The Circle

Starring: Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, Karen Gillan, Bill Paxton, Ellar Coltrane, John Boyega, Patton Oswalt, Judy Reyes, Glenne Headly
Directed by: James Ponsoldt
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Thriller
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A woman (Emma Watson) gets a coveted job at a cutting edge tech firm, but soon begins to question the role technology plays in an increasingly interconnected world.

Review:

Tim: I loved Dave Eggers' "The Circle". It was one of the best books on technology I'd read. So, when I heard Emma Watson and Tom Hanks were making a movie based on the book, I was over the moon. I was increasingly excited when I learned James Ponsoldt was directing it (I enjoyed his previous three directing efforts, Smash, The Spectacular Now, and The End of the Tour). The most powerful, incredible aspect of the book is the surprising, unforgettable ending. I went into this movie thinking, "As long as they keep that ending, everything will be okay." And of course, since this is Hollywood, they totally changed and ruined the ending. It's so unbelievably frustrating. It's one of the greatest book endings I've read, so of course, the movie has to play it safe. It neuters the film, turning it from something chilling and dire into flat and forgettable. That is so unbelievably upsetting.

However, I'm not going to spend this entire review on that. The movie would have been so much better had Ponsoldt had the balls to deliver Eggers' ending. Whatever, we have to move on with what we have. Outside of ruining the ending, Ponsoldt creates a fairly good movie. Most of the important parts of the book are here- we learn about The Circle and its agenda. The characters are well represented and the movie does manage to ask some good questions about whether technology is our savior or our doom. It does make you think about the interconnectedness of our current and future world, and what the loss of anonymity means for humanity. None of these are addressed as powerfully as in the book, but at least the film poses those questions. Even in muted form, they're better than nothing.

The cast was definitely done right. Emma Watson was so perfectly cast as Mae. Watson is proving to be a superstar in Hollywood and I love that she did this film. The movie didn't make much of a splash, but she's legitimately good in the lead role. I loved the supporting performance of Tom Hanks. It's weird not to see him as the protagonist, but he is remarkable in his performance. Every scene he's in is fantastic. He does so many subtle things that make his character memorable. I loved his supporting performance. John Boyega was brilliantly cast, but he has almost nothing to do. That's a shame, because he's so talented. Karen Gillan gets a few great moments and is absolutely up for the challenge. She shined in her small role. Bill Paxton is fantastic as always. I also enjoyed Patton Oswalt, Ellar Coltrane, and Judy Reyes. Ponsoldt has a truly incredible cast here and he manages to give all of his actors at least a few moments where they can showcase their talent. I loved that they got those moments to shine. The downside is that you wish the movie was longer, that we got to spend more time with this cast. Still, the cast of this film is amazing.

The movie does a good job of showing what it's like to work at The Circle. The book goes into extensive detail and while I would have loved to see that depicted on screen, I understand the need to streamline that. Ponsoldt gives us most of the biggest moments from the book, so it's a fairly solid adaptation (except for the dumb ending, did I mention that?). I enjoyed some of the visual depictions of social technology- that was a cool touch that made the film feel contemporary.

As much as I was disappointed in the ending, I admit Ponsoldt directed a good movie. It's ultimately too toothless to be truly great, but it's still interesting and entertaining. This movie easily could have been better, but at least The Circle is a good movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Matrix, Smashed, The Spectacular Now, The End of the Tour