It's hard to believe, but Glenn Close has never won an Oscar. Nominated seven times (including for this), but always missing out. How apt when you've seen this....
This is a female role with depth, and Close capitalises on it brilliantly. Whilst Runge's film feels theatrical at times, the acting from Close and her co-stars more than compensates.
Inspired by the likes of Philip Roth and Saul Bellow, Castleman is a jovial bully, a literary thug who can't bear the idea that anyone else might step into his spotlight, even for one second. Demeaning his son at every opportunity, and damning his wife with faint praise.
You sense where it's all going, but this is hugely entertaining, and Jonathan Pryce embraces his character's essential hollowness with glee. And we don't get to see Christian Slater much in films these days, which is a pity, and he brings real nuance and humanity to his portrayal of a snake(ish) muckraker.
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