Movie Review: Michael Clayton

Yeah, Andie and Sid? I'm going to have to insist that you two get a babysitter for Mothra and go see this movie as soon as possible. YOU WILL LOVE IT. There's corporate corruption and intrigue and George Clooney and how isn't that a good time?

So, I wasn't too interested in Michael Clayton until it got a bunch of Academy Award nominations. It looked like a rental, not a movie I'd pay $10. not even counting popcorn and Coke, to see in the theater. But I'm on my yearly Oscar mission, so off I went...

George Clooney is just, he's SO GREAT. He does so many fun little fluff projects that it's easy to forget that he can BRING IT, when bringing it is called for. I mean, I don't begrudge him the Ocean's movies, I love them too. But he's so good here. He plays Michael Clayton (Title!) a lawyer for a big law firm who serves as the "janitor." He cleans up messes. He has all kinds of contacts and knows all the angles and knows the fast and best ways to fix problems. But it's not a glamorous job -- he's never made partner and he's flirting with bankruptcy. He's a guy in his late forties with not much to show for it. He's divorced, shares custody of his son, has trouble with his druggie brother and doesn't know what to make of his life. THEN. He gets an INSANE phone call from one of the lawyers in his firm and things start ensuing all over the place. I'm not saying anymore about the plot. It was one of those surprising movies that, while it wasn't full of "twists," I frequently had NO idea what was going to happen next. That rarely happens.

Tom Wilkinson is AWESOME as the lawyer who's totally reached his breaking point, doing a great job with some really off-the-wall speeches that could have been overdone, but totally aren't. Tilda Swinton, who I've liked for a long time is finally getting recognition for her brilliance. The whole cast is really good, it's well-directed, tense and occasionally really funny. It's just a really good, tight, solid movie. I hope it wins things!