Going Against the Odds, a Young Ginsburg Begins Her Fight for Equality

Felicity Jones in "On the Basis of Sex"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

While any drama film that focuses on a real-life individual who’s done much to improve the lives of people is always intriguing to watch, seeing such a film where the subject is still living and continuing their life’s work adds a level of potency to the story because you know that the person is going beyond what you see in the movie.

This is the case with director Mimi Leder’s biographical drama, “On the Basis of Sex,” where she tells the story of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  While the film has some faults, the uplifting narrative and wonderful lead performance are enough to compensate.

In 1956, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones) enrolls in Harvard Law School as one of just a few women, studying alongside her husband, Martin (Armie Hammer).  Upon graduating and not being hired by any law firms, Ruth begins a career as a professor at Rutgers Law School.  Soon after, she’s given the opportunity from the American Civil Liberties Union to work with a sex-based-discrimination case that could help abolish inequality between men and women.

Jones provides a tough and spirited performance as Ginsburg, showing her character’s grit and persistence in furthering her education.  Jones wins you over from the first scene, presenting Ginsburg as an eager, wide-eyed law student who’s ready to obtain as much knowledge as possible and get closer to her calling in legal practices.  Jones shows Ginsburg’s conscientiousness as a student; her frustration at being rejected from law firms, despite her expertise; and her dedication to strengthening equality throughout America, all of which results in a portrayal that gets you caught up in Ginsburg’s inspirational journey as you watch her make history in the courtroom.

The supporting cast has several talented performers, such as Hammer; Justin Theroux as Mel Wulf, the legal director of the ACLU; and Kathy Bates as attorney and political activist Dorothy Kenyon.  While the supporting actors and actresses do what they can with the material that they’re given, they don’t have much of an opportunity to do a lot that’s memorable.  The only supporting cast member who’s given an opportunity to make an impression is Cailee Spaeny, who portrays Ginsburg’s daughter, Jane.  It’s a performance that shows her character’s strong willingness to strive for equal rights between men and women, while also displaying how much her character is influenced by the tireless work that her mom puts towards her family and career.

The screenplay by Daniel Stiepleman (who’s Ginsburg’s nephew) has a few unsubtle moments in the first couple of scenes, but there aren’t as many as the film goes on.  Although Stiepleman has to compress Ginsburg’s story into a two-hour film, he provides enough details for the aspects of her life that the film covers.  We have scenes of her as a student; her married life; her time as a professor; and the landmark case into which she pours her heart; while also going in depth as the story describes the laws that discriminate between the sexes.

Although the film has the look and feel of a standard biopic, Leder offers some memorable shots here and there, such as in the opening scene where we see Ginsburg entering the halls of Harvard with a crowd of male students, a sequence that shows Ginsburg’s earnestness in pursuing her dreams and going against what was expected of women during that time.

“On the Basis of Sex” may have some areas in which it could have been stronger, but the places in which it excels have enough to make you cheer.

Grade: B

Unsure About Their Future, a Couple Uses Love to Keep Going

KiKi Layne and Stephan James in
"If Beale Street Could Talk"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Before this year, writer-director Barry Jenkins found a calling for telling stories of people in love and dealing with the troubles that surface.  He did this in 2008 with his debut feature, “Medicine for Melancholy,” then in 2016 for “Moonlight.”  These films capture both the joys and hardships that come with being in a relationship, and he explores this concept through two different and heartfelt scenarios.

Jenkins chooses this as his area of focus again for the romantic drama, “If Beale Street Could Talk.”  Through Jenkins’ customary mix of accomplished direction, rich performances, a layered story, and technical proficiency, he offers another deep view into a relationship that must overcome the obstacles that get in the way of two peoples’ devotion to each other.

In early 1970s Harlem, Tish Rivers (KiKi Layne) and Alonzo Hunt (Stephan James) fall in love.  When Tish becomes pregnant, the two are ready to begin the next chapter of their life.  When Alonzo is accused of assaulting a woman and sent to jail, Tish, her family, and Alonzo’s family will do whatever they can to prove his innocence.

