Lincoln (2012)

Studio: 20th Century Fox / DreamWorks

Theatrical Release: November 16, 2012

Blu Ray Release: March 26, 2013

Director: Steven Spielberg

PG-13

Review by James Klein

Nominated for 12 Academy Awards in 2012, Steven Spielberg's epic historical drama is NOT about Abraham Lincoln. Keep that in mind when you see this film. This is about a very short period near the end of Lincoln's life, on how he helped pass along the 13th Amendment while trying to end the Civil War between the North and the South. While I would have liked a film about his entire life, I can deal with a small section in the life of Lincoln and his reign as 16th president. But does it have to be so goddamn boring?

As we all know, Daniel Day-Lewis plays Lincoln and once again Day-Lewis shines in this role. Not only is the make-up dead on, but Lewis almost seems to channel a dead man that none of us knew. Day-Lewis is one of those actors who can read  the ingredients off a ketchup bottle and it would be a great performance. Sally Field is another actress who is always great and she may be the best thing about Lincoln as Molly, Lincoln's somewhat crazed wife who is still mourning over the death of their son Willie, while trying to be the dedicated wife that is expected of her. Rounding out the cast is David Strathairn, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, John Hawkes, Jackie Earl Haley, and Bruce McGill. With a cast like this, one expects something short of electrifying on the screen. The cast talent alone should have been amazing to watch but instead I was left bored to tears watching characters sit around and talk politics.

The blame I am going to place here is mostly on screenwriter Tony Kushner and the book the film is based on by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Kushner's screenplay is so drab, so dull and the fact that he is mainly known as a playwrighter than a screenwriter just proves that he is more comfortable in writing dialog than action. Lincoln at times almost feels like a play with characters sitting or standing or shouting or whispering in one location. Now I have never read the book by Goodwin so maybe the book dealt more with Lincoln's personal life but its not on the screen here. The film only gets remotely interesting when Lincoln speaks with his eldest son about joining the military or when Molly breaks down to her husband about their son Willie. It's the dramatic, personal moments in the film that would peak any interest. But the screenplay doesn't focus on the humanity of the man, it focuses on the historical aspects. The movie should have been called "The 13th Amendment" because that's what Lincoln is truly about.

Shockingly, Lincoln is directed by the most passionate and humanistic director of our generation, Steven Spielberg. Many times I have blamed Spielberg for being too cheesy, too over the top with his characters in regards to a sappy story. This man loves to play with the audience's heart strings. But with Lincoln, this  is unlike anything he has ever done to me personally: he left me cold. The drama regarding these characters seems to be missing. I didn't care for anyone (well, Field had me moved at certain points but I'm going to give her credit for that) or anything that happened in the film. One of the best films to have come out of Spielberg's recent resume is Munich, which was also written by Kushner. There, the film was darker and much more serious than his other films but there still remained a moving story about these special agents assigned to track down the terrorist group responsible for the 1972 Olympic massacre. Just because Spielberg isn't directing a film with sharks or dinosaurs or aliens doesn't mean he can't direct a historical drama. He has done it before and done it well so what the hell happened here?

For fans of Lincoln, the blu ray by 20th Century Fox is pretty amazing. The picture and sound are flawlessly perfect as you would expect from a newer film. The special features are loaded to the top. On disc 1, the same disc as the film, there is an all too brief making of with interviews of the cast and crew. But the second disc is just all special features with featurettes on Daniel Day-Lewis getting into character, re-creating the era of Lincoln, a documentary on the making of the film, and even a special feature designed for the sound and music (even John Williams score is less than memorable).

Now I could be in the minority as I know people who loved Lincoln. After all it was a huge success and garnered many awards. I couldn't stand the screenplay by Kutchner and he was nominated an Academy Award so take my review with a grain of salt. No matter how good the acting is or how great the costumes and sets look, I'd rather watch paint dry than to sit thru Lincoln again.

[Rating: 2]