on MISS
SLOANE (2016, 132 minutes, R)
The
Quick of It -
MISS SLOANE
is not a simple film in any aspect by any means. I would say there are many ways to potential
interpret what you are seeing. Talking
with someone who had not seen the film and heard about some blurb saying that, “this
is the film that the NRA ‘does not’ want you to see,” I realized the brilliance
of the film.
Directed by
John Madden (of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, and THE
DEBT) and written by Jonathan Perera, amazingly the only writer, puts you in
the heart of the lobbyists’ playground and sends you quickly into a
tailspin. The story centers on Miss
Sloane, who is a well-renown lobbyist, who takes on supporting a bill that goes
against one of the most powerful entities in politics, the NRA and 2nd
amendment ‘enthusiast’.
With such
an impressive cast, there still were a few standouts. Jessica Chastain (of THE MARTIAN, ZERO DARK
THIRTY, and THE HELP) as Miss Elizabeth Sloane is commanding and attention-drawing. You cannot look away for fear of missing her
next play and catch those softer moments, which were quite rare. To compliment her is Gugu Mbatha-Raw
(CONCUSSION, FREE STATE OF JONES, and JUPITER ASCENDING) who has shades of innocence
and driven by pure heart. One other
crucial binding element is Mark Strong (of KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE, TINKER
TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, and SHERLOCK HOLMES).
He plays Rodolfo Schmidt, the president of a small law firm championing
for the bill, who convinces Sloane to leave her prestigious company to aid him
in this herculean task.
Now, you
would believe that a film centering around anti-gun ideals, it really is only a
peripheral piece to the whole. In fact,
both side get a fair shake on their arguments, not actually taking a full
side. The bill, featuring the Heaton-Harris
Amendment, is to add more to the current process in purchasing a gun, wait days
and the requiring a background check for all purchases. The topic remains slightly grayed rather than
pushing an agenda. And that my friends
is the beauty of the picture. The plot
is driven by Miss Sloane and the process of acquiring votes for a bill, not a
bunch of fluff and single-minded psychological warfare to sway your opinion.
This pick for
my film to review was a difficult choice since I try to avoid anything overly political. But, I was proven a wuss for doubting. The story was told so well that it did
borderline on having that ‘based on real events’ feel. They would have only needed to change the
tone on a few subplots and add a bit more ambiguity. So you might consider pushing this one up
higher on your ‘to watch’ list.
Grade: B-
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