As this week’s Watch This columns are highlighting, there are already quite a few fantastic movies about journalism. So what makes Spotlight, the true story about The Boston Globe’s exposé on sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, worth your time? Well, for starters, there’s the all-star cast: It’s got Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo (both recent Academy Award nominees), as well as Rachel McAdams (fresh off her notable True Detective run), and a bevy of other familiar faces, including Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, and Stanley Tucci. Then there’s writer/director Tom McCarthy, who, aside from a recent pockmark, has a pretty solid resume of charming indies on his belt. Plus, our own A.A. Dowd caught the film this year at TIFF and called it a “gripping procedural” with “a stellar cast.” Spotlight expands to Chicago theaters on November 13, but The A.V. Club and Open Road films have an opportunity for you to see it on November 10 for free. For your chance to win a pair of passes to the advance screening, simply follow the link here and enter your information. Remember: Advance screenings are often intentionally overbooked, so be sure to arrive early to guarantee yourself a seat. An official plot synopsis and trailer for the film can be found below.
Starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Brian D’Arcy James, and Stanley Tucci, Spotlight tells the riveting true story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe investigation that would rock the city and cause a crisis in one of the world’s oldest and most trusted institutions. When the newspaper’s tenacious “Spotlight” team of reporters delves into allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, their year-long investigation uncovers a decades-long cover-up at the highest levels of Boston’s religious, legal, and government establishment, touching off a wave of revelations around the world. Directed by Academy Award-nominee Tom McCarthy, Spotlight is a tense investigative dramatic-thriller, tracing the steps to one of the biggest cover-ups in modern times.