Film Review: Changeling

Changeling is one of several current offerings from the director Clint Eastwood and stars the infamous Angelina Jolie who I was surprised to hear, received an Oscar nomination. The discovery of Jolie on the bill usually inspires me to take a wide berth. Perhaps it was those unreal, movie star physical features that preclude her from assuming the role of a normal character. Whatever the reason, her previous work has been ordinary. With a 1920’s setting and regalia however, those characteristics are thankfully understated so as to avoid distraction and her performance is fine.

As often happens when a film is based on true events, there is controversy as to the correctness of the movie version. Regardless, the story is a compelling one, and typical of Eastwoods work in dodging clichéd and predictable plot development. Which is just as well given a 2.5 hour investment.

The look of the film can’t be faulted, with Los Angeles portrayed vividly as a quiet backwater compared to the spaghetti splatter of highways that it is today. Ultimately though, although it contains its fair share of potent moments, the tendency is to pull at the emotion strings too heavily at times.