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Paterno (TV)

HBO Classics

Paterno

2018

Barry Levinson

Al Pacino, Annie Parisse, Riley Keough, Kathy Baker ...

5.5

492

Drama The film centers on Joe Paterno, who, after becoming the winningest coach in college football history, is embroiled in Penn State's Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal, challenging his legacy and forcing him to face questions of institutional failure regarding the victims.

	Media	Author	Review
		Daniel Fienberg The Hollywood Reporter	"Pacino is compelling, but structural problems and thin supporting characters abound"
		Verne Gay Newsday	"Brilliant as ever, Pacino is the master trickster who manages to both demonize and humanize Paterno (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"
		Mike Hale The New York Times	"Levinson lays this out with considerable skill and energy, but he’s not entirely successful at turning it into drama (...) [Pacino is] understated and thoughtful"
		Ben Travers IndieWire	"'Paterno' lays out its case clearly and definitively (...) It speaks to viewers with disparate reactions, but it also speaks to anyone who didn’t dig into the scandal at the time"
		Mekeisha Madden Toby Variety	"The end result is a film that clumsily tries to sympathize with Paterno instead of the young boys he chose to ignore until it was too late."
		David Edelstein Vulture	"'Paterno' takes an unconventional approach to a cautionary tale (...) 'Paterno's makers, director Barry Levinson and writers Debora Cahn and John C. Richards, have a risky idea that mostly pays off"
		Matthew Gilbert Boston Globe	"The strongest aspect of the film (...) is its stealth approach (...) [It] makes its big point strategically and effectively."
		David Wiegand SFGATE	"It feels more scripted than organic (...) The script is weak and the direction is weaker (...) Pacino’s performance counterbalances the problems with the film, as do solid performances by Kathy Baker (...) and Riley Keough"

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