Spotlight

Michael Keaton Director: Tom McCarthy Tom McCarthy

Overview

Under the direction of new editor Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber), the Boston Globe's elite investigative team, known as Spotlight, is tasked with delving into decades' worth of child-abuse claims against the Catholic Church. Led by Walter "Robby" Robinson (Michael Keaton), the journalists begin to uncover a massive scandal involving sexual abuse and the willful ignorance perpetrated by the Church within the city of Boston. Facing political opposition and resistance from the far-reaching influence of the Church, the reporters put together an explosive exposé on a corrupt system. Directed by Tom McCarthy and based on the true events of the 2002 investigation by the Globe, the star-studded Spotlight also features Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, John Slattery, Billy Crudup, and Stanley Tucci. ~ Daniel Gelb

Product Details

Release Date:	02/23/2016
UPC:	0025192328213
Original Release:	2015
Rating:	R
Source:	Universal Studios
Region Code:	1
Time:	2:09:00
Sales rank:	3,119

Special Features

Uncovering the truth: a Spotlight team roundtable; Spotlight: a look inside; The state of journalism

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Michael Keaton	Walter 'Robby' Robinson
Mark Ruffalo	Michael Rezendes
Rachel McAdams	Sacha Pfeiffer
Liev Schreiber	Marty Baron
Brian d'Arcy James	Matty Carroll
Stanley Tucci	Mitchell Garabedian
Billy Crudup	Eric MacLeish
John Slattery	Ben Bradlee Jr.
Elena Wohl	Barbara
Gene Amoroso	Steve Kurkjian
Doug Murray	Peter Canellos
Sharon McFarlane	Helen Donovan
Jamey Sheridan	Jim Sullivan
Neal Huff	Phil Saviano
Robert B. Kennedy	Court Clerk Mark
Duane Murray	Hansi Kalkofen
Brian Chamberlain	Paul Burke
Michael Cyril Creighton	Joe Crowley
Paul Guilfoyle	Pete Conley
Michael Countryman	Richard Gilman
Tim Whalen	Young Cop
Martin Roach	Cop in Coffee Shop
Brad Borbridge	Sports Editor
Don Allison	Bishop
Patty Ross	Linda
Paloma Nunez	Garabedian's Receptionist
Robert Clarke	Judge Volterra
Gary Galone	Jack Dunn
David Fraser	Jon Albano
Paulette Sinclair	Receptionist at Judge's Chambers
Laurie Heineman	Judge Sweeney
Elena Juatco	Guest List Woman
Nancy Villone	Maryetta Dussourd
Wendy Merry McCarthy	Female Editor
Siobahn Murphy	Intern
Eileen Padua	Sacha's Grandmother
Darrin Baker	Middle Age Priest at St. Peter's
Brett Cramp	Middle Aged Man
Joe Stapleton	Older Cop
Maureen Keiller	Eileen McNamara
James LeBlanc	Patrick McSorley
Tim Progosh	Principal Bill Kemeza
Neion George	Waiter at Gala
Laurie Murdoch	Wilson Rogers
Zarrin Darnell-Martin	Intern Wanda
Krista Morin	Young Reporter
Paula Barrett	Jim's Wife
Mairtin O'Carrigan	Stewart
Rob Deleeuw	Herald Reporter Quimby
Nancy Carroll	Jane Paquin
Anthony Paolucci	Kevin
Michele Proude	Lisa Tuite
Richard O'Rourke	Ronald Paquin
Len Cariou	Cardinal Law
Dennis M. Lynch	Clerk O'Brian
Stefanie Drummond	Sheila
Mark McGrinder	Weeping Man
Richard Fitzpatrick	Rectory Priest
Tom Driscoll	Disgruntled Man
Jeffrey Samai	Library Security
Moira Driscoll	Woman Interviewee
Forrest Weber	Angry Man
Doreen Spencer	Older Southie Woman
Janet Pinnick	Receptionist
Shannon McDonough	Receptionist
Shannon Ruth	Girl at Garabedian's
Daniel Ruth	Boy at Garabedian's
Timothy Mooney	Bad Priest
Bruce Serafin	Boston Globe Security Guard
Donna Jahier	Angry Man's Sister
Edward Brickley	Red Sox Announcer

Technical Credits

Tom McCarthy

Josh Singer

Tom McCarthy	Director,Screenwriter
Kerry Barden	Casting
Michael Bederman	Executive Producer
Mario Cacioppo	Makeup
Stephen A. Carter	Production Designer
William Cheng	Set Decoration/Design
Michaela Cheyne	Art Director
Wendy Chuck	Costumes/Costume Designer
Kate Churchill	Co-producer
Karola Dirnberger	Makeup
Bard Dorros	Executive Producer
Blye Faust	Producer
John Garrett	Sound Mixer
John Garrett	Sound Mixer
Walter Gasparovic	Asst. Director
Glen Gauthier	Sound/Sound Designer
Steve Golin	Producer
Jonathan King	Executive Producer
Jason Knight	Casting
Peter Lawson	Executive Producer
John MacNeil	Set Decoration/Design
Xavier Marchand	Executive Producer
Tom McArdle	Editor
David Mizner	Associate Producer
Christo Morse	Asst. Director
Pierre Omidyar	Executive Producer
Tom Ortenberg	Executive Producer
Carolyn Pickman	Casting
Mary Ramos	Musical Direction/Supervision
Nicole Rocklin	Producer
Jordan Samuel	Makeup
Paul Schnee	Casting
Howard Shore	Score Composer
Josh Singer	Executive Producer,Screenwriter
Jeff Skoll	Executive Producer
Michael Sugar	Producer
Masanobu Takayanagi	Cinematographer
Youtchi vonLintel	Co-producer
Teresa Young	Makeup

