Left me flat at first

Rating: 7/10 (3 April 2019)

Watching it for the first time on DVD, it left me flat at first. As one who enjoys inside Hollywood humor, there were a number of laughs, but not as many as I expected. Then after thinking it over and watching some of the bonus features, a new view came to mind. Eddie Mannix, as played by Brolin, comes across much more sympathetic that one would think, given his reputation as a ruthless fixer at MGM, which had two goals - make tons of money, and look wholesome while doing it. Studios needed people like Mannix, because the talent end of the movie business has been the same from the days of Chaplin to now - a great number of spoiled, petulant children who can't seem to control themselves or their egos. If there wasn't someone like a Mannix keeping the stars in the studio daycare in line and protected, it would be an absolute miracle anything actually got done. True, Mannix appeared to have some affection for the stars he had to occasionally put the thumbscrews to, but his overall loyalty was to the dollars and cents and the protection of his bosses. They trusted him to get things done, and he did it. He's the man who helped protect the images we looked up to. By looking only at the excellent re-creations of classic Hollywood genres, one could miss the story of how Mannix was responsible for keeping everything going. If the movie was called "The Fixer", and we had a few more scenes indicating the pressure the owners in New York put him under, it might have been clearer that this was a film about who had the power in Hollywood. Not so much the stars, but the owners and their muscle men. At least the Mannix played by Brolin appeared to have some personal struggles with what he had to do. Not too bad a film if you watch it that way.