a movie designed specifically for people to point at the screen and say "wow! look at that! it's just like the old days." and you can't deny that they did a good job pumping the nostalgia in. the black and white cinematography will take your breath away; the production design will transport you right back to the 1930s; the costumes will make you gasp. it's the technical achievement of 2020. fincher has never done a bad job directing. he's always great, and he knows how to direct the hell out of a performance too. amanda seyfried is spellbinding and steals every scene she's in. i also enjoyed the small but strong performances from lily collins and tom pelphrey.

most of the problems of this film fall on the screenplay. unfortunately, it feels unfocused and overstuffed. there were certain scenes that felt like a chore to get through. in all honesty, i'm not sure what i could tell you what this was about. i mean, yes, it was about herman mankiewicz writing citizen kane, but what was the impact of it all? why tell this story? i was under the impression that this film would about the battle between welles and mank over credit for the screenplay, which would have been a more interesting story in my opinion. but, maybe it's for the best that it's not, because the actors playing mank and welles were my least favorite performances. oldman's performance didn't work for me, but i don't think he's given a performance that blew me away. the actor playing welles was mainly a brief cameo, but laughable.

there's a lot to admire in this film and it's craft, but, damn, i expect more from fincher. this just left me empty.