"Richard Jewell" Sparks Controversy For Portrayal Of Late Journalist
CABRERA: A big studio movie opens this weekend that puts a major real-life event in U.S. history on the big screen. It's about Richard Jewell, the man who was falsely accused of planting the deadly bomb that exploded in Atlanta during the 1996 Olympics. That's Richard Jewell on the left. The actor that plays him, Paul Walter Hauser on the right. Here's a clip from the new movie, "Richard Jewell.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You always look at the guy who found the bomb just like you always look at the guy who found the body.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jewell fits the profile of the lone bomber. A frustrated white man who is a police wannabe who seeks to become a hero.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're running it.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't talk. I talk. Say it.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't talk.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This might be the only way to clear your name. I want you to say there's a bomb in Centennial Park. You have 30 minutes.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trying to be their best friend.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was raised to respect authority.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Authority is looking to eat you alive.</s>CABRERA: Now this film is directed by Clint Eastwood with some heavy hitters in the supporting cast too. Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell. CNN Senior Writer on Media and Entertainment, Brian Lowry, joins us now. Brian, you've seen this movie. Your full review is on cnn.com. Did this movie get everything right?</s>BRIAN LOWRY, CNN SENIOR WRITER ON MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT: Well, I think, you know, fact-based movies never really get everything right. There are always some liberties taken. But I think in this case, what's really triggered controversy around the film was the depiction of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter who broke the story played by Olivia Wilde. And it's an extremely unflattering portrait and according to people who work with her and her at the editor of the paper where she worked, completely misleading in terms of what she did in order to get the story.</s>CABRERA: And now the actress, Olivia Wilde is speaking out. She's been very vocal about that particular criticism of the movie. What is she saying?</s>LOWRY: Well, she's kind of made a mess of this. She originally said -- the movie very strongly implies that she -- that Kathy Scruggs, the character she played, slept with her source in order to get the story. And at first, she defended it as sexist, that people were criticizing her because she was being sexual which completely missed the point of what people were upset about which was the ethical consideration of a reporter and especially a female reporter which in film has a very kind of long ignominious history sleeping with a source in order to get a story. She then tried to clean that up and said that that wasn't the way that she read it and that wasn't her understanding of Kathy Scruggs, but it's hard to have seen the film and come away with really any other impression that that's what they were implying.</s>CABRERA: Interesting. Her tweet says, I do not believe that Kathy traded sex for tips. Nothing in my research suggested she did so and it was never my intention to suggest she had. Another movie based on real life events, "Bombshell" is out in select theaters now. It looks at the culture in politics behind the scenes at Fox News. It got several nominations for the SAG Awards this past weekend. Megyn Kelly is reacting to it saying it was incredibly emotional watching Charlize Theron play her on screen. Here's a quick look at "Bombshell."</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You may have heard there was a dust-up involving yours truly and presidential contender Donald Trump.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God. Did he just accuse me of anger menstruating.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait, am I going to be the story?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to be the story.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.</s>CABRERA: Brian, your take on the movie. Should we expect any bombshells?</s>LOWRY: Well, I don't think there are any real bombshells if you followed what's going on at Fox News over the last few years. And it does follow a miniseries on the same topic, "The Loudest Voice" which aired on Showtime. But I think the two of them work really well together in a way. They're viewing them in tandem. The miniseries focused on Roger Ailes, the late head of Fox News. And the movie focuses on the women of Fox News were instrumental in essentially bringing leading to his downfall. You saw there Charlize Theron who was just uncanny as Megyn Kelly. I mean, she captures the tone of her voice in a way I don't -- she sounds more like Megyn Kelly than Megyn Kelly does her time. And then Nicole Kidman is Gretchen Carlson. And it's very much like an HBO movie almost. I'm not sure people are going to rush to see it in the theater. But it's a very well made film.</s>CABRERA: Another movie that's getting a lot of buzz and it hasn't even opened yet, the new "Star Wars" installment called "The Rise of Skywalker." Now, "Star Wars" fans are very different breed, Brian. Not all of them fell in love with the last "Star Wars" movie. Is Disney worried?</s>LOWRY: I don't think Disney is too worried. "The Last Jedi" was very divisive. It interestingly got very strong critical response. But the fan reaction, especially in the most vocal quadrants of social media was not favorable. And, of course, there were some people who did like "The Last Jedi" and so now you have people who are -- think this may swing too far in the opposite direction. You know, one of the things is people get upset, people are very passionate about these films. But I can't imagine anybody who's passionate enough about these movies to want to online and vent about them not wanting to be in line opening weekend to see them.</s>CABRERA: OK. Brian Lowry, it is that time of year. A lot of people are hitting the movies. Thanks so much. Quick break. We'll be right back.