When it comes to films about screenwriters, the challenge seems to be creating a movie that is not only itself an entertaining, self-contained experience but also one that illuminates the creative process that led to other notable work.
This week on Be Reel, we look primarily at the new David Fincher film, “Mank” (2020) about Herman J. Mankiewicz and the origins of “Citizen Kane.” Then, rounding out our category is Charlie Kaufman fictionalizing his writer’s block in “Adaptation” (2002) and Dalton Trumbo‘s quest against the Hollywood Blacklist “Trumbo” (2015).
READ MORE: David Fincher’s ‘Mank’ Is Gorgeously Mounted But Ultimately Distant Biopic [Review]
Each film comes with its own specific challenges on how to portray real-life writers—lots of typewriters, bathtubs, cigarette butts, and empty bottles of tranquilizers—and the glitz and glam of “the industry” (don’t say “industry,” Donald!). But it’s the indulgent, even seductive spins on history that make this category thorny and strange, even if the quips are strong. We’re watching the mythologizers get mythologized.
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