[US] Miss Sloane (2016) - In the high-stakes world of political power-brokers, Elizabeth Sloane is the most sought after and formidable lobbyist in D.C. When she leaves, a man follows behind and asks to talk to her. Truth be told, MISS SLOANE plays out like a TV series pilot along the lines of DAMAGES, but the dynamics, the fun, smart dialogue, and the succinct images provided by cinematographer Sebastian Blenkov make for a decently entertaining film. Sloanes target was not so much passing the Heaton-Harris Bill or gun reform. Join now. She personally knows someone who had to hide in a locker room while a shooter shot up her school in 1998 her name is Esme Manucharian and shes there with her today. Can't find a movie or TV show? He then tells the court that he has one more witness Robert Forde (the escort). for Sloane to allow her attorney at the end to say that she had no statement to make. Cinemark In September 2015, it was announced that Jessica Chastain had been set to star in the film, with John Madden directing. But one by one, everyone does except her best friend, Jane, who now says she is thankful to be at one of the best firms in the city and she is staying. Elizabeth goes to the hotel room again and Forde and her chat with each other. In the hearing room, Congressman Sperling asks about the Nutella Tax law (nickname for the palm oil tax). It was a box office disappointment, grossing only $9 million against its $1318 million budget. Despite her disappointment, things ended up working in Jennifer's favor as she went on to star in The Hunger Games series, Don't Look Up, American Hustle, and X-Men. Madden and cinematographer Sebastian Blenkovfresh off of "Men & Chicken"do right by their star, lighting her and framing her in the most dramatic way possible, reveling in her coloring, her striking silhouette, getting as close as possible to her to examine the flashes of expression in this strange character's eyes. She shrugs it off and says they can recycle the papers and turn them into pencils which will go to a reporter with some integrity. Synopsis A tenacious Capitol Hill lobbyist with a well-earned reputation for winning takes on the most challenging battle of her career. The bill passed, Dupont and Sperling are under investigation and he has petitioned for her early release. All this time, Sloane has been engaged in a much grander, more sinister battle than anyone around her realized, including the viewer. Miss Sloane is a 2016 French-American political thriller film directed by John Madden from a script by Jonathan Perera. "Everything about her is about 'the win.'. After many false leads, Jane finds out that Elizabeth violated the gift ban with the Indonesians and the palm oil tax. The twist shows these characters to be illusory and in fact less than what they seemed. She is called upstairs to have a meeting with some older men including George Dupont (Sam Waterson), who works at the firm, as well as the president of the Gun Lobby. This is the inverse of how such perspective-shifting twists usually work in film, as with The Sixth Sense, Fight Club, and The Usual Suspects. The clue may just be in the dumbfounded expression on Rudolfo Schmidts face, or the joy and exuberance on those of the other team members, when Elizabeth Sloanes hearing is dismissed. Original Title: Miss Sloane. These are the David and Goliath storiesthe Rockys, Bravehearts, and Ripleysthat galvanize us to walk by faith and run the race with fortitude to the very end. Cynthia protests she was offered a partnership track. Miss Sloane is not that kind of character. On stage, the congressman feels pressured to say he will support the amendment and its all caught on camera so that he cant change his mind later. It's a pretty information heavy film with a minimal of supporting characters that stand out (Gugu Mbatha-Raw as a school shooting survivor-turned-team member is the notable exception). It's the unwinnable that gets her higher and she goes after that.". She tells him both muffins and cakes have eggs, flour, sugar, cocoa powder, milk, chocolate. About anticipating your opponents moves and devising countermeasures. read the whole review at www.reviewsfromabed.com. and the Elizabeth is addicted to the win," Chastain says. Elizabeth has known about her story all along since she researched the staff before she met them. The congressman is advised to change his position on Heaton-Harris before it ruins his career. She sacrifices everything for success, including her health and personal relationships, to the point that she is dependent on substance abuse and a male escort to keep at bay the consequences of what she later confesses to be her obsession with winning. Sloane ridicules Sanford's idea and is later approached by Rodolfo Schmidt, the head of rival lobbying firm Peterson Wyatt, to instead lead the effort in support of the bill. [30][3] Miss Sloane is ranked number 75 by per-theater average on Box Office Mojo's list of "Worst Opening Weekend" films released since 1982. They also learn of the senator who has done a 180 (after the Gun Lobby threatened to put a strong candidate against his son) which loses them eight senators, all transferring to the other side. Chastain, for me, wavers between reticent, dewy-eyed performances like those in INTERSTELLAR and TREE OF LIFE and showy stuff like her work in THE HELP, ZERO DARK THIRY, and CRIMSON PEAK. By this point in the film, Sloane has shown herself to be a brilliant strategist. netflix 37 17 Related Topics Netflix Movie 17 comments Best Add a Comment But as political satire, it's an incoherent mess. The film is not so much tone-deaf