Miss Sloane tries its hardest to be a statement on the need to drain the swamp that is Washington, D.C. of its power players and lobbyists that never seem to have the best interest of the American people in mind. Yet, in the end, if feels like a flick that is trying its hardest to be an Aaron Sorkin-type verbal volley of high-minded ideas with intelligent people spouting sizzling prose that more often than not falls a bit flat.
Jessica Chastain dazzles as the title character. She is portrayed as the most in-demand and successful lobbyist current working K Street in our nation’s capital. There is not a person, an issue or a constituency that she doesn’t step on to get what she wants. Yet, suddenly, and for no apparent reason other than she sees it as the ultimate challenge — she gets a conscience and decides to switch sides and leave her highly profitable and highly profile firm and join a boutique lobbying agency to work to end the proliferation of guns in America.
Does she have a person close to her that is a gun victim? Has she personally been affected by our violent plague? No, she does not and that is one reason why the script by Jonathan Perera fails Chastain and this brilliant cast that also includes Sam Waterston, John Lithgow, Mark Strong, Allison Pill, Jake Lacy, Michael Stuhlbarg and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
Like many a solid political thriller that came before, there are twists and turns that worm its way through the story that come together in a conclusion that is utterly jaw-dropping on the surface. Yet, when one digs deeper — because so many of these things had to go exactly as planned and with no room for error or human variance — it winds up being incredibly difficult to believe.
Also, not to judge a movie by the cynical society that we inhabit, but the Holy Grail that Chastain’s Sloane strives for is known all-too well as a lost cause — gun control. Those who believe in the fight still struggle to change these laws, but as well know all too well… the gun lobby always wins and its victories are enormous. Perhaps Perera’s script should have had her tackle some other issue that was a more climbable mountain to scale rather than one that is so viciously impossible to conquer.
Every actor in this picture does its best to elevate the material, most notably Chastain. She gives an Oscar nomination worthy performance. Whether she will earn one is still to be seen. The lead actress category is jam packed and with Amy Adams (Arrival) and Natalie Portman (Jackie) as pre-ordained locks, it’s a complicated crystal ball to see into where Chastain also scores a nod. Her effort to secure a nod could be hampered by the fact that the film is simply above average and not riveting and outstanding.
Chastain manages a difficult fine line to straddle. Her character is less-than-savory and does whatever she has to do to succeed. There are numerous moments where she hurts those close to her and it’s painful to watch, yet we the audience still understand why she does it and forgive her for doing it because that is who she is… and that is a strong salute to the actresses’ performance. It is stunning.
Also incredible is Waterston. We’re so used to witnessing him as the kind everyman from his work in Killing Fields to his years on Law and Order. It’s not that it’s hard to see him as a not-so-clean character as the head of the lobbying firm that seeks to destroy Chastain’s Miss Sloane, it’s just that we love him so much as a character that makes us want to give him a hug. It’s a salute to his talent that he pulls it off, but we don’t have to like it! Joining him in the awesome department is John Lithgow as a Senator caught in the gun lobby’s web of campaign donations and power. There’s a scene with the two actors in a car that is nothing short of film fireworks.
As someone who went to a Washington, D.C. school to work in the world of lobbying, it has to be pointed out that Miss Sloane nails this landscape impeccably. Our nation’s capital is not a world for the faint hearted. It makes the devils and demons of Hollywood seem like characters in Disneyland. The film captures that aspect and for those who live in that government influencing bubble, it should hit close to home. For audiences, it should be a motivator. We all seem to know that those running things in Washington do not have our collective best interests in mind and films like Miss Sloane should be a rallying cry for change… more so than any campaign slogan.
Grade: B-