Layne provides a superb breakout performance of a young woman who exemplifies intense commitment to her family and boyfriend as she tries to help Alonzo get out of prison, while also preparing to bring their baby into the world.  Layne gives us a character who's soft-spoken, but one who isn’t afraid to let her feelings out when she needs to be heard.  She brings an unbridled strength as she shows Tish going through her pregnancy and starting a new chapter in her life, all while not knowing whether or not Alonzo will be coming home.  The depth of quiet, yet powerful emotion that Layne puts into her role makes this career-making work that shouldn’t be missed.     

James offers a performance that shows his determination in providing Tish with the best life that he can give her, with a highlighted in a charming scene where they go visit a potential loft.  The happiness that he feels when he’s around Tish makes his time in prison much more heartbreaking because James evokes the feeling of intense loneliness and helplessness as he’s separated from Tish and his family.  Just like Tish, Alonzo doesn’t know what his future holds, and James has to exhibit a range of feelings to reflect that in his character, and he does so to great success.

Regina King, who portrays Tish’s mother, Sharon, shows the understanding and care that her daughter needs during this uncertain time in her life.  In her scenes, King exhibits the protectiveness that her character has for Tish, always being at Tish’s side as the latter experiences her hardships.  Later in the movie, when Sharon travels to Puerto Rico to speak with Alonso’s accuser, who has fled America, King brings out her character’s strong will to prove Alonzo’s innocence, an affecting look out how accepting she is of having Alonzo as part of her family, despite most of his family disagreeing with the matter.   

The supporting cast comes equipped with several memorable performances, such as Teyonah Parris and Colman Domingo as Tish’s sister and father; Aunjanue Ellis and Michael Beach as Alfonzo’s mother and father; and Brian Tyree Henry as Alfonzo’s friend, who’s a standout amongst these performances and is given one of the best scenes in the movie, where he provides Alfonzo with some details about his time in prison, and although it’s played out in an understated manner, it’s nevertheless tense and disquieting.

Jenkins’ screenplay, which is based on James Baldwin’s 1974 novel of the same name, uses narration from Tish as a way to go back and forth between the past and present as we see her and Alonzo’s time together before the latter’s arrest.  During the sequences that occur in the past, we’re given a beautiful look into Tish and Alonzo’s relationship as the possibilities of the world seem endless to them.  What makes the transitions between the past and present so potent is how we’re able to feel Tish’s sense of longing for simpler times as she recalls the happier moments that she experienced with Alonzo.  We see these events along with her, but are then taken back with her into the present where she has to contend with Alonzo being away from her.  It’s a poignant examination of dedicating your life to someone who you love and having your joyful memories of that person help you get through difficult times and keeping that love alive.

Jenkins re-teams with James Laxton, who provided the cinematography for both of director’s previous films.  Just like with “Medicine for Melancholy” and “Moonlight,” Laxton uses several long takes as a way to let events play out in real time, making us feel closer to the goings-on for the characters and letting us experience them as they do.

Another similarity between “If Beale Street Could Talk” and Jenkins’ previous two films is that he often has passages of the movie transpire with little dialogue, or none at all.  Through these scenes, we’re drawn further into the lives of the characters, and with magnificent framing from Laxton and a beautiful score from Nicholas Britell (who provided the music for “Moonlight”), there’s magic that’s brought to these scenes.  One of the best examples of this is the opening scene where we have Tish and Alonzo taking a walk, and they ask each other if they’re ready to take the next step in their relationship.  With these minimal-dialogue and dialogue-free scenes that focus on Tish and Alonzo, you get a strong sense of their love, a bond that will help them rise above whatever misfortunes that life brings. 

After gaining attention with “Moonlight,” Jenkins became a cinematic vision to follow, and his work with “If Beale Street Could Talk” continues to present him as such with this deep and genuine love story. 

Grade: A

In the White House, a Vice President Sneaks His Way to the Top

Amy Adams and Christian Bale in "Vice"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

For over a decade, Adam McKay has found success in directing fun, mainstream comedies, such as the two “Anchorman” movies, “The Other Guys,” and “Step Brothers,” while serving as a co-writer for them, as well.  With these films, McKay reveled in their uproarious scenarios, delivering memorable characters and an abundance of laughs.

Then, in 2015, he expanded his storytelling abilities by directing and co-writing the comedy-drama, “The Big Short,” in which he provided an in-depth view of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, offering both a humorous and maddening experience as we watched where it all went wrong with America’s economy.

He now brings us another true-story account with his newest comedy-drama, “Vice," and although the performances are fantastic, McKay tries too hard to get his point across at times, resulting in a weakened impact.

The story follows Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) as he rises to power within Washington, D.C., and soon becomes one of the most secretive leaders in 21st-century America during his time as vice president to George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell).

In his role as Cheney, Bale continues to show his talents at being a transformative actor.  He has the flawless ability to sink into his characters, and you wouldn’t recognize that it’s him playing Cheney if you walked into this movie not knowing anything about the cast.  He accomplishes Cheney’s vocals and brings out a mischievous personality, embodying the sneakiness with which Cheney used to place himself into the position of authority that he sought.  Even with the movie’s flaws, it’s Bale’s performance that helps make this film worth a watch.  

Amy Adams gives a terrific performance as Cheney’s wife, Lynne.  In her first scene, Lynne mentions that, because she’s a woman, her career options are limited (this portion of the film takes place in the ‘60s), so she implores Dick to do what he can for the both of them in order to bring a sense of accomplishment to their family.  Once the two of them get to Washington, Adams shows us that Lynne has a determination for political success that’s as strong as her husband’s, and to see her character work alongside her spouse makes for an intriguing couple to watch as they attempt to gain more and more power.

Despite only having a few scenes, Rockwell makes a humorous impression as George, Jr.  Just like Bale, he’s able to channel his real-life counterpart’s mannerisms without fault and not have it devolve into an overblown caricature.  Even though Bale is the star of the movie, Rockwell is able to hold the screen in equal measure when he shares it with Bale, and they’re able to create scenes of dynamite acting as we watch two individuals that are pretty much the doppelgängers of Cheney and Bush.

The film also has memorable performances from Steve Carell as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld; Alison Pill and Lily Rabe as Cheney’s daughters, Mary and Liz, respectively; and Tyler Perry as Secretary of State Colin Powell.  Just as with many of McKay’s other films, he’s able to handle a big cast while giving everyone an opportunity to capture the audience's attention.

  

Similar “The Big Short,” McKay’s screenplay does well in diving deep into his subject.  And, here, we see the troubling nature of Cheney’s constant search for having a level of power that he shouldn’t.  A noteworthy aspect of the narrative is how it doesn’t just focus on Cheney’s time during George, Jr.'s presidency, but also shows a great deal of his time spent in Washington throughout the decades before, where we see the many political connections that Cheney builds as the film gets closer to the time in his life when he’s vice president.

While there’s an intriguing story to be told here, it’s not done so in the best way.  Although the movie is detailed in how it chronicles Cheney’s rise to power, McKay does a little too much when it comes to how he tries to convey his messages, such as hammering in metaphoric visuals throughout the movie in order to emphasize certain aspects of the story that have become clear to us.

During “Vice,” it seems as though McKay is trying to eclipse what he accomplished for “The Big Short.”  For that film, he was able to take one of the most important national stories of the 2000s and explore it from various angles, all while using certain storytelling methods, such as breaking the fourth wall, and was able to keep it from feeling excessive.  With the significant chapter of U.S. history that “Vice” depicts, it’s easy to understand why McKay would be ambitious with the techniques that he uses to present this story, but a lot of the times, the heavy use of these techniques comes off more as attention-grabbing and unsubtle.  The story that McKay's telling is outrageous enough, so it's not necessary for him to overdo his approach. 

McKay is a director who’s able to construct comedies that can have undemanding narratives, as well as comedies that offer more in the way of thought-provoking stories.  It’s admirable that McKay wants to invest more of his time with the latter, as we've seen with "The Big Short" and "Vice," and if he's able to keep providing us with in-depth analyses of his topics and avoid spoon-feeding their meanings to us, as he does a lot with his latest movie, than I'm sure his evolution as a filmmaker will impress us once again.    

    

Grade: B-