‘A Statement’ Review: Paul Rudd, Paul Giamatti And Superb Ensemble In Tom McCarthy’s Splendid Humanist Look At Climate Change – New York Film Festival
On paper, director Tom McCarthy’s latest film, A Statement might appear to be a dense polemic, hardly the stuff of exciting moviemaking. It centers on a 1980 Florida conference dealing with the effects of Carbon Dioxide emissions on the environment, gathering politicians, academics, scientists and environmentalists from around the U.S. to talk about the subject […]
The film "A Statement" directed by Tom McCarthy, is based on a true event, a 1980 conference in St. Petersburg, Florida, where experts gathered to discuss the impact of CO2 emissions on the climate. The conference, documented in journalist Nathaniel Rich's 2019 book "Losing Earth: A Recent History," brought together politicians, academics, scientists, and environmentalists from around the US.
The movie features an ensemble cast, including Paul Rudd, Paul Giamatti, Evan Peters, Tatiana Maslany, and Jason Clarke, among others. According to TheWrap, the film is based on hundreds of pages of transcripts from the conference, with nearly every line of dialogue lifted verbatim. The story revolves around the group's attempt to reach a consensus and present a unified statement to Congress.
The film has received varied reviews, with Deadline describing it as a "splendid humanist look" at climate change, while Variety found it to be "talky and flat." Despite this, the film's cast and direction have been praised, with IndieWire noting the "plushly appointed ensemble" and The Hollywood Reporter highlighting the "superb ensemble" performance.
Brief written by urgent.news from Deadline, Variety, TheWrap, The Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- ‘A Statement’ Review: Tom McCarthy’s Climate Change Dramedy Is a Period Piece That Slyly Meets Our Moment thewrap.com
- ‘A Statement’ Review: Just What We Need Right Now — Another Movie About Climate Change! But Tom McCarthy’s Historically Based Talkfest Reveals How Much We Knew in 1980 variety.com
- ‘A Statement’ Review: Tom McCarthy’s Talky Climate Crisis Seriocomedy Is Light Entertainment That Hardly Rakes the Muck indiewire.com
