The title is the nickname for famed 30s writer Herman J. Mankiewicz (played with grand style by Gary Oldman). Although the through line revolves around his efforts to write the screenplay for Citizen Kane, there are plenty of side trips into his other Hollywood dealings. Director David Fincher has chosen to frame this paean to the glory days of Tinseltown in rich black and white with some obvious nods to Orson Welles’ cinematic style. As for the story, the narrative by Fincher’s father Jack is scattered without ever getting deep into the circumstances or character, although he does manage to insert some snappy quips. The performers do a good job, the period art direction is sufficiently attractive and the pacing never lags. Still, it seems more like a tribute to the cinematic art form than a fulfilling biographic insight.

 

(3.5 / 5)

 

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