Talented? Not Charming At All

Rating: 6/10 (25 October 2015)

If there's a reason to see this movie, it is: Michael Fassbender,a performer who channels the essence of the character, be it real or fictitious. His addict in "Shame" seduces everything in sight and breaks your heart when one realizes how corroded his existence is. The tortured man in "12 Years a Slave" befuddles us with the love/hate affair, full of guilt that he carries on with one of his slaves. Here, he portrays an iconic figure that very few people really knew but many endured. If we can say the adaptation is based on factual evidence, we can certainly pity the individuals who got too close.
According to the film, he felt he had enough talent to believe in himself and his creations. It seemed as if he didn't appreciate their contributions but used them. One particularly upsetting moment in the film has him threatening one of his former partners/employees, failing to admit or recognize the other's contributions. It feels like he's running a plantation, with employees being nothing more than slaves. There's very little to like about this man.
Then we have the family angle, and it's even more problematic because even though he is given information in numbers, he still chooses to believe whatever he wants. It doesn't matter that his daughter hears or sees the poison coming out of his mouth. Even his faithful assistance tries to find ways to lessen the possible psychological damage to the child, but it seems to matter little to him until the child "plays" with one of his programs. Then he chooses to reward her.
There are other moments when you wonder what's going on in this film. It's like the stage is set to show us how idolized he is. However, we can't help feeling it's all a set up. Are these real people or hired help to fill the auditorium? You can never feel even admiration. It's all choreographed to look like something, with little emotional resonance.
Overall, it's pretty hollow, with pretty, snappy dialogue, a very good performance by Fassbender but not much more, except two very long hours filled with what seems to be much earned devotion.