4 stars out of 5
About 90 minutes in, I was thinking, “I will reluctantly give this four stars out of five.” My feeling was, very well made, expertly performed, and definitely an important story to tell… but was I enjoying myself? And yet, Steven Spielberg once again worked his magic on me, and I hand over the four stars without reservation.
Certainly, Spielberg and friends had obstacles to overcome. We respect Abe Lincoln, we know a lot about Abe Lincoln, but come on, he’s ancient history. Even Henry Fonda as Young Mr. Lincoln is more than 70 years ago. And even we modern Lincoln ghostwriters have a hard time relating to the guy. And mad respect for using top historian Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book as source material, but she’s not exactly James Patterson.
Spielberg wisely hands the ball to Daniel Day-Lewis and in the opening couple of minutes, it’s clear we’re not in the Hall of Presidents anymore, Toto. Lincoln is smiling! Who knew the corners of his mouth could turn upwards? And in chatting with Union soldiers, he displays a genuine charm and empathy that some of us might describe as Obama-esque. A touch of Bill Clinton as well, and always ready to share the perfect anecdote. (I loved when a guy walked out of the room: “Not another story!”) Unquestionably, there are many parallels to the modern era here, and that definitely gives the viewer something to hang onto and mull over when the movie is at its talkiest. The push to secure votes for the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, absolutely recalls the recent healthcare debate. Is Lincoln a sellout for not pushing for full equality, or is he keenly aware of the compromises needed to achieve his biggest goals? It’s a question we ask ourselves again and again these days, with the country so often split down the middle. And without too much effort, you can also connect the story to the marriage equality movement and the debate over women’s health. White men sure like making decisions for everybody!
Spielberg stacks the deck with a top-flight cast. Day-Lewis is brilliant as always and this could definitely be another Oscar. Tommy Lee Jones is another standout, mixing passion and restraint. David Strathairn is once again money in the bank. Bloated James Spader is cast perfectly as a wily, smiling political operative. And the less prominent Lee Pace, playing the elf king just down the hall in The Hobbit, is terrific as a smiling, ornery Democrat. (I bet Spielberg had a lot of fun with the Republicans as the good guys.) And there are familiar faces everywhere you look: Arnold Rothstein, Doug from Flight of the Conchords/The Wire newspaper editor, The Newsroom‘s phone-hack source, Jackie Earle Haley, Layne Price, etc., etc., etc.
By the time of the climactic House debate, I was totally swept up in the story. We feel for not-100%-honest Abe, the stress he’s under, and the toll on his personal life. But I kept coming back to the Obama parallels, and how amazing that it would take another major push for civil rights a century later, and then more than another half century, to have an African American in the Oval Office. That would certainly make Lincoln smile.
Jack Silbert, curator