Dealing with "Richard Jewell"
In another time, and with one key omission, "Richard Jewell" might be talked about in a different and more positive way. The tale of a security guard who discovered a bomb at the Atlanta Olympics and then was wrongly suspected of being the bomber contains the elements of a painful, relevant film. It is reminiscent of another wrongly-smeared-hero film, "Sully," also directed by Clint Eastwood. But these days "Richard Jewell" also reminds that the context in which we see movies always matters -- that what a film says and does is always filtered through what we as a culture see and do. And that still does not take away a huge problem in the film: the portrayal of real-life reporter Kathy Scruggs (played by Olivia Wilde) who is seen not only as aggressive and ambitious but as more than willing to trade sex for a scoop. There is no reason to believe that the real-life Scruggs did that, and since she is dead she cannot defend herself. Others have spoke