Thank you for your support. The final scenes are syrupy and faintly bizarre, like a gay Muppet opera about the leave-taking of Statler and Waldorf. Another note: this movie doesn't deserve an R-rating. Yes? One scene involves a surveillance audiotape that seems to have recorded the sounds of people having sex. Working from a screenplay by Dustin Lance Black, Clint Eastwood directs this ponderous biopic of the legendary J Edgar Hoover, autocratically in charge of the FBI from 1935 until his death in 1972. Do you consider Hoover a role model? By Robbie Collin 20 January 2012 • 08:00 am . But the abiding bond between Hoover and Tolson grounds much of this beautifully filmed history in emotion. The movie went on for 2 and a half hours, and left me bored to tears. I was really, really excited to see this movie, my +1 to the pre-screening and I were talking about all the potential that J. Edgar Hoover presented for a movie. Using the typical left-wing matrix of Hoover’s alleged crimes, the movie opens with the Attorney General appointing Hoover to investigate left-wing immigrant agitators in 1919. Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. The Lindbergh case takes up a chunk of the storyline -- perhaps too much. Edgar” is a serious movie designed to win some Oscars, rather than filling multiplexes full of entertainment-hungry masses. Common Sense and other associated names and logos are trademarks of Common Sense Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (FEIN: 41-2024986). Well, so did I, and I … Find the over all response of J.Edgar film! Check out J.Edgar (2012) movie review, rating & box Office. What is crystal clear is that this Hoover is dominated by his mother, played by Judi Dench, and it is in relation to her that Eastwood and Black effectively acknowledge the scurrilous apocryphal anecdote about Hoover cross-dressing, though in respectfully rewritten form. See our. Wondering if J. Edgar is OK for your kids? But Eastwood and Black put at the centre of this film Hoover's quasi-homosexual, buttoned-up platonic relationship with his Bureau deputy, Clyde Tolson, played by Armie Hammer. This much, though, isn't up for debate: DiCaprio's masterful performance. There are interesting moments and interesting scenes here – but this J Edgar becomes a sonorous, History Channel drone. Insecure, aggressive, fragile, ambitious, and stunted, Hoover is a very complicated character -- and one who's very difficult to pull off. Read J. Edgar reviews from parents on Common Sense Media. Edgar” Posted on December 29, 2012 by rogerinorlando Clint Eastwood’s “J. MOVIE REVIEW: J.EDGAR. Become a member to write your own review. Directed by Clint Eastwood. J. Edgar is moving and informative, but more often, it seems trapped between wanting to illuminate and wanting to be discreet. By Leigh Paatsch How Technology Is Reshaping Democracy and Our Lives, Discover activities to get kids excited for a new year of possibilities from Wide Open School, Online Playdates, Game Nights, and Other Ways to Socialize at a Distance, Keeping Kids Motivated for Online Learning, Well-acted biopic is teen-friendly, but dull, Hoover's important, but conflicted, historical position, great teches about the history of j edgar hover, 5 Tips to Make Family Movie Night a Success. November 16, 2011 @ 1:15 pm greetbeet. As the face of … Movie Reviews TV Reviews Roundtables Podcasts THR Presents. The truly sensational scene is also somehow one that still preserves the film's distance from Hoover's emotional life. But are these echoes intentional? Edgar” is a lumbering miscalculation, a slow and clumsy re-think of the late F.B.I. J. EDGAR focuses on both Hoover's career and his personal life, especially his never-defined relationship with colleague/longtime companion Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer). Searching for streaming and purchasing options ... Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. © Common Sense Media. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 43% based on 243 reviews, with an average rating of 5.72/10. J Edgar, review. It's Leonardo DUH, his movies r always rated R but watevr sooo anyways coming for a 13yr old watching this with my family which has 1 yr olds I would say..... great hsitorical resprisentation brief strong profanity ( C-cksukcer is used twice once by j edgg file"ar hoover and the other by richard nixon f-c... Howard Hughes biopic has mature themes, violence. J. Edgar, 2011. Clint Eastwood’s biopic of FBI chief J Edgar Hoover is under-lit and over-reverential. He is one brave actor. J. Edgar movie reviews & Metacritic score: J. Edgar explores the public and private life of one of the most powerful, controversial and enigmatic figures of the 20th century. Fascinating biopic, best for mature teens and up. Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. 