J Edgar (2011)

Director:  Clint Eastwood

J Edgar is another long, boring Biopic that Hollywood churns out on a regular basis.  Like "MacArthur", "Gandhi", "Chaplin" etc. etc.  Eastwood makes the mistake of trying to cover too much, in a very superficial manner. Its a very long 2 hours. The "Gay angle" is done in a rather silly way and adds no interest.  The script is liberal and dull.

Which is what I expected.  We warned our guests that "J Edgar" would bore them - but they insisted -so off we went.

The acting is adequate to good.  The makeup is poor.  Eastwood is his usual plodding self (See Bird, Invictius (sp), Flags of our Fathers).

Is it historically accurate? Of course not, its Hollywood. "J Edgar" was made by liberals (and whatever Eastwood is) and so has to ignore or skim over several facts. Namely, how could this 'right-wing fascist' have been appointed by Liberal Icon FDR and re-appointed by Truman and Kennedy? How is it Hoover is blamed for all the civil liberties violations when the FBI is UNDER the direction of the President and the Attorney General?  The fact is that Hoover had only as much power as the AG and the President wanted him to have - but it makes a more interesting story (and more pleasing to liberals) to think Hoover was out there on his own wire-tapping MLK.

So could "J Edgar" have been interesting?  Yes, if the producers had focused in on a smaller part of Hoover's life and told it from a passionate point of view.  A movie showing Hoover as a hero, battling the 30s Gangsters or rooting out Commie bastards and spies in the 40s or 50s could have been interesting. OTOH, an Oliver Stone hatchet job 'Full of sound and fury" would have kept me awake. But "J Edgar" is the  liberal "balanced" view of Hoover & told without passion.

Summary:  Another dull Hollywood Biopic made even duller by the superficial "Gay Sex" angle and dime store psychology . Rating **