Miss Sloane Review

R:  Language and Some Sexuality

EuropaCorp, FilmNation Entertainment, Archery Pictures, France 2 Cinema, Canal+, Cine+, France Televisions

2 hrs and 12 Minutes

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alison Pill, Jake Lacy, John Lithgow, Sam Waterston

REVIEW: For many of us, we remember Chastain breaking her Oscar nomination mold in the 2011 film The Help which honestly I forgot by now due to the fact that Octavia Spencer's scene overpowered hers. It overpowered so much that she got the Oscar for the same category for the same film. But then, 2012 came round two for Chastain as she starred in Kathryn Bigelow's political thriller Zero Dark Thirty which was an ongoing battle for the gold between her and Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook where they both won Golden Globes for Best Actress but Lawrence ultimately won the Oscar. But since there is no sign of her getting that Gold this year, it is now time for Chastain to rise for the Gold again in yet another political drama film? How many political dramas will Jessica Chastain star in until she receives that Best Actress Oscar? The world may never know. But Miss Sloane is an original story written by Jonathan Perera which appeared on #5 of blacklisted screenplays of 2015 and directed by John Madden who thankfully got out of that Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. 

In the high-stakes world of political power-brokers, Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) is the most sought after and formidable lobbyist in D.C. Known equally for her cunning and her track record of success, she has always done whatever is required to win. But when she takes on the most powerful opponent of her career, she finds that winning may come at too high a price.

THE GOOD: You know that girl in either high school or college that you hate because she’s the smartest person in the room and makes you feel like an idiot all the time? That is Jessica Chastain as Elizabeth Sloane. With this character, she is a hard worker that only cares for herself. Whenever she has a task to do, she works as hard as a college student during finals week. She barely eats and sleeps and pop pills to stay awake. What makes Chastain’s performance great is the dialogue she is given. Sloane is that woman who is smarter than anyone in the room making her ahead of the game while not giving two damns about anyone she breaks along the way. She is a manipulative wild card that pushes people to their breaking point no matter if you’re with her or against her. You could be on her side and yet she’ll find a way to stab you in the back even if you’re standing idly still. And in the end, the only person that will benefit from it is herself. The film tells you early on how dangerous she is in her occupation to an extent her crew that works for her creates myths about the things she does when she's not around.

The film has a very smart script. The dialogue is quick, snarky, witty, and so funny from time to time that it becomes quotable. You are always interested in everything Sloane has to say because, you don’t know what will come out of her mouth. This is even more exciting to see who she’s interacting with especially when she double crosses someone because their unexpected reaction which catches you off guard as well. The film can be interpreted as a series of sequences of the different people Sloane betrays and how she does it.

Besides this character story, the film points at some smart undertones about gun control and the risks people go to regulate it. The film goes in and out of this courtroom case against Sloane as you see the chronological events that got her in the hot seat in the first place.

Besides Chastain, the rest of the cast truly pulls their weight. Michael Stuhlbarg hasn't been prominent in any of the films in the films he starred in this year (well mostly month), but in this he is amazing. He starts off as Sloane's right hand man to cover her on certain tasks she starts fires to but when she stabs him in the back, he becomes her opponent. With nearly every scene centered on him, he reacts to all the knifes Sloane throws at him which mostly results in anger. Alison Pill for the limited time she's there starts off as Sloane's personal assistant but as she goes against her with Stuhlbarg, Pill becomes a mini Miss Sloane which is pretty cool. She starts carrying her own for his team and does a great job doing so.

THE BAD: For the first hour it plays less of a film but more of a 2 hour pilot of a new ABC primetime drama for a Thursday night slot to compete with Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder. There aren’t many political drama films like this released theatrically for most of these stories are made for a TV audience which Miss Sloane abides that atmosphere. Miss Sloane is a mixture of Olivia Pope and Annalise Keating. Like Olivia she’s strong and a hard worker and like Annalise, she’s unpredictable. The film truly picks up its cinematic value and its writing by the second act during a debate scene, yet everything beforehand feels like a TV pilot that has a few F-bombs here and there.

THE RENDY: Can we stop humiliating John Lithgow in films now? He is a good actor who is getting humiliation handed to him as many times Sean Bean is handed death in films. It's becoming very common now. He got humiliated by "silence" not so long ago in The Accountant but in this bombshells just crash right in his face and now I kind of feel bad about it.

LAST STATEMENT: As much as it feels like a television production, Miss Sloane provides enough twists and turns with a smart screenplay by Perera and a strong performance Chastain to make it a good recommendation. 

Rating: 3.5/5 | 70%

Super Scene: The Washington Debate