Posts
Guys, I really really wanted to like this movie. I wanted to tell you that watching the young Donald Trump being mentored by the notorious Roy Cohen was a pleasure, and how deeply I've misjudged the person. I wanted to tell you that I found, if not compassion, at least an understanding of the immoral bully we see today. I especially wanted to tell you about the charms that the person of the moment grew out of, but at least a reminder that there was a time when Trump, molded in the image of a somehow worse person, Roy Cohen, was at least a human in search of success who was taught to behave in the worst ways for nothing but selfish reasons. (and let's repeat the refrain here - movies are not documentaries - you don't watch a narrative film to find out the truth, so even that beginning makes me remind myself that I shouldn't have been connecting the film's narrative with the real life DJT, no matter how similar the real life events may have been.)
But the film was difficult to watch. There are Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the movie intended to wink at us and say, "remember when he said THIS thing on the campaign trail? This is where he got that!" The true irony of Roy Cohen looking any person in the face and asking how they could possibly have no loyalty and no compassion was laughable, and therefore, kind of brilliant.
What WAS superb though were these two performances. Sebastian Stan infuses mannerisms without becoming an impression. Jeremy Strong, who is likely one of the great actors of our age, is subtle and sinister and unapologetic without becoming a cartoon.
My friends who adore Trump will perhaps comment and say that I suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome (as though being a person who can't abide a leader who appears to have no human decency nor shies away from saying the most vile things, not to mention the constant lying - sometimes about the most obvious things is a bad thing), but I would simply respond with the number of times that I have lauded decisions and policies with which I agree (and yes, there are some). And in response, perhaps I would ask that person how many times they have denounced the most obvious of disgusting comments without explaining them away. So no, I didn't have trouble with the movie because I don't agree with many of Trump's policies and most of his behaviors, I had trouble with the movie because watching anyone debase others with glee is just hard for me to watch. Make up your own mind, but it wasn't for me.
And please, if you are going to threaten to kill my dog or me or my family because you don't like my review of a movie, please spend that time taking a hard look in the mirror. You are welcome to write your own review.
No comments:
Post a Comment