Armie Hammer and Leonardo diCaprio as Clyde Tolson and J. Edgar Hoover, respectively. Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

J. Edgar Hoover was the director of the FBI through eight different presidents, six different decades and domestic conflicts such as the gangster wars of the 1930s and the Red Scare. Though he was arguably one of the most powerful men in government, his straight-suited image covered up his eccentric personal life. Among other things, he is rumored to have been involved in a long-time affair with Clyde Tolson, his second-in-command, in addition to being a cross-dresser. This dichotomy should have provided all that the all-star production team, including director Clint Eastwood, Oscar-winning writer Dustin Lance Black, and star Leonardo DiCaprio, needed to make J. Edgar one of the best American biopics of the last ten years. However, dissonance between the visions of writer and director prevented the film from offering insights into one of America’s most intriguing figures.

The movie’s basic structure has Hoover, played by DiCaprio, dictating his life story to a clerk writing his memoirs. The movie jumps back and forth between modern day Hoover and his anecdotes. Through these anecdotes we get glimpses and snapshots of Hoover’s life and accomplishments including his relationship with an overbearing mother, the founding of the FBI and the case of the kidnapped Charles Lindbergh baby. The modern day Hoover is about a man who has become a relic of the past in a business for young people. But, because the movie insists on telling the audience his entire, massive life story, each event seemed superficial and ultimately not amounting to much. If the filmmakers had decided to pick on aspect of Hoover’s life to focus on, then the film would have been much more successful.

The one aspect of Hoover’s life that was fully developed was Hoover’s relationship with Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer), which lies at the heart of the story. Tolson is cool, calm, and level-headed, contrary to the introverted and paranoid Hoover. Their connection is sweet and natural, reminiscent of more traditional love stories, despite the fact that it is never consummated. This platonic romance serves as the movie’s biggest strength.

Hammer and DiCaprio play off of each other wonderfully. Reminiscent of Jake Gyllenhall and Heath Ledger’s chemistry in Brokeback Mountain, the longing between them is palpable even as their body language makes them seem aloof.

But the terrific acting could not lift the movie above its shoddy screenplay. Pivotal climatic scenes, through Black’s screenplay, plays out like scenes from a daytime soap opera. One scene, in particular, which should have served as the climactic moment between Hoover’s and Tolson unspoken romance, becomes more farcical than a dramatic revelation. There were times Tolson would use modern phrases that did not fit in a 1930’s period such as, “fashion forward,” making it seem like an inside joke Black put in for his friends.

Black tries hard to elucidate the life of Hoover the legend. However, in doing so, he forgets about Hoover the man. The script turns the FBI icon into a manipulator with no disregard for those around him. However, Eastwood’s direction seems to indicate veneration and appreciation of Hoover’s work, making him seem like a misguided hero though the use of soft lights, low angles, and an inspirational score. This dichotomy makes Hoover is hard to root for, but also hard to hate. Because of this, there is no emotional connection that makes the audience care about the main character or his endeavors.

Ultimately this makes J. Edgar an interesting mess of film. The filmmakers’ zeal in making the definitive story of Hoover’s life was obvious but the execution did not match that passion. No valuable insights was given about Hoover, one of the most controversial and enigmatic figures of the twentieth century. The failure to do so makes this film a disappointing one especially with the caliber of talent involved in the film. For those expecting the definitive film about J. Edgar Hoover’s life will not get it from this film.