Movie: Lincoln (2012)

Nov 23, 2012 20:38

I still haven't gotten over the novelty of not working on Black Friday. It's glorious! Even though I no longer labor as a retail slave, I can't work up the energy to participate in the after-Thanksgiving shopping extravaganza. Lucky for me, my family feels the same way, so today instead of going to the mall we went to see a movie.

Lincoln (2012)

As much as I enjoy historical dramas, I have to admit that Lincoln felt a little long in the seat as we approached the final third of the film. It's a very slow-paced film, which is odd, because a month's worth of events are compressed into two and a half hours. Perhaps I was expecting something different. The simple title Lincoln made me think this would be a sweeping epic, covering most of the President's life, but instead it was tightly focused on the period leading up to the passing of the constitutional amendment ending slavery.

Although Lincoln was obviously the star of the show (and Daniel Day-Lewis did an excellent job of playing him), he's hardly the only person in the story. Politicians like William Seward and Thaddeus Stevens are quite prominent, even though - let's be honest now - outside their home states they aren't household names. Perhaps not even at home. I thought Tommy Lee Jones was absolutely brilliant as Stevens. He stole the show. Certainly, his story arch seemed to have more heart and soul than Lincoln's, although perhaps this was because the movie did much to reduce Lincoln from the myth to the man, flawed as he was.

And yet, when I think on the movie I don't think I'd want to see it again. It was just too much of a butt-number for me.

presidents, history, united states, abraham lincoln, historical drama, movies, black friday

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