Last weekend, we saw Michael Clayton. I’ve heard that there has been a clamor for “adult-oriented” films, and by that I don’t mean XXX. Rather, films that are geared toward a thinking adult audience, with more than just explosions (not that I dislike explosions). Michael Clayton was supposed to be a film that appealed to such people, though it has not done as well as hoped at the box office.
I have to say I really enjoyed the film. I would say that the plot is secondary here, that the characters are the real drivers. The plot is pretty simple, and pretty “ripped-from-the-headlines”: a big, bad company is destroying some mid-western families. The story is about the lawyers who represent that company. There are two sets of lawyers, it seems, one directly with the company and a set with the firm the company hires. Michael Clayton, played by George Clooney, is one of the second. It is about him and his best friend, and trying to understand what his best friend is going through.
As I said, the plot isn’t necessarily novel or overly dramatic. It has a few twists and turns that keep it from being too predictable. But the real essence of the film, to me, is in the characters. All of the characters are brought to life by some great acting. Even the bad guys, lead by the lawyer for the company, are made real. You get the sense that she isn’t necessarily an evil person as just someone trying to get ahead who is way over her head.
Michael Clayton himself is brought to life via his interactions with the people around him: his lawyer colleagues, his family, the guy shutting down his bar. You can tell Clayton is a guy just trying to get through life, doing the best he can, but sometimes sacrificing his principles to keep afloat. Because of his situation, at the end, you aren’t quite sure which route he is going to go with the information he has.
Overall, again, a film I’d recommend. Especially for someone who wants a good drama but doesn’t necessarily want all of the bombs and fights typical of summer fare.