By Jason Apuzzo. The first trailer for the Clint Eastwood-Leonardo DiCaprio J. Edgar was released yesterday, and I wanted to say a few words about it.
Regular LFM readers know that back in July I did an in-depth script review of J. Edgar, and for the time being I’d rather not recapitulate what was said then in terms of the film’s basic storyline and themes; suffice it to say that if you read this site routinely, you already know in great detail what J. Edgar is going to be about. What I’d like to comment on instead, because for the first time in the trailer we’re get an extended look at it, is DiCaprio’s performance as Hoover. And based on what I’m seeing in the trailer, I’m not terribly impressed.
Here is how I evaluate DiCaprio: over the years he’s evolved into a stylish leading man, best suited to films like Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator or even Inception (a film I otherwise disliked) in which he can trade off his smooth good looks and impish disposition to nice effect. Truth be told, DiCaprio at this point is more of a European, Alain Delon-type lothario than a gritty, James Cagney-style brawler, which is really what the J. Edgar Hoover story needs. DiCaprio temperamentally belongs in sophisticated, Transatlantic fare like Delon’s Once a Thief (1965) or The Leopard (1963), rather than in a big, sprawling, boisterous biopic about America’s top cop.
In the J. Edgar trailer, DiCaprio is still coming across to me as too youthful and soft to carry a picture like this. This film needed someone like a Jack Nicholson (think Hoffa), a young Robert De Niro (a la Raging Bull) or even a younger Clint Eastwood himself (circa Heartbreak Ridge) to pull off a character of this scale – to make the character feel truly grand, fearsome, just and tragic. As things stand, this is looking a little bit like high school drama hour.
Posted on September 20th, 2011 at 2:59pm.
This is Oscar-bait for DiCaprio, pure and simple. He’s the front runner for the award, and he’s probably going to get it whether he deserves it or not because of what people will think is the current political “relevance” of the film.
Based on what I’m seeing thus far I doubt he’ll get it.
Sadly, based upon this trailer, this movie appears to market in every possible cliché and liberal smear that’s ever been dreamed up regarding J. Edgar Hoover. I suppose the only thing that can be hope for is a scene of Leo as J. Edgar in a dress since it’s also alleged he was a cross dresser too. The thought is hilarious.
Actually, there is such a scene in the screenplay. Check out my script review – it occurs right after Hoover’s mother dies.
Well then….I can’t wait!
Jason- I am so grateful for this brief posting; you put into concise words my what my own thoughts on DiCaprio have been for years, but could not explain well. “high school drama hour” indeed!!
Thanks, Tricia. I appreciate it.
That’s a great take on DiCaprio. I’ve always liked him, but had similar reservations, which I see as a bit tragic (for lack of a better term).
DiCaprio has always taken the illusion more seriously than most of his contemporaries — you just don’t see him out in public too much, and he’s only lightly voiced his lame politics. Basically, he’s kind of the anti-Matt Damon — I think he believes that his performances will be a lot more believable if people don’t know everything about him when they walk into the theater.
That’s a bit tragic because he is limited to the type of roles you mentioned, in my opinion. Although, I thought he turned in a complete transformative performance in “Blood Diamond.”
As for the film, I can’t tell if Eastwood is going to put forth a serious examination of relativism, or if he’s going to be ironic about it.
Thanks, Vince, I appreciate it.
It’s hard to argue with DiCaprio’s career choices. He makes a point of working with the best directors, and exclusively on prestige projects. The problem is that whenever he plays something other than a Rudolph Valentino-style figure, it falls flat. He’s not a Daniel Day-Lewis, in other words; he’s a matinee idol, and I wish today’s actors (Clooney comes to mind here) would just be satisfied with that.
His work in Blood Diamond was great. He was also good as Hughes in The Aviator.
He was amazing in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, although that seems so distant from what his work is now.
He was handicapped in Inception by Nolan’s severe technocratic approach to storytelling.
To me, he’s a really good actor, but one who can have a difficult time overcoming his boyishness. I’m not sure what else he can do about it, though.