of as the title. "Ned Kelly," "Charlotte Gray, " "Veronica Guerin," "Seabiscuit." Many are fine movies, I'm sure, but if I don't recognize who we're talking about, it's hard for me to get excited.

In this case, the plot revolves around a fictional person. Michael Clayton (George "Lip Syncing Transvestite in 'The Harvest'" Clooney) is a fixer for a big New York law firm, and right from the start things are buzzing. Soon we learn all this was set in motion four days earlier, when Mikey was dispatched to Milwaukee to rein in a senior partner (Tom Wilkinson) whose briefs most definitely were not in order. How do we know this? Because he stripped down to his other briefs during a deposition. Can't wait to see that noted in the billable hours.

Michael's got other problems, too, namely a big debt from a failed bar that his loser brother torpedoed. Then there's trying to be good father to his kid, apparently well after he and mom split up. So he's trying to manage all that while bringing Mr. Nutso back into the fold. This is important because Wilkinson was defending a huge agricultural conglomerate against a $3 billion class action suit. Yes, nine zeroes. More than a little interested in how that goes is the ag company's top lawyer, the chilly -- and apparently very bitchy in real life -- Tilda Swinton.

There are a few other names of note; Sydney "I used to direct but what I really want to do is act" Pollack plays the head partner at the law firm. Michael O'Keefe -- yeah, Danny from "Caddyshack!" -- is the No. 2, and acts like it. But this movie is mostly about Clooney's quest -- for Wilkinson, for cash, for overall clarity.

While this isn't Clooney's finest hour -- most would point to "Syriana," but I still say "Out of Sight" is his best -- he's solid. Still not a lot of range for the former Dr. Ross, but he does his schtick well. I never totally believed he was as sleazy as his job required, nor did I buy into his dismay over his lot in life. A more expressive -- not flamboyant, but expressive -- actor could have sealed the deal better. But we could do worse than Clooney here, so no worries.

There's also some good suspense, even if things slow down here and there. Watching Georgie Boy put the pieces together while others try to keep them apart is interesting, and although things come to a head somewhat predictably -- the opening scene sort of gives one key plot point away -- it's still satisfying.

Among the Best Picture nominees I've seen, this is easily the most mainstream. Not sure what that means for its chances. Maybe a different title would have helped. "The Fixer?" Nope, already taken several times over. "Adjustable Truth?" Probably too awkward. "Unclassy Action?" Too sophisticated. Wait ... I've got it. Let's change Clooney's character's name to Michael Upper. Voila! "Fixer Upper." If that doesn't get a statue, I'll storm the Academy ...

2 Comments:

At 4:06 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You could see the ending a mile away but I still had the feeling of " Yeah, take that b*tch," and almost said it aloud in a near empty theater when it came out.

 
At 4:20 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Still not quite sure what all the hype was about. I enjoyed it and it's a good film. But best picture nomination, on a lot of people's short lists for top movies of the year, an "A" from EW . . . These all seem a little over the top.

 

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