Oscar-nominated actor, writer, and director Tom McCarthy were having a great run as a film-maker. His films, The Station Agent, The Visitor, and Win-Win all received rave reviews and received a great response from the audience as well. However, he hit the block with the Adam Sandler-starring comedy The Cobbler, which got panned by critics and audiences alike. But, he seems to be back on track with his new offering, Spotlight.
THE CAST
McCarthy has assembled an exceptional cast for the film. This includes Michael Keaton in his first post-Birdman role. He stars alongside Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber and Stanley Tucci as the Boston Globe team. They uncover a massive child abuse cover-up within the local Catholic archdiocese, and later won a Pulitzer prize for their efforts. Billy Crudup stars as a church representative trying to shut them down.
Keaton is seen as Walter “Robby” Robinson, the editor of the Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigations team. He says that they’ve got two stories. He explains that one story is about a degenerate clergy and another is a story about some lawyers who have turned child abuse into a cottage industry.
In addition to that, there are sweeping aerial shots of Boston and scenes of confrontations in lawyers’ offices. Spotlight looks like a timely and important movie. It can be compared with the likes of Ron Howard’s newsroom thriller The Paper – which also starred Keaton as a newspaper editor.
SPOTLIGHT RECEIVES ACCLAIM
The “Spotlight” was shown in the 72nd Venice International Film Festival. It also premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.
The film was released on November 6, 2015, and grossed $98 million worldwide. It won numerous awards and was named one of the finest films of 2015 by various publications. Spotlight earned a total of six nominations in the Academy Awards. It won for Best Picture and the Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards.