There is a lot here to marvel at, specifically Amanda Seyfried’s performance, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross’s beautiful score, the wonderful black and white photography from Erik Messerschmidt, Donald Graham Burt’s production design and Trish Summerville’s wardrobe design. Aside from all the technical achievements, a lot of stuff feels unbalanced. Some scenes are amazing, such as first talk of Germany and Upton Sinclair at Hearst Castle and the subsequent scene between Oldman and Seyfried as they walk along the grounds. Others feel a bit all over the place. The idea of him accepting credit is so interesting, but it feels ultimately a footnote in the overall story. This is mainly because it follows a long span of Herman J. Mankiewicz’s life and is weighed down with a lot of characters (even though the cast Fincher has fill out all of this roles are great talents and great in their roles). Everything is focused on the Gubernatorial election and the politics of the era as opposed to the making of Citizen Kane. The typed scene headings felt a bit too on the nose as well. Still it was pretty interesting how a lot of moments are so prescient in our modern era.
