Hey, everyone. “Moriarty” here.
MICHAEL CLAYTON is not a deep film or an important film or a film that is really “about” much at all. But it is a slick film, a well-made film with some great performances, and it is a lot of fun to watch. So is it junk food? Or is there something to be said for this sort of smart, confident adult escapism done right? Is Tony Gilroy quietly turning into one of the most reliably tasteful mainstream writers working?
Maybe. It’s certainly starting to look that way.
Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is a fixer. He’s the guy who has to clean up the worst messes for Kenner, Bach & Ledeen, his law firm. He’s the guy who does all the things the partners can’t do, all the things that have to be done. He’s good at it, and he’s been doing it for a while. But as the film opens, Michael Clayton appears to be running out of gas, and Gilroy’s film basically captures a brief moment where Clayton is forced to deal with his conscience, however small and shriveled it is. It’s not the most original of premises for a film, but Gilroy makes it sing in unabashedly Hollywood manner. He would have been a crackerjack writer in the golden age of the studio system. He knows how to write for movie stars, and here, he gives Clooney the exact right role, and also does the same for Tom Wilkinson, who plays Arthur Edens, a top-notch litigator for the same firm that employs Clayton. When Edens has a meltdown, it’s Clayton who has to clean it up, and in doing so, he’s forced to deal with his own bankruptcy. And I mean that literally as well as metaphorically. Clayton’s life is a mess, and he’s in debt because of his brother. Clooney by the point in his career has earned the weight he has playing this role. He’s one of our Last Great Movie Stars right now, the real deal. I like the way he plays moral rot. I like the way he plays a guy who has compromised his soul a little bit each day till he’s not sure what he has left. That’s a great sort of a Hollywood archetype, and Gilroy definitely deals in archetype. Wilkinson is definitely a Paddy Cheyefsky hero, the mad truthteller, unable to deal with the bullshit that keeps everyone else afloat. It’s a great character to write when you want to say some “shocking” things and make them palatable.
Tilda Swinton has a pretty juicy supporting role, and she makes the most of her time onscreen. Gilroy does something really well here that he also does well in his BOURNE scripts: he sets up a bad guy to knock down. I know that sounds really basic, but a lot of writers never get it right. Jeremy Smith over on CHUD didn’t like this film much, and he compares the ending to A FEW GOOD MEN. That’s not a spoiler, because it’s not literally the same ending, but I see what he’s saying. I personally hate the way A FEW GOOD MEN ends. That courtroom scene is “the big moment,” and it’s also total and complete insane movie bullshit. I think the ending of MICHAEL CLAYTON is satisfying and dark funny and pretty darn sharp. And I think how much you enjoy the ending is going to determine how you feel the film sticks together as a whole.
There are a number of very serious options in theaters right now... good options... like INTO THE WILD or THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD or THE KINGDOM or LUST CAUTION... but if you’re looking for a slick movie star movie, beautifully shot by the great Robert Elswit, this is uncommonly good studio fare. Maybe I’m a sucker for any movie where Sydney Pollack gives a good supporting performance (DEATH BECOMES HER is still an oddball fave for his work), or maybe I have to confess a soft spot for any good appearance by Michael “Nooooooonan” O’Keefe, or maybe I was just knocked out by that sly, awesome final shot as the closing credits play. Whatever the case, I really like MICHAEL CLAYTON. I doubt I’ll be doing cartwheels about it at the end of the year, but I certainly found it to be a few hours well spent.
I’ve got one more review to write this morning. Three down so far. It’s been an interesting weekend’s worth of releases to digest, and I haven’t seen everything that’s coming out, either. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do in the next two weeks. I count about seven movies playing I need to see, all playing within ten minutes of my house. I have no excuse. Now off to rave a bit about one of the best experiences I’ve had in a theater this year...
Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles
Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles
