“Spotlight” is currently playing in selected theaters in the U.S.A. and it has received critical acclaim so far. We already made a review round-up earlier this year after it’s film festival release but we want to make another one with the recent reviews for it’s theatrical release. We will focus on the Rachel-centric excerpts and edit this post when more reviews are released.
A
“The ensemble is superb […] McAdams beautifully embodies her character’s humanity and tenacity.”
–Dana Barbuto, The Patriot Ledger
3,5/4 Stars
“The trick of “Spotlight” is making the potentially unsexy “how they got there” into not only one of the best movies of the year, but one of the best journalism movies of all time. McAdams also shows grit and power both in executing the professional duties of her character and in making the viewer feel how the revelations of the investigation impacts her close relationship with her religious grandmother.”
–Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press
4/4 stars
“No need to bury the lede: Spotlight is a masterpiece. The cast is excellent from top to bottom. Spotlight is undoubtedly this generation’s All the President’s Men, showing the cinematic greatness that can happen when talented actors are paired with a story that needs to be told.”
–Brian Truitt, USA Today
“It’s the year’s best movie so far, and a rarity among countless dramatizations that claim to be based on actual events. In this one the events ring consistently-and dramatically-true. Sacha Pfeiffer and Matt Carroll, are played, respectively and expertly, by Rachel McAdams and Brian d’Arcy James. The uniform excellence of these performances is a tribute to the filmmaker, Mr. McCarthy.”
–Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
“The movie’s an ensemble piece, building up its characters slowly and carefully, giving each actor a chance to shine. More importantly, it’s a movie that’s invested in listening. The reporters listen: McAdams especially is open and vulnerable, providing comfort and support for victims who give devastating testimony.”
–Elisabeth Donnelly, The New Republic
“Spotlight” doesn’t call attention to itself. Its screenplay is self-effacing, its accomplished direction is intentionally low key, and it encourages its fistful of top actors to blend into an eloquent ensemble. Pfeiffer, empathetically played by the protean McAdams, is a committed, unflappable interviewer with an unfailing human touch, the person who can sit down with the abuse victims and convince them to tell their story to complete strangers.”
–Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
“Rachel McAdams gets less to do than one might hope for the movie’s only important female cast member, but she makes the most of her limited screen time, letting us see the mounting anxiety and horror behind Sacha’s indefatigably upbeat exterior.”
–Dana Stevens, Slate
4/4 Stars
“McAdams, sharp and sympathetic, shows us how Pfeiffer draws out details from victims whose childhoods meant sucking the dick of a priest who says he’s had a bad day. This landmark film takes a clear-eyed look at the digital future and honors the one constant that journalism needs to stay alive and relevant: a fighting spirit.”
–Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“As one might expect with an actor turned director like McCarthy, the performances are uniformly excellent; among the cast are Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Billy Crudup, Stanley Tucci, and John Slattery.”
–J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
“In terms of its cast, “team” is an apt way to describe this ensemble. They are portrayed as a team, with near-equal weight. There are no leads in this film, just a group of terrific actors playing off each other in the pursuit of real and cinematic truth. The casting could not have been better: Rachel McAdams is perfect as the resourceful Sacha Pfeiffer”
–Pete Hammond, Deadline
“Otherwise, this is a movie in which the actors, like the reporters they play, just put their heads down and concentrate on the job […] McAdams, in particular, spends the film doing the type of quality work she’d be doing all the time if Hollywood could consistently find worthwhile roles for her.”
–Ben Pearson, Greektyrant
4 Stars
“Spotlight is an exceptional slow burn, fueled by a consistently in-synch ensemble of actors pulling their weight on all fronts […] On his team are Sacha Pfeiffer (an outstanding Rachel McAdams), a sensible reporter who was raised Catholic and still attends church weekly with her grandmother even after parting ways with her religion.”
–Tomris Laffly, Moviemezzanine
“As in The Station Agent, The Visitor, and Win Win, McCarthy (who co-wrote the script with Josh Singer) creates a great space for actors to cut loose, and this one is one of the most sensational ensembles — top to bottom — in years.”
–David Edelstein, Vulture
