Changeling (2008)

O Masterpiece
O Excellent
X Good
O OK
O Mediocrity
O Avoid

Review by Jason Pyles / January 7, 2009

I don’t reveal significant plot points in this review, but if you plan on seeing “Changeling,” having no foreknowledge about it whatsoever, then stop reading after this paragraph, because much like “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996) or “Identity” (2003), the viewing experience is heightened if you go into it blindly.

As improbable as it seems, “Changeling” begins by telling us it’s “a true story.” I’ve come to learn that when a movie claims to be a true story, it still has taken some considerable liberties. And when a movie says it’s “based on true events,” well, that means it could be 99 percent fiction. (If this kind of thing interests you, there’s an entertaining book called “Based on a True Story: Fact and Fantasy in 100 Favorite Movies” by Jonathan Vankin and John Whalen.)

Though I haven’t done enough research on “Changeling” to verify the accuracy of its facts, the story is just crazy enough that it probably is true … unfortunately.

Set in Los Angeles and spanning the late 1920s to the mid-’30s, “Changeling” tells the story of a single mother (Angelina Jolie) whose son (Gattlin Griffith) vanishes one day while she’s at work. The L.A.P.D. claims to find her missing boy, except he’s not her son. And sadly, the police department is so corrupt and dysfunctional, it tries unscrupulously to convince the mother that a different child is her son — simply for the sake of avoiding further public scrutiny for such a disappointing mix-up.

This nightmarish premise has enough momentum to carry “Changeling” fairly well. But as the runtime passes the two-hour mark, we begin to grow weary. Alas, “Changeling’s” semi-conclusive ending is shocking enough — if not sufficiently satisfying — that we are renewed again and ultimately glad we watched the film.

Directed by Clint Eastwood
Angelina Jolie / Gattlin Griffith / John Malkovich
Drama / Mystery 141 min.
MPAA: R (for some violent and disturbing content, and language)

U.S. Release Date: October 31, 2008
Copyright 2008: 324