Last night when my husband announced he needed to do research for his basketball brackets, I decided to take advantage of the three months of free HBO we're getting and tune into one of last year's Oscar-nominated films, "Michael Clayton". (I'm always behind the ball on these things).
Now, I'm not going to lie, the Oscar nods were not what drew me to the movie initially - the opportunity to watch beautiful George Clooney for a couple of hours is what grabbed my attention.
But Clooney, did not look like himself at all. Gone was the wry smile and svelte stylings of Danny Ocean. As Michael Clayton, Clooney disappeared. He looked puffy and haggard. My jaw hurt from watching him grind his teeth and I only caught a glimpse of his winning smile once.
Despite the reduction of eye candy to eye broccoli, Clooney was awesome. His disappearance as a heart throb only goes to illustrate his talent as an actor.
The movie is about a law firm's "fixer" Michael Clayton (Clooney), the guy who has to clean up after messes that corporate clients or other lawyers have created. This time he has to try to stop a senior partner (Tom Wilkinson) from completely derailing the defense of a chemical company accused of poisoning small farmers.
Clayton is good at what he does, but he despises himself for not doing more with his life. A gambling addiction and failed restaurant venture only make it harder for him to look in the mirror. Clooney's tired eyes channel Clayton's frustrations, as does the firm frown set permenantly on his drawn face.
Tilda Swinton, who won an Oscar for her role, plays the legal counsel for the chemical company, which will stop at nothing to defend the company's quickly tarnishing name. Wilkinson's portrayal of a lawyer suffering an attack of consciense and a mental breakdown earned him an Oscar nod as well.
With so much winning talent on board, and a gripping plot, "Michael Clayton" is definitely worth renting.
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