There is nothing more that Hollywood loves than Hollywood itself. Whether it’s the setting, the style or the story, films will continue to be made about it and will usually do well. In recent times, we have The Artist winning best picture in 2011, La La Land the closest second place you’ll see in 2016 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (nominated in 2019), which is over two and half hours of homage to Hollywood in the 60’s. The issue of relying on frequent nostalgia flicks of the Golden Age suggests the industry will eat themselves dry, saturating the content. Having said that, enter stage left Mank.
Mank is the latest David Fincher Netflix project, his first film for 6 years after the success of Gone Girl. Starring Gary Oldman as screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz, the story focuses on him writing the screenplay of Citizen Kane. Sober and bed-bound and assisted by carers, Herman has a strict deadline to finish the script in 90 days, imposed by his agent and Orson Welles. Woven into this are flashbacks of Mank’s experiences in Hollywood, working for Louis B. Mayer at MGM and parties with the elite, such as newspaper tycoon W.R Hearst and actor Marion Davies. Gary Oldman does make the role his own and is understandably where the plaudits go, but I really liked Arliss Howard’s performance for Louis B. Mayer. His range was impressive, going from a distracted indifference to fits of rage to pleadingly innocent. It’s part delusion, part malicious, and a great part overall.
Stumbling his way through Hollywood with sharp wit and odd charm, Herman acts without filter, willing to disagree with the higher ups where most would just nod in agreement. He doesn’t stray from controversial topics either, covering World War 2, LA politics and the writer’s strike, rubbing friends and family alike the wrong way. Set against a jazzy music score and grayscale editing adds authenticity, even if Mank’s sensibilities are questionably less so. Entire plotlines and stances were created to add more sympathy & relatability to the character, and there is still a dispute on how much Herman J. Mankiewicz actually wrote of Citizen Kane. They refer to this whilst Mank is discussing Charles Foster Kane: “You cannot capture a man’s entire life in two hours. All you can hope is to leave the impression of one.” The controversy continues with the casting, where the age gaps are stark in contrast to reality. Marion Davies was almost a year older than Herman J. Mankiewicz, yet was represented by Amanda Seyfried in her early thirties paired with Gary Oldman in his sixties. The same goes for Tuppence Middleton playing ‘Poor’ Sara Mankiewicz, Herman’s wife. A staggering 29 years apart between her and Gary Oldman whilst playing characters the same age (Tuppence being 10 years younger than Sara). The use of younger actors really adds to the erasure of older women in Hollywood. Diversity isn’t about checking a box when we’re still having to ask for the correct representation in film.
In conclusion, this film is a mixed bag for me. With two narratives running simultaneously at different times, introducing new characters in each segment, it’s not always clear what is going on. The dialogue is sharp and punchy, but not exactly user-friendly. In a vacuum, it is a serviceable picture with great performances and an authentic taste of the golden age, but once you dig a little deeper, you see the cracks forming and the subtle white lies holding things together. Then if you throw in the other frequent ‘Oscar Bait’ Hollywood movies along with the prestige of Fincher’s discography, I expected more than I received. But I guess that’s show business folk.