Movie Review: Lincoln

Lincoln

**** out of ****

So, sometimes, you are reading up about something, maybe it's a movie, television show, it could even be a person, and everyone is saying that this is amazing.  The best thing you'll see in your lifetime.  Critically adored.  You get excited, because of all the awesome words that are being used to describe this thing.  You get some friends together maybe, or you are by yourself and you decide to check this out.  If you are like me, nine times out of ten you are let down by the hype.  It's disappointing and it makes you a little more jaded, each and every time that it happens to you.  Well folks, I'm here to tell you, Lincoln bucks that trend.  Believe the hype, because this movie lives up to it and then some.  When the critics gush, it isn't hyperbole, it is real talk.

When you look at Lincoln, I think it is best to look at the the individual parts that make up this impressive whole.  The first part is the actors.  The movie would not be as impressive as it is if it wasn't for Daniel Day-Lewis.  For me, Day-Lewis is like the male Meryl Streep.  He just brings it every single time.  Because of what he accomplished during his time as president, Lincoln has become this mythical person in our country's history.  Day-Lewis really brings him to life and makes him a relatable person.  He does a good job of portraying Lincoln as a folksy, storytelling, man of the people and a fierce political warrior determined to keep the Union intact.  Day-Lewis does a great job of showing every facet of this great man.  He is more than just a Commander-In-Chief trying to get landmark legislation pushed through a divisive and hostile House of Representatives, he is also a grieving father and a concerned husband.  I pity the actors that will be facing off against Day-Lewis in this year's Best Actor Oscar race, because they don't stand a chance against this towering, powerful, commanding, perhaps even career defining, performance.  Day-Lewis isn't the only actor doing awards caliber work in Lincoln.  

Sally Field makes a great case for not just a Best Supporting Actress nod, but also a win, with her performance as Mary Todd Lincoln.  Mrs. Lincoln gets short shrift, I think.  When people think of her, I think this is what they think of:

Field does a great job of working to change this perception and gets people to look at the former First Lady from a different perspective.  Field is a fierce presence every time she appears on screen.  She is more than just some bi polar basket case.  She is a woman destroyed by grief having lost one son to the Civil War and is terrified that she may lose another.  She blames her husband for what has happened but at the same time is still fiercely loyal to him.  Her forgiveness seems to hinge on the passing of the 13th Amendment and ending of the Civil War.  The scenes of Field in the gallery of the House keeping her own tabs on how things are going had me, as an avowed feminist, fiercely cheering to myself.  Field also provides one of the best scenes in the film, when she gives Tommy Lee Jones' abolitionist Republican representative, Thaddeus Stevens, a monumental dressing down in a White House receiving line.  Watching Jones and Field verbally spar is like watching an acting heavyweight title bout, with Field delivering the knockout punch.  

Speaking of Jones, he rounds out the acting trifecta of Lincoln.  Sometimes it's easy to forget that Jones is one of our greatest living actors, because a lot of his performances are quiet and subtle rather than bombastic and showy.  As Stevens, Jones gets a great showcase for both.  Stevens wants slavery over and isn't shy about it.  He doesn't want to play the political game that he may need to play in order to see his dream come to fruition.  In the hands of the wrong actor, Stevens could have easily slid into caricature, but Jones does a great job of keeping him relatable as well as larger than life.  

I've highlighted these three performances, but every actor on screen in Lincoln brings their A game.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues his hot streak portraying Robert Todd Lincoln, who wants to follow in his brother's footsteps as a soldier.  He doesn't want to be sheltered from the war, but he doesn't really understand the horrors of being on the battlefield.  James Spader brings some levity to the film as William Bilbo, a Republican operative that is hired to try to sway Democrats to the side of the 13th Amendment.  The rest of the cast is a veritable who's who of "Hey it's that guy!"  It includes John Hawkes, Jackie Earl Haley, S. Epatha Merkerson, Lee Pace, David Strathairn, Hal Holbrook, Adam Driver and Gloria Reubens, just to name a few.

The other part of the movie that makes it so successful is the writing and direction.  The film was adapted from the novel "Team of Rivals:  The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kearns Goodwin by Tony Award winning playwright, Tony Kushner.  Kushner is probably best known for the play and eventual HBO movie, "Angels in America."  Instead of focusing on Lincoln's entire life, Kushner makes the decision to instead focus on his struggle to pass the 13th Amendment, that would abolish slavery and end the Civil War.  Most Americans are pretty familiar with Lincoln's life, so focusing on this specific event really helped the movie flow and keeps you engaged.  I went into the movie thinking I would be bored, but the scenes of debate in the House were funny and exciting.  It also sort of helped me regain my faith in politicians.  It was nice to be reminded that there was a time when politicians could get substantial legislation pushed through, and I hope that after this do nothing Congress, the 113th will show that that is still true.  

Finally, yes I'm almost done, there is the direction by Steven Spielberg.  Friends of mine who have seen the movie are surprised that Spielberg directed this.  I have to remind them that yeah the guy is the king of the summer popcorn movie but he has directed quite a few substantial films, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, and Munich, to name a few.  You can add Spielberg's name to the list of Oscar shoo-ins this year.  

So, sorry to go on, but this movie is definitely worth it.  Once I get started on Lincoln it's hard to stop.  And if you are still reading this, I appreciate, but if you haven't seen the movie, what are you still doing here?  Get to the theater.  Now.

Bottom Line:  Great performances.  Check.  Writing.  Check.  Direction.  Check.  Best movie of the year?  I haven't seen them all, but best movie I've seen all year.