'Movie Review: J. Edgar (2011)' have 6 comments. All rights reserved. J Edgar - Review. It is by no means fact that Hoover and Tolson were lovers. What to Watch, Read, and Play While Your Kids Are Stuck Indoors, Common Sense Selections for family entertainment, Check out new Common Sense Selections for games, Teachers: Find the best edtech tools for your classroom with in-depth expert reviews, Cómo hablar con los niños sobre la violencia en el Capitolio de los Estados Unidos, Actividades de bienestar para el invierno, Which Side of History? Some social drinking, though Hoover was a teetotaler and actively discouraged people from drinking, on and off the job. J. Edgar is a curious mix: It's slow, almost glacial, in parts, and then quickly, shockingly moving in others; it's cerebral, almost distant, and then emotionally raw. The message at the heart of J. Edgar is to be true to yourself, or every part of your life will be based on a false foundation. We're updating our reviews to better highlight authentic stories and accurate, diverse representations. We won't share this comment without your permission. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase. Movie Review | 'J. J. Edgar (2011) This is a particular kind of movie--the based on fact biopic--done with great attention to period accuracy. J. Edgar movie reviews & Metacritic score: J. Edgar explores the public and private life of one of the most powerful, controversial and enigmatic figures of the 20th century. Martin Luther King Jr. through rampant surveillance and wiretapping. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Judi Dench and Naomi Watts. With Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Josh Hamilton. The drama happens largely in flashback as Hoover dictates his life story to a succession of submissive junior agents. Title: J. Edgar Director: Clint Eastwood Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer ('The Social Network'), Naomi Watts and Judi Dench Preserving your Hoover devoted his life to the bureau, though his personal animosity toward minorities and radicals sometimes led to operations of dubious legality. Recently, Hari Kunzru wrote about the approved products of culture that "taste of cardboard". I didn't really find the premise that interesting but had faith in Eastwood and DiCaprio. DiCaprio's Hoover is an interesting and considered performance, and he and Eastwood plausibly put us inside Hoover's home life. The first fifteen minutes of the movie proved my fears to be well founded, since the movie was really boring. The undefined nature of Hoover's relationship with his assistant makes the question of sex, and sexual identity, an important part of the film. Directed by Clint Eastwood. But in J. Edgar, they're heartbreaking. Should it be? J Edgar chronicles the public and private life of J Edgar Hoover, the man who founded the FBI and ran it for several decades. “J. Join now. J. Edgar focuses on both Hoover's career and his personal life, especially the never-defined relationship with longtime companion Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer). Here is no action man, but an administrator and super-nerd, with a intensely developed sense of professionalism and – something to appal Tea Party activists – an enthusiast for big government and federal empire, sweeping aside the rickety local police departments and putting in place a nationwide outfit of souped-up crimebusters, armed to the teeth. Excellent portrayal of extraordinary musician. The movie does not quite reclaim Hoover for gay history, neither does it exactly claim a tragic status for Hoover's imprisonment in the closet, nor quite suggest that his tentacular empire was a symptom of sexual repression. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as J. Edgar Hoover, the man who led the FBI for almost 50 years, through eight presidents and three wars. J. Edgar explores the public and private life of one of the most powerful, controversial and enigmatic figures of the 20th century. See something that needs to be addressed? Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black takes on a mountain of a subject and mostly conquers it; he distills much of it manageably, if not always successfully. Tolson explodes with jealousy, rage and hurt. Suggest an update to this review. As Hoover, DiCaprio is fascinating and the immensely gripping, well-researched portrayal of this powerful public figure makes J Edgar a must watch. Families can talk about Hoover's relationship with Tolson. The effect of Hoover on America itself is largely ignored, its speculations are cramped, and its actors hampered with plastic, padding and wigs. Well-acted biopic tackles complex character; OK for teens. Are they always noble? J.EDGAR– Clint Eastwood’s latest directorial effort–is a mess from every point of view with the exception of Leonardo DiCaprio. J. Edgar (2011) - J. Edgar Hoover, dyrektor FBI w latach 1924-1972, wspomina swoje życie prywatne i zawodowe. There are some foggy reclarification processes at work in this movie, which refrains from simply denouncing Hoover's attitude to civil liberties, balancing this topic with Hoover's dynamic G-Man attacks on gangsters and terrorists, and with his proto-CSI innovations. The movie … Whether he deserves it or not, De Caprio will get nominated for an Academy Award though. Get Live J.Edgar Movie Reviews, Reactions & comments by our users, Movie Jockey and audience. Synopsis: J. Edgar Hoover, powerful head of the F.B.I. The website's critical consensus reads, "Leonardo DiCaprio gives a predictably powerhouse performance, but J. Edgar stumbles in all other departments: cheesy makeup, poor lighting, confusing narrative, and humdrum storytelling." J. Edgar – review. There is a weird, muffled neutrality to all this, a lot of pulled punches and fudged issues, as if screenwriter and