“A Statement” stars Paul Rudd, Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, John Turturro, Jason Clarke, Dylan Baker, and Tatiana Maslany. The film marks the return of Tom McCarthy, a filmmaker we haven’t heard from in a while.
It’s been five years since “Stillwater,” starring Matt Damon, premiered at Cannes to so-so reviews. McCarthy has since kept a low profile, seeing potential projects fall through, but he’s now back with this Sony Pictures Classics film, which is curiously still undated — although reporting led us to believe that it would come out this fall. Maybe SPC was waiting to see how the reviews would turn out before fully committing to an awards season run.
That said, the film had its premiere at the New York Film Festival last night, the reviews are out and..they’re fine? It’s a mixed bag. Variety (mixed), IndieWire (B-), The Playlist (B) The Daily Beast (negative), The Guardian (4/5), TheWrap (positive),THR (positive), Next Best Picture (8/10)
Described as a “dramatic, darkly comic, true story,” the film chronicles the period when the climate change debate began to gain traction. Here’s the synopsis:
At a beachside resort in Florida in 1980, twenty experts gather for a weekend conference on a global issue that is starting to gain traction: the effects of CO₂ emissions on the climate. This group of scientists, activists, and policymakers have one simple mandate from Congress — write a statement about what to do. Easier said than done.
Early reviews out of Saturday's NYFF world premiere suggest McCarthy's comeback is a talkfest rather than awards play. Instead of dramatizing the 1980 climate conference, McCarthy and co-writers Thomas Bidegain and Noé Debré lifted the dialogue directly from the real transcripts, and that choice is splitting critics. Apparently, this is a very egalitarian ensemble where everyone gets moments to shine, with Giamatti and Paul Rudd's moderator singled out.
McCarthy, an actor-turned-director helmed the 2015 Oscar winner “Spotlight,” and also directed three indie gems: “The Station Agent,” “The Visitor,” and “Win Win.” The lone missteps in his filmography remain “Stillwater” and, more notably the Adam Sandler-starring misfire “The Cobbler.”
“A Statement” stars Paul Rudd, Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, John Turturro, Jason Clarke, Dylan Baker, and Tatiana Maslany. The film marks the return of Tom McCarthy, a filmmaker we haven’t heard from in a while.