Film discussion: Spotlight

January 11, 2016
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What to do? What to do?

Personally, I try to keep my praise on the down-low. Tastes differ, and finding another person who is in complete and total agreement with your cinematic opinions about movies is so rare that you should consider marrying any such person you find. (Legal note: This is not meant as actual personal advice.)

But with Spotlight, which we will be discussing Tuesday night at The Music Hall, I think I’m pretty much in the clear in saying that everyone should see it. I have three reasons.

First, I’ve actually seen it, which reduces my jitters significantly. I can praise the movie’s acting, direction, pacing, cinematography and restraint in the face of a sensational topic without reservation. That’s a comfort because I know first-hand that the movie is really good.

Second, Spotlight is just plain entertaining, a combination of a detective story and a thriller, with teamwork, good guys and bad guys, blind alleys and flashes of inspiration and an ending that will shake you, even if you already know the story.

Third, despite being set in Boston, one of the great dialect quicksands of the modern entertainment industry, the movie doesn’t have a single cringe-worthy Boston accent. I don’t know if they all got them right or if they just dialed them back to where they didn’t grate on me. (Total disclosure: A movie with egregious accents or really badly faked playing of musical instruments can drive me nuts.)

Trigger warning: Spotlight is about the sex-abuse scandal in Boston. There’s not a single depiction or description of abuse, but the topic is all over the movie like smog on Beijing. Be advised.

And yet, I maintain, you will love Spotlight. I know I did. I got the same kind of thrill I got from watching All the President’s Men all those many years ago.

I hope to see you there, which will be at 7:00 in The Historic Theater. Discussion, coffee, popcorn, etc. to follow immediately.

And don’t forget to mark your calendars for next Tuesday’s (1/19/16) showing of Room, which should be remarkable.