SCOOP (2024) - Movie Review

Director: Philip Martin
Starring: Gillian Anderson, Billie Piper, Rufus Sewell, Romola Garai, Keeley Hawes
Genre: Drama, Biography
Writer: Peter Moffat, Geoff Bussetil
Runtime: 102 min
Rated: TV-14
Buy This Movie: Netflix

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Synopsis:

Inspired by real events, SCOOP is the inside account of the tenacious journalism that landed an earthshattering interview -- Prince Andrew's infamous BBC Newsnight appearance. From the tension of producer Sam McAlister's high stakes negotiations with Buckingham Palace, all the way to Emily Maitlis' jaw-dropping, forensic showdown with the Prince, SCOOP takes us inside the story, with the women who would stop at nothing to get it. To get an interview this big, you have to be bold.

Review:

Prince Andrew's ties to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein are a well-known fact by now. The queen's favorite son did some bad things and thought that giving an interview to the BBC's Newsnight programme would somehow boost his public image. Boy, was he wrong ! The fallout from the interview, in which he made several arrogant and tone-deaf statements, ultimately led to him getting sacked from royal duties just days after the broadcast. It was also a career defining moment for Newsnight editor Sam McAlister, who secured the interview and even wrote a book about it titled "Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews".

The film's main draw is its cast. Gillian Anderson as presenter and journalist Emily Maitlis, Billie Piper as McAlister, and Rufus Sewell as the wayward prince, all deliver committed performances that go well beyond simply mimicking the real-life personalities. Sewell in particular had the most difficult part, acting under heavy prosthetics that covered his face and shoulders. The makeup and his performance are so good, that you don't see the actor anymore, only the character he's playing. But here's a quick trigger warning: the movie features a questionable nude butt shot of Prince Andrew (not Sewell, but a butt double). I have no idea why it was necessary, but there it is in all its gory glory.

It's a good movie, but not a great one. Despite covering a serious topic, the film ends up being more "She Said" than "Spotlight". It does all the right things, but in the end it's just not as gripping as it should have been. It's also rather short, clocking in at around 90 minutes without credits, so there's not a lot of room to elaborate on the subject. It's not an investigation movie, either, focusing more on how the interview was secured and how the BBC team prepared for it, but it feels like it brushes through the story a little too quickly. And when it's time for the actual interview, it feels anticlimactic. Besides, it's not like the interview itself offered some earthshattering revelations, other than the fact that Prince Andrew is a horrible human being, and the only blowback was his retirement from public functions, which sounds more like an indefinite sabbatical.

It's worth checking out if you already have a Netflix subscription, but don't go in expecting a riveting journalistic drama or sharp, poignant insight into the Epstein scandal. Otherwise, you're not missing much, and you might actually be better off watching the real interview online, or reading McAlister's book.

SCORE: 6.5/10