as old-fashioned, emerging from a more innocent time (say, three weeks ago) when "politics as usual" actually had some meaning. "She in her mind constructed the character's backstory completely of her own. They walk to the bathroom and Elizabeth talks about the palm oil tax that is being taxed by the Federal Government, depleting the funds for Indonesians. In one instance, Miss Sloane develops a cordial connection with one of her staffers (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) a young woman who survived a high school massacre in the 1990s. For 'Miss Sloane,' Jessica Chastain created a lobbyist addicted to 'the Liz Sloane carries out her plans flawlessly and is never caught off guard. Meanwhile, Connors and his team begin to worry and know they have to make a big move to get momentum to swing back to their side. Opening as it does two weeks after the ugliest election in U.S. history (although the election of 1800 would give itand any othera run for its money in that regard), "Miss Sloane" feels almost quaint now, even with its ends-justify-the-means cynicism, even with its vision of life on The Hill as a ruthless battle to win at all costs. He asks if its true that she refused to work with the Gun Lobby. Elizabeth realizes they didnt reach out via phone because they dont want Elizabeth to respond so they can claim she had no comment but instead, she wants to grant an interview, defending herself. Miss Sloane - Rotten Tomatoes It's challenging to write and it's challenging for actors to deliver. You simply can't take your eyes off of her, despite a character who lacks some essential layers. Chastain is a pleasure to look at, in her dizzyingly high heels, ice-white skin and bright red lips. Smart, hard-nosed and blunt to the point of rudeness, Elizabeth Sloane is the kind of boss who has her underlings simultaneously cowering in fear while still . Whatever the case may be, "lobbyists" are still with us, and who or what they represent is often cloaked in mystery, making them potent fodder for conspiracy theorists and paranoid political thrillers. Despite that, this was a decent exploration of the role of money in US politics. He asks why she isnt participating and suggests the two of them debate in the future. But shewears the character of Miss Sloane like a costume. The biggest draw is the performance from Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) as she gets to yell at people for approximately two hours and look good doing it. The article comes out and everyone at the office is upset at how it has attacked Elizabeth. She is the Bobby Fischer of lobbyists, going up against grade-schoolers playing checkers. In her pursuit of the biggest win of her career, Elizabeth Sloane takes on an impossible campaign. The biggest problem is not the film's fault. Here, she plays Elizabeth Sloane, a ruthless, workaholic lobbyist who gets embroiled in the debate surrounding gun control. Connors and his team paint D.C. with posters of his face; hes also given awards and declared a hero. How Foresight Changes the Battle: Miss Sloane and Spiritual Warfare But when taking on the most powerful opponent of her career, she finds winning may come at too high a price. Q&A: Jessica Chastain's ruthless 'Miss Sloane' Goes to Washington She has raised about 15 million in a PAC set up for their cause. Without Elizabeth, their campaign has nothing so they have to remove her somehow. Elizabeth is chatting with her friend Jane (Alison Pill) who is ready to quit her job at the law firm they are lobbyists for so she can enroll in post-grad. Miss Sloane: Jessica Chastain reveals her acting secrets Mar. But that doesn't mean it isn't smart for most of its running time. Miss Sloane. Miss Sloane. Three months and one week earlier, Sloane's firm is approached by gun manufacturing representative Bill Sanford to lead the opposition to the proposed Heaton-Harris bill that would expand background checks on gun purchases, specifically by targeting female voters. He continues asking questions to prompt her; she repeats the same thing over and over. Coming Soon. It forces you to sit up and pay attention so that you can participate in its delicious twists and turns. Elizabeth says they should hope for one. Back at the office, Rodolfo asks Elizabeth if she ever sleeps since shes always out, working. George accuses her of being biased because she was a victim of gun violence but she says she simply formed an opinion on the issue. They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating. The two chat about why the amendment. Elizabeth suggests making him feel the weight of his policy change. the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. But when she takes on the most powerful opponent of her career, she finds . What has brought her to this point? Her colleagues are thrown under the bus, used, lied to, betrayed. She knows just how to exploit all the legal loopholes and workaroundsas well as the human resourcesavailable to her. Gun rights supporters capitalize on this event, which causes the Heaton-Harris bill to lose support in the Senate. Theyre 29 days until the vote and theyve lost all ground and are afraid the bad press will lead to an indictment. She knew she is workaholic and has serious problem, as she said it was either career suicide or suicide by career, she clearly in the end chose to prioritize health over career, so she didn't care even spending some time in jail, heck it's good meditation rertreat for her. "No one really says, 'I want to be a lobbyist when I grow up . With her victory never in doubt no matter the odds, the movie establishes that it exists