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Spotlight
1. Chapter 1 [8:20]
2. Chapter 2 [6:09]
3. Chapter 3 [7:20]
4. Chapter 4 [5:47]
5. Chapter 5 [8:09]
6. Chapter 6 [9:49]
7. Chapter 7 [3:33]
8. Chapter 8 [4:08]
9. Chapter 9 [6:14]
10. Chapter 10 [5:51]
11. Chapter 11 [:00]
12. Chapter 12 [5:18]
13. Chapter 13 [6:42]
14. Chapter 14 [5:59]
15. Chapter 15 [6:32]
16. Chapter 16 [4:23]
17. Chapter 17 [8:24]
18. Chapter 18 [8:05]
19. Chapter 19 [4:51]
20. Chapter 20 [4:41]
21. Chapter 21 [8:35]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Spotlight
   Play
   Scenes
   Bonus
      Uncovering The Truth: A Spotlight Team Roundtable
      Spotlight: A Look Inside
      The State Of Journalism
   Setup
      Subtitles
         English SDH Subtitles: On
         Español Subtitles: On
         Français Subtitles: On
         Subtitles: Off
   Previews
      Play All
      Rose Water
      Nightcrawler
      End Of Watch
      Pawn Sacrifice
      Trash
      Dope
      Rock The Kasbah
      Mr. Robot

Editorial Reviews

In early 2001, Miami Herald transplant Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) takes over as editor in chief at the Boston Globe, the biggest daily newspaper in the closely knit, deeply Catholic city. Lamented as an outsider who will never grasp the populous of Boston, Baron makes a pointed effort to acquaint himself with his surroundings and deep-dive into the structural organization of the paper. Baron meets with Walter "Robby" Robinson (Michael Keaton), the head of "Spotlight," the paper's select investigative team, who pride themselves on long investigations and cathartic exposé pieces, to discuss their role moving forward. Baron's interest is piqued by a recent (albeit extremely brief) mention in the Globe of a Catholic priest charged with sex crimes against children in the Boston area. Mindful of the paper's large Catholic readership, Robby is hesitant to dig up more dirt on the priest. Baron presses him to think larger than just the single offense, and instructs the Spotlight team to delve into the Church as a possible systemic source of sexual transgressions in and around Boston. Robinson coordinates with his managing editor Ben Bradlee Jr. (John Slattery) and his stable of journalists; Mike Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), and Matt Carroll (Brian d'Arcy James), to begin their exhaustive investigation. They start by combing through old issues of the Globe for similar cases, reaching out to known victims and their counsel, and recruiting the help of Mitchell Garabedian (a fantastic Stanley Tucci), a lawyer absorbed in uncovering the sinister cover-ups by area clergy leaders of child abuse in the Church. As the journalists get deeper into their research, the horrific findings begin to mount -- they learn of more than 70 priests known to have committed child sexual abuse in and around Boston over the past few decades, with all signs pointing to the Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Bernard Francis Law (Len Cariou), as a willful actor in the cover-up and obscuring of truth. Director Tom McCarthy co-wrote Spotlight with Josh Singer, and the duo have catapulted themselves into the lead for Best Picture. Spotlight is a taut, engrossing journalist procedural, the likes of which may not have been seen since All the President's Men in 1976. Briskly paced and never breaking its stare with the evil it confronts, Spotlight is a wire-to-wire home run. It seems almost foreign now in 2015 to recall the time when society leaned so heavily on the work of print journalists, but McCarthy has created a movie that can harness that importance into a captivating picture. Spotlight exists in that miniature window of time after the Internet had become common but before it had become indispensable, which made hard journalistic instinct a vital mechanism to uncover systemic misdeeds and indignities. With newsrooms across the country slashing budgets and laying off reporters, Spotlight is a timely reminder about the societal importance of dogged journalism. The real-life efforts of the Spotlight reporters could have been all for naught had the Globe not given them more than a year to compile their evidence and track down the truth. Such leniency within newspapers now is rare, if not completely antiquated. McCarthy reminds us why we cannot let newspapers disappear -- not through theatrical newsroom speeches, but by showing the legwork that is needed to put an exposé like this together in an effort to affect real impact. Keaton builds on his career revitalization with a measured performance as the conflicted Catholic newsman Robinson. Ruffalo will not be alone come awards season for Spotlight, but his authenticity and purpose as Rezendes should garner him a second consecutive nom for Best Supporting Actor after last years' Foxcatcher. And fresh off the less-than-stellar second season of True Detective, McAdams reminds audiences that she can hold her own with the best in Hollywood. It's a sight to behold when an ensemble cast can become even greater than the sum of its top-notch parts. Spotlight is an important film for the ugliness that its subjects uncovered. Before the credits roll, there is a list shown of every major city that has been involved in a child-abuse scandal in regards to the Catholic Church. It's staggering in its length, and speaks to the weight of the efforts of Baron, Bradlee, Robinson, Rezendes, Pfeiffer and Carroll in Boston.

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