J-Biopic: J. EDGAR (2011)

My next movie to watch was a biopic that starts with the letter J. So, of course, I watched JESUS OF NAZA—as if. I watched J. EDGAR (2011), an absolute banger that received exactly zero Academy Award nominations!

Directed by Clint Eastwood, it stars:

• goosebump-inducing Leonardo DiCaprio as FBI director John Edgar Hoover;

• Armie Hammer (whom I hadn't seen kiss an Italian boy since CALL ME BY YOUR NAME), here playing Clyde Tolson, Edgar's ride-or-die (SPOILER: you don't see him riding or dying);

• Naomi Watts, first as Edgar's love interest, back when he still had the energy to perform heterosexuality, then as his one and only secretary;

• Judy Dench as Edgar's mother, who utters the very words homophobic parents have said to their "daffodil" offspring;

• and there's even Adam Driver in a tiny role before his breakthrough in Lena Dunham's GIRLS the following year!

What I take away from this film is:

• its portrayal of loyalty, choosing your people early in your career and growing old with them,

• the talent of DiCaprio, who never ceases to amaze me,

• the fact that creating a system for archiving books in a library can go a long way (one of those jobs that make me swoon)

• the fact that the bond between Clyde and Edgar was acknowledged and honoured after Edgar's death, during the Nixon administration

• and the power of art to move you even when it's about someone whose political views you don't share.

Speaking of which, big shout-out to Jessica Hecht, who stole both scenes she was in with her portrayal of socialist activist Emma Goldman! Oh shewt, the sun is up. Eh merde, j'ai pas dormi.

Next up: a comedy starting with K, a drama starting with L, and a queer romance starting with an M.