director have made an uneasy alliance to create a Hoover they admire from different angles: the fictional love child of Harvey Milk and Dirty Harry. With superhuman restraint, Black does not put in any gags about how long Hoover has been, ahem, a friend of Ms Lamour. for nearly 50 years, looks back on his professional and personal life. Was Hoover a reliable narrator? November 16, 2011 @ 12:18 pm Aliminum Badger. Did it deliver? for nearly fifty years, looks back on his professional and personal life. J. Edgar Hoover, powerful head of the F.B.I. J. Edgar, Clint Eastwood’s biopic of the legendary FBI chief, is a movie about secrets, the burden they place on their keepers, and the … Movie Review: “J. Another note:... Hoover is portrayed as arrogant and somewhat bullying towards people he doesn't agree with or with whom he does not share common heritage. There is no doubt about how he feels – and yet even here, at the epicentre of this emotional meltdown, Eastwood preserves the glimmer of a possibility that Hoover, though the recipient of homosexual love, is himself merely asexual, confused, with sentimental, brotherly feelings. This film's echoes of Hitchcock's Psycho are striking, almost as if America is turning into a huge Bates motel with peepholes. Her withering stares wither, indeed, and her pitying glances are painful. Rating: Beg or borrow, but do watch. Yet with his plastic old-guy face on, this Hoover seems to me lacking in form and interest. Infrequent swearing; when the words "c--ksucker" and "f--king" are heard (in two scenes), they stand out since the rest of the film is so lacking in profanity. The younger, slighter Hoover is more substantial, examining his men like a general making a military inspection, and not hesitating to fire those agents who have loud suits, facial hair and who neglect to call him sir. Were they friends or more than friends? Get full reviews, ratings, and advice delivered weekly to your inbox. J. Edgar is a workmanlike production that should garner an Oscar nomination for Leonardo DiCaprio, but it's not a great motion picture or even an especially memorable one. As the face of law enforcement in America for almost 50 years, J. Edgar Hoover was feared and admired, reviled and re..... .View more! Hoover's mother, played frighteningly, winningly close to the bone by grande dame Judi Dench, is so horrific that you have to wonder whether J. Edgar is laying too much of Hoover's dysfunction at her feet. Skittishly overexcited at the job application from handsome young Clyde Tolson, he David Brent-ishly works out in his office, doing pressups. And Watts, too, proves why she's one of the best actresses around. Do you think his memories are accurate? Photograph: Keith Bernstein. The only reason why it received an R-rating is because they used the word c*cksucker twice. Your privacy is important to us. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the chief, both as a young zealot in the cause of criminal-detection science, and as a crinkly oldster behind his desk, frowning, grimacing, taking his glasses on and off, barking cantankerous orders to his devoted secretary, and occasionally making brooding appearances on his Washington DC office balcony, to watch another presidential inaugural motorcade roll past. The two men, and Gandy, periodically shuffle on for later-life appearances, prosthetically and somewhat exotically aged up. Naomi Watts co-stars as Hoover's personal secretary, Helen Gandy, who was privy to many of his secrets, especially his personal files that supposedly contained damning secrets about many of the country's most powerful people. J. Edgar is a curious mix: It's slow, almost glacial, in parts, and then quickly, shockingly moving in others; it's cerebral, almost distant, and then emotionally raw. He also has personal animosity toward minorities and "radicals.". He says he wants to "reclarify the difference between villain and hero". Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free. The movie went on for 2 and a half hours, and left me bored to tears. We display the minimum age for which content is developmentally appropriate. And there's an infuriating final twist that sneakily preserves the movie's impartiality. This much, though, isn't up for debate: DiCaprio's masterful performance. The star rating reflects overall quality. Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating to reviews, gives the film a normalized scor… On top of that, Leonardo DiCaprio is excellent, very professional. If that's what's important, getting a bit of American history into a vivid big screen format, then this works pretty well. The movie suggests that Hoover's inability to be honest about his own identity possibly contributed to an excess of zeal in criminal investigations of sometimes questionable legality. founder J. Edgar Hoover’s life and career that views him … I'm not sure quite how solid it is. On a whole Eastwood stumbled with J Edgar. Young Hoover proposes marriage to the pretty typist Helen Gandy – another uninteresting role for Naomi Watts – and, on being gently rebuffed, appoints her instead his trusted assistant and keeper of the confidential files that were to make him feared throughout Washington. Leonardo DiCaprio gave a solid performance, but the rest of this just dull. 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