J. Edgar looks at the life of one of the most influential and notorious figures of the 20th century.   For those who aren’t aware, J. Edgar Hoover was the head of the FBI for around 50 year, presiding over some of the biggest cases in American history.  He also had some dirty secrets of his own --- all of which makes him great fodder to explore on film.

I really thought this would be good.  Leonardo DiCaprio starring as Hoover, Dustin Lance Black (the Oscar winning screenwriter for Milk) wrote the script, and Clint Eastwood directing --- I thought we’d have a winner on our hands for sure.  Though it has flashes of brilliance, this is one of those rare Eastwood movies that just doesn’t work.  He’s been prolific as a director the last few years, churning out some great, and some not-so-great cinema.

Hoover is an amazing character to study --- the anecdote that most people know about (though it was apparently never proven) is that he liked to wear women’s clothing.  The movie assumes he was gay, which makes sense, and makes him that much more interesting --- he was publically against homosexuality, and wouldn’t let gays, most blacks, or even women become G-Men.  Ironically, though he had his own lifelong “companionship” with FBI Associate Director Clyde Tolson, he amassed secret “sexy” files on pretty much anyone of note.  He used these files to hold over people’s heads and solidify his power.  He was arguably more powerful than some US Presidents, even though he lived with his Mom.

The movie looks wonderful; Eastwood’s team did a great job with the sets and art direction on this period piece.  The makeup, however, didn’t wow me.  I am reminded of the uber-realistic apes in the recent reboot of Planet of the Apes, or Chris Evans transformed into Skinny Steve in Captain America, and I wonder why DiCaprio looked more like he was wearing the fake fat suit from Thinner (that crumb bum Stephen King adaptation).  Even Eddie Murphy dressed as obese members of the Klump family (The Nutty Professor) looked more realistic.  The older versions of the actors look more fake and waxy as they "age".

As usual, Leo is great (it’s hard to play a guy with zero charisma!), as is Arnie Hammer as Tolson, who played both the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network.  There is a decent supporting cast, though their talent is sometimes lost in melodrama.  

The cheesy speeches and occasional lapses into melodrama don’t help, but the movie is ultimately too big and too clumsy for its own good --- the point of it all gets lost in the shuffle.  Maybe it was just too much material to wade through?  This would probably be a great idea for a TV show, like Boardwalk Empire, where you could have a longer story arc.

3 Dorks out of 5 on the Geek-o-Meter --- and that’s probably generous.  There is some brilliance up on the screen, but the movie crumples under its own weight.