Lincoln Is... Better Than The Average Award Show Fodder

Being an American history drama about American hero Abraham Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Daniel Day Lewis, it is no surprise that Lincoln has 12 nominations in the 2012 Academy Awards. The film was tailor-made to be an award show behemoth! However, the Academy is comprised of mostly elderly white males, therefore, the Academy is comprised of Lincoln’s  prime demographic. The award shows of today are hardly indicators of true film excellence, instead they indicators of a film’s appeal to elderly white males. That being said, if the Academy chooses to bestow Lincoln some prestigious accolades, I won’t be entirely disappointed. There is some greatness in this film.

The film takes places over two months, focusing on Lincoln’s efforts to pass the 13th Amendment which would abolish slavery. He is facing a bitterly divided Congress and passage of any bill would be difficult, but this issue divides even his own party. He is forced to walk a political tightrope, and this makes for an interesting tale of political drama.

The acting is superb. Daniel Day Lewis is surprisingly convincing as one of the most famous figures in American history. I know it’s DDL, so perhaps I should not have been so surprised, but Abraham Lincoln would naturally be a daunting task. He’s not even American, but he does a great Lincoln. The other standout for me performance-wise was Lee Pace as the outspoken Democrat and Confederate sympathizer Congressman Wood. It is not a likable character, and he doesn’t have that much screen-time, but he commits so hard. His time on the Congress floor is visually compelling and very charismatic- it is really fun to watch him play the villain.

The visuals are also pretty impressive. I’m no history major, so just based on looks and not necessarily historical accuracy, the sets and costumes are incredible.

The acting and the story are the strength of this film, and for me, this was enough to overcome the many annoying weaknesses. Spielberg has a history of making his characters superhuman forces of benevolence, and Lincoln is no exception. In this film, the Civil War was simply good versus evil. Of course slavery was evil, but the Civil War wasn’t just about slavery. It was about a fundamental change in the economy of the South. Southerners weren’t simply a group of racists looking for an outlet to exact their hatred, they were afraid of the change that an end to slavery would mean. There is no complexity to the issue in Lincoln, half of the country was made up of evil racists. Abraham Lincoln was an angel, most characters even seem to treat him as such. Everything he says is “wise”. He isn’t a human character, and he fighting for good in a good versus evil story. It is not deep. There are no issues to work through. For me, the best of films do stay in your thoughts and challenge you after you leave the theater. Lincoln is not one of these films.

Yes, Lincoln is the stereotypical modern award-winning film, but it has value. It is deserving of awards in some areas, and I didn’t hate it. It is well-made, entertaining to watch and definitely easier to watch than most of the universally acclaimed historical dramas. As always, keep expectations low and you might just enjoy it. I’d give it... 3 out of 5 stars. Not bad!