Mank (2020) Movie Review
Let’s just get this out of the way now. You will probably only enjoy Mank if you’re a cinephile or if you seriously love Citizen Kane and/or Orson Welles. If you don’t fit into any of those categories I’d advise you to just go ahead and skip this one. Mank is short for Herman Mankiewicz. He was a screenwriter in Hollywood during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Mank was a severe alcoholic but was well known for his wit and writing abilities. Much of his work on screenplays was uncredited but he was well known in Hollywood during his time.
The plot of Mank focuses on Mankiewicz’s life during the time period when he worked on the screenplay for Citizen Kane. There has been much debate about who wrote the majority of Citizen Kane as both Mankiewicz and Welles have screenwriting credits. Director David Fincher concentrate mainly on Mankiewicz’s contributions to Citizen Kane. Welles only flashes on screen for brief moments at a time. We get a pretty full picture of Mankiewicz’s life as we float between present day and flashbacks. The time delineation is made clear by the presence of scene headings, that clue you into where you are and what year it is.
We see Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) hobnobbing with some of Hollywood’s elite from that time period. We see his complicated relationship with Louis B. Mayer (Arliss Howard) who he butts heads with constantly. His relationship with his brother Joe (Tom Pelphrey), who went on to become a very successful writer and director, is touched on briefly and they support each other when needed. Of course there are a few scenes with Mankiewicz and Orson Welles (Tom Burke), but not as many as you might think. And then there was my favorite friendship of all, Mankiewicz and Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried). They were hilarious together and seemed to truly appreciate each other’s company. This relationship did not come without trials and hurt feelings, but overall there was a level of respect for one another that I liked seeing. For me, Seyfried absolutely stole the show. She’s only on screen for maybe twenty minutes of the two hour and eleven minute runtime but her impact is felt throughout the movie. I wish she had been on screen more because she was absolutely delightful and a breath of fresh air in this black and white drama.
If you’re a cinephile or interested in the history of the movies you’ll enjoy seeing the carousel of famous names on screen as they criss cross momentarily with Mankiewicz’s life. Gary Oldman is fantastic as Mankiewicz and gives a particularly memorable and lengthy monologue in the presence of Mayer and William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance) that is ill advised but has the potential to be labelled courageous. Fincher doesn’t shy away from getting political as he weaves in the well known election of 1934 where Upton Sinclair lost to Frank Merriam. Fincher mixes some fact and some fiction here as he portrays Hollywood’s part in influencing the race. We see the struggle to stand by your principles and to have the courage of your convictions firsthand via Mankiewicz.
There is some substance behind Mank, it’s not just a portrayal of a man and his demons. At one point in the movie Herman Mankiewicz says, “You cannot capture a man’s entire life in two hours. All you can hope is to leave the impression of one.” By that measure, director David Fincher has succeeded.
Film or Movie: Film
You’ll like this film if:
1. You love the history of Hollywood
2. You love Citizen Kane
3. You are a movie buff
