J. Edgar

I am a history buff, so any film that teaches me some aspect of what-happened-way-back-when will appeal to me.  Thus, I really enjoyed this story of the FBI icon.  Problem for most folks is that J. Edgar is really more of a biography than a film.

If you want a documentary, done ala Leo DiCaprio, then you might like this film.  It traces the life of Hoover over his nearly 50 years as FBI head.  Yes, he was weird.  Yes, he was gay.  Yes, he was  a Commie hater.  Yes, he kept secret files on Americans.

You'll learn a lot:  how J. Edgar got started at the FBI, how he quickly rose in stature, how he made his name on fighting gangsters and catching the Lindbergh kidnapper.  Most of all, you'll learn how he found dirt on American presidents and blackmailed them into leaving him alone.

Example:  The mousy little egomaniac apparently got proof that Eleanor Roosevelt had a lesbian affair. He used that information to keep FDR off his back.  Seems reasonable enough.  FDR was not afraid of anyone, yet he seemed to leave Hoover alone during his four terms.  FDR was liberal and J. Edgar was conservative, but from 1932 to 1945, the FDR years, not once does Roosevelt take on the power mongering FBI head.

Is Leo convincing as J. Edgar?  Sort of.  Is Clint Eastwood's direction apparent?  Sort of.  Is Naomi Watts effective as Hooover's secretary?  Sort of.

Ummmmm.....

I think readers get the point:  If you want a nice history lesson, go see this flick.  If you seek solid film entertainment, leave it off your list.