Chris here. This year is going to have quite a bit of late breaking Oscar hopefuls based on fact, including Steven Spielberg's The Post (is that what it's called today?) and maybe a Clint Eastwood film about a true life thwarted terrorist attack in France. Ridley Scott is looking to quickly bounce back from the tepid response to Alien: Covenant with a real story of his own that wrapped a mere month ago: All the Money In The World. The film follows the famous Getty kidnapping and cruel patriarch J. Paul Getty's refusal to fork out the ransom dough.
Don't expect to hear "unrecognizable" dubbed just to Gary Oldman this year for Darkest Hour - this film is going hard on selling/taunting us Kevin Spacey as the billionaire in heavy prosthetics. We'll see if this ends up being a supporting or lead actor play, but might the film have awards chances elsewhere? Is it enough of a showcase for Michelle Williams to break through a stacked Best Actress race as the mother of the kidnapped younger Getty?
The film is set to close AFI Fest and opens December 8. Take a look at the new trailer and we'll break down the Yes No Maybe So...
YES
- This isn't supposed to be the takeaway here, but COSTUMES! Period glamor! Woolens! Wigs!
- We're always there for Michelle Williams and it's a bit of relief that Scott seems to be asking for subtlety from her here and not the histrionic mother.
- Charlie Plummer plays the kidnapped John Paul Getty III and is set to be one of the year's major breakthroughs. He just got raves for Lean on Pete at the Venice Film Festival and won the Marcello Mastroianni Prize for young performers.
- As much as Ridley Scott comes back to science fiction, this kind of film really is his sweet spot.
NO
- Ridley Scott remains our preeminent scholar in color desaturation. This film looks like it has the flu. (Apologies to the film's DP Dariusz Wolski)
- Call me crazy, but I still see Spacey in that face-y. Maybe best if they don't push the "unrecognizable" angle too hard.
- And we would really like to see Spacey break the mold of his recent snearing titans.
- Why rush a film like this when it would make a nice spring antidote instead? Methinks this one will have to work overtime or get outright raves to jump out of the pack in a very heavy December.
- "Time of the Season" : period pieces :: florals : spring.
MAYBE SO
- With Scott's recent creative ups and downs, something straight down the middle in the American Gangster vein might not be a bad idea.
- Sometimes less Mark Wahlberg pays off.
- Will audiences remember the Getty kidnapping?
This is currently a NO for me, but what are your thoughts?