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Mank -
First of all, this movie is very much in my wheelhouse. I love anything associated with old Hollywood, Orson Welles and Citizen Kane. Still, a quality of good movies is that they make you invested in their subjects regardless of your interest level before you push play. If the equally impressed reaction of my fellow movie lover wife - who was indifferent to these subjects - is of any indication, it succeeds on that front. With that said, this is not just a making-of dramatization. It's a story, and a well-told one, about how hard it is for artists - even those who have Herman "Mank" Mankiewicz's clout - to convince their higher-ups to mean what they say.
With its clever "funnel" flashback structure, i.e. present and past begin far apart and eventually collide, we learn that Mank's inspiration for the Kane script was not only fueled by his issues with Hearst, but also those he had with MGM and California GOP head Louis B. Mayer. Brilliantly played by Arliss Howard, he's a man who's not beneath reneging on fully compensating his employees or producing fake campaign ads and is thus against everything for which the socialist and truth-loving Mank stands. He's not alone in his battle, though: while sequestered in the famous (and actual) Victorville ranch that was his writing den, Mank is visited by family and acquaintances, most notably brother Joseph and unlikely ally and Hearst mistress Marion Davies (a very good Amanda Seyfried), and each of them entertainingly encourage and remind him what he's up against. Speaking of the ranch, filming at it and other actual locations surely has a lot to do with this, but it's a beautiful movie, especially for how it captures a '30s-'40s look and feel that has just the right blend of romantic and authentic.
The movie is not without its flaws: like Anthony Hopkins in Nixon, Oldman is award-worthy as Mank, but I'm not sure if he was ideal for the role. I couldn't help but side-eye during moments like when he mentions that he's 43 or whenever he's with his wife, who I'm ashamed to have mistook for his daughter. Also, it's barely worth mentioning since it's an issue with nearly every historical drama, but the accuracy is questionable from time to time. While I appreciate what the movie taught me about Mank's involvement with Kane, the movie diminishes Orson Welles' contributions a bit. I still consider this to be one of 2020's best movies, especially for how it reminded me that Citizen Kane is not only a great movie for its story and innovations, but also for how and what it said about those who thankfully failed to quash it. Oh, and for all of you comic book fans out there, with his penchants for seeking the truth, standing up for the common laborer and, well, drinking, was Mank the Spider Jerusalem of his day? Whether he was or not, this may be the closest thing to a Transmetropolitan adaptation we're likely to get.
First of all, this movie is very much in my wheelhouse. I love anything associated with old Hollywood, Orson Welles and Citizen Kane. Still, a quality of good movies is that they make you invested in their subjects regardless of your interest level before you push play. If the equally impressed reaction of my fellow movie lover wife - who was indifferent to these subjects - is of any indication, it succeeds on that front. With that said, this is not just a making-of dramatization. It's a story, and a well-told one, about how hard it is for artists - even those who have Herman "Mank" Mankiewicz's clout - to convince their higher-ups to mean what they say.
With its clever "funnel" flashback structure, i.e. present and past begin far apart and eventually collide, we learn that Mank's inspiration for the Kane script was not only fueled by his issues with Hearst, but also those he had with MGM and California GOP head Louis B. Mayer. Brilliantly played by Arliss Howard, he's a man who's not beneath reneging on fully compensating his employees or producing fake campaign ads and is thus against everything for which the socialist and truth-loving Mank stands. He's not alone in his battle, though: while sequestered in the famous (and actual) Victorville ranch that was his writing den, Mank is visited by family and acquaintances, most notably brother Joseph and unlikely ally and Hearst mistress Marion Davies (a very good Amanda Seyfried), and each of them entertainingly encourage and remind him what he's up against. Speaking of the ranch, filming at it and other actual locations surely has a lot to do with this, but it's a beautiful movie, especially for how it captures a '30s-'40s look and feel that has just the right blend of romantic and authentic.
The movie is not without its flaws: like Anthony Hopkins in Nixon, Oldman is award-worthy as Mank, but I'm not sure if he was ideal for the role. I couldn't help but side-eye during moments like when he mentions that he's 43 or whenever he's with his wife, who I'm ashamed to have mistook for his daughter. Also, it's barely worth mentioning since it's an issue with nearly every historical drama, but the accuracy is questionable from time to time. While I appreciate what the movie taught me about Mank's involvement with Kane, the movie diminishes Orson Welles' contributions a bit. I still consider this to be one of 2020's best movies, especially for how it reminded me that Citizen Kane is not only a great movie for its story and innovations, but also for how and what it said about those who thankfully failed to quash it. Oh, and for all of you comic book fans out there, with his penchants for seeking the truth, standing up for the common laborer and, well, drinking, was Mank the Spider Jerusalem of his day? Whether he was or not, this may be the closest thing to a Transmetropolitan adaptation we're likely to get.