Richard Jewell movie review

RATING: R

LENGTH: 2 hours, 11 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A

IN A NUTSHELL:

Clint Eastwood is a master storyteller. He unfolds the true events of the Atlanta bombing of 1996 and Richard Jewell, who was the security guard at the center of the investigation. The movie about Richard Jewell has already received several awards, including the AFI Movie the Year for 2020.

I lived in Atlanta, Georgia for 15 years and was, thankfully, out of town on vacation when the bombing occurred. I had been to the site of the bombing many times. What happened there is truly heartbreaking. Over 100 people were injured and 2 people died.

It’s amazing that an old news story from 1996 can feel very timely, especially considering what’s happening today in the news. This is not just a film about what happened there, but a strong statement about the power of the media and the government.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Profanity and F-bombs
People get injured but you don’t see much blood and gore.
Kids will mostly be bored with all of the talking, although they’ll probably like Richard Jewell. He’s kind of the real-life version of Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Teach your kids their Constitutional rights. You should know them too.

THEMES:

Power of the press and reckless journalism
Truth
Justice
Hero vs. villain and the thin line between them
The government forgets that they work for us, not the other way around.

THINGS I LIKED:

Paul Walter Hauser is fantastic and believable as Richard Jewell. You get a real sense of what Richard Jewell was all about. What fantastic casting. Paul really looks like the real Richard Jewell. This movie will put him on the radar for most people, and hopefully, an Oscar nomination. He had minor roles in I, Tonya, Blackkklansman, and Late Night.
Who doesn’t love Sam Rockwell? He was excellent in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
There is a surprising amount of humor.
Kathy Bates has been nominated for a 2020 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her role as Richard Jewell’s mother in the film.
The talented cast includes Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde, and Paul Walter Hauser. There are some truly outstanding performances.
The bombing scenes were filmed at the same location where they actually took place in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park. Even more, they were filmed on the 23^rd anniversary of the bombing.
In case you didn’t notice, this is the second time that an article written by journalist Marie Brenner has been made into a movie! The other movie was The Insider in 1999.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill were both going to be actors in this movie but remained only as producers.
The TV interview with Katie Couric shows the real Richard Jewell interviews but with voice-overs.
The last 15 minutes of the movie were outstanding.
Some of Clint Eastwood’s recent movies seem to have a real grey color palette, but this movie has more color and energy.
What a contrast between how the FBI agents and Richard Jewell felt about law, order, and integrity. How horrible that he and his mother had to endure what they were put through by the FBI and the media.
It’s refreshing to see a movie about a really good, nice guy. My husband will really like this movie because he gets so fed up watching protagonists who are just mean, bad, or downright evil.
Olivia Wilde does a great job playing Kathy Scruggs, the journalist with no morals, although it may be over-the-top. The family of Kathy Scruggs said that no one from the film ever reached out to them to hear her side of the story. It is said that she never recovered from the trauma of the events and the stress of the libel lawsuit. She died of a drug overdose.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

You might notice that none of the Olympic rings shown in the movie have the classic 5 rings. The International Olympic Committee denied their use for copyright protection.
The first part of the movie before the bomb goes off is rather slow, as it tries to establish all of the characters. Once the bomb goes off, things move much faster.
Some people will wish they could have seen more action during the bomb scene.

FUNNY LINES:

“Oh my G-d, you’re a rock star.” – Bobi Jewell (Kathy Bates)
“Where I come from, when the government says someone is guilty, he’s innocent. Is it different here?” – Nadya Light (Nina Arianda)
“Do you have any guns?” – Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell)

“Yeah, we’re in Georgia.” – Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser)

INTERESTING LINES:

“I believe in law and order, Sir. You can’t have a country without it.” – Richard Jewell
After learning his house is being bugged, Richard asks, “How can they do that?” His lawyer replies, “Because you don’t matter.”

Clint Eastwood loves movies about innocent people who endured false accusations. Here are a few you’ll also enjoy:

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