CHANGELING puts Eastwood in the same ballpark as Ron Howard.

Rating: 4/10 (18 February 2009)

Eastwood doesn't know the meaning of the word "subtle". He always makes sure the dimmest person in the audience is never in doubt of which characters are 100% good and which ones are 100% evil. Every single employee at the psych hospital acts like they're villains in a Superman comic book. With the exception of Jolie, the film was filled with MOVIE characters, not real people.
The irony is that this is a true story, yet I never believed a minute of Eastwood's film. He had a fascinating story to work with, and I'm glad to know the story, but as a film it was little better than a made-for-TV movie. He seems to be afraid of challenging his audience, so he ends up insulting our intelligence. At the end he spoon-feeds us even our emotional response, making it clear that we're supposed to feel good about the outcome, even though, when you think about it, it's really not a happy ending.