in a parallel world where actual gun control reforms can be advanced. The thriller pulls back the curtain on how Capitol Hill games are played and won as Sloane faces off . For instance, framing and editing encourage viewers to assume that Bruce Williss psychologist has been interacting with other characters, delaying our realization of his spectral state. In fact, it lacks credibility at times, but Madden really knows how to keep things sleek and moving along. In addition to Waterston using his crooked mouth to optimal effect, Gugu Mbatha-Raw provides the heart and soul of the film as an aide whose personal life suffers greatly by helping Sloane make her case. Elizabeth suggests they will focus on swinging Florida but the others protest its very gun-friendly and will never change. She is awkward in everyday human interaction. Instead, she possesses such perfect foresight that the war was already won from the moment she committed herself to it. He has tricked her into breaking so she can no longer invoke the fifth amendment. Perera was inspired after watching an interview with lobbyist Jack Abramoff. She asks where Mark is. One of the women, Cynthia, doesnt have anything there but everyone else has a picture of Cynthia meeting with Connors in the park, giving him info on what their strategy is. God is not a reactive strategist, waiting to see what the enemy will do before cobbling together a countermeasure in time to limit the damage. Privacy Policy Throughout the film, I kept reflecting back on Donald Trump's comment about Hillary Clinton during their last debate (hint: see title of this review). She tells them to use sound bites and points out that anyone desperate to get a gun immediately shouldnt be allowed anywhere near one. Lithgow tries to break Sloane, which would surely ruin her chances at success. Elizabeth is getting her makeup on, preparing for a televised debate with Connors. There's a lot to admire about 'Miss Sloane' and Jessica Chastain Just leave us a message here and we will work on getting you verified. But a week later, more and more articles against Elizabeth turn up from past acquaintances. The opening shot of this film shows Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) delivering a monologue directly to camera, telling us Lobbying is about foresight and anticipating your opponents moves and devising countermeasures. Regal The hearing is adjourned. One colleague, Pat Connors (Michael Stuhlbarg), says the Gun Lobby just recently agreed to hire them to fight against the bill and he refuses to join her. She accuses him of holding some special interest in dragging the process out as long as possible (hinting that hes trying to slander her name so it keeps their amendment from getting passed). He refuses to take the money because he says it was just dinner with a friend but she demands he takes it anyway. Simultaneously, we see her pop a pill at a fundraiser event in D.C. [32] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. Elizabeth goes into a hotel room where a man (Jake Lacy) is sprawled on the bed. There's only the most . In the public gallery, Jane leans over to George Dupont and says shes like to discuss her future. Congratulations on a great grade @jes_chastain! Send your questions or comments about this or any other spoiler to: THEMOVIESPOILER.com. 'Miss Sloane' Presents DC Corruption Lite | PopMatters Everyone on the firm is asked to dig up some dirt on Elizabeth that they can use to launch the hearing. Esme says, yes. As heist flicks go, it's not bad, either. Because this verse claims that God did not scramble back to work when humanity fell and sin and death entered the world. 2016 | Maturity Rating: 13 | 2h 12m . Elizabeth admits that hes actually an actor they hired and when they vetted him, it linked to a doctor with that name and they assumed the actor is him. But just as Elizabeth Sloane did not act in response to her opponents, but rather acted to position them where they were most vulnerable to her plans and her teams efforts, so too does God wage spiritual war from an altogether different perspectivefrom before the conflict began and where it is already won. In present day, Elizabeth is in court, being questioned about the Indonesians bribing a senator but she continues to invoke her fifth amendment. By creating an account, you agree to the He asks why she pretended not to know him at the gala. When she switches sides in the first act, we're not sure if she has a moral compass, if she just wants the challenge, or if she wants to win. Clara suggests Elizabeth is afraid to trust her because someone on their staff might be a rat. He tells her its not the time. [24], In August 2016, two images of Chastain were released. He says Marks moved on and hes Forde. Report by Conor Mcnally. Film Review: 'Miss Sloane' - Variety The film starts with Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) delivering a monologue directly to camera, telling us Lobbying is about foresight and anticipating your opponents moves and devising countermeasures. In the high-stakes world of political power-brokers, Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) is the most sought after and formidable lobbyist in D.C. Each are questions begged as small increments of information are fed the viewer within the epilogue of the film, but once the main narrative takes over it is easy to forget that framing device and simply go along for the ride which is exactly what Perera would prefer you do as he finds trouble in both sticking the ending and making it credible enough that we don't question how well he really does know his subject.