He plays school superintendent Frank Tassone who, over a decade, embezzled millions from Long Island's Roslyn school district. But he wasn't alone. Embezzling even more was administrator Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney), who is also terrific. If you only know her as the 50 something libertine grandma in "Mom" this is a real departure from that.
What makes this film great is the slow reveal. The film first looks like a set up for some kind of 21st century Room 222 - if anybody else here is old enough to know what I'm talking about. Tassone looks too good to be true as far as his energy and involvement with the kids. And he got real results. Roslyn became a top rated public school district. Real estate values in the district shot up because, unfortunately, top rated school districts are hard to come by anywhere, along with the coveted Ivy League college admissions that come with it.
But slowly, it becomes obvious - to the viewer that is - that Tassone is living a double life in many ways. Jackman as Tassone plays his hand very close to his vest, and I did not look up the details of what went on precisely because I wanted the plot to be somewhat of a surprise, and it was. How he and everybody else gets caught is a bit different in the film from the real story, but basically the plot is true.
I really liked how the parents were portrayed. They wanted to believe an illusion because to believe the truth might mean their kids don't go to Harvard, and their real estate values decline in a place where life is a race not a journey. Also the art design was done very well. Yes there were personal computers and cell phones in the early 2000s, but this really did look like 2002-2003. The sets, clothes, technology, and music were near perfect. The little things like the bulky computer monitors with those early Windows screensavers were spot on.
Youtube film reviewer Chris Stuckmann had this in his top ten list for 2020 - in fact he rated it 3rd - even though it was made in 2019, and I'd never even heard of it. I guess it was a victim of bad timing with the pandemic occurring and it being bought up by HBO rather than having a general release. I'd highly recommend it.
What makes this film great is the slow reveal. The film first looks like a set up for some kind of 21st century Room 222 - if anybody else here is old enough to know what I'm talking about. Tassone looks too good to be true as far as his energy and involvement with the kids. And he got real results. Roslyn became a top rated public school district. Real estate values in the district shot up because, unfortunately, top rated school districts are hard to come by anywhere, along with the coveted Ivy League college admissions that come with it.
But slowly, it becomes obvious - to the viewer that is - that Tassone is living a double life in many ways. Jackman as Tassone plays his hand very close to his vest, and I did not look up the details of what went on precisely because I wanted the plot to be somewhat of a surprise, and it was. How he and everybody else gets caught is a bit different in the film from the real story, but basically the plot is true.
I really liked how the parents were portrayed. They wanted to believe an illusion because to believe the truth might mean their kids don't go to Harvard, and their real estate values decline in a place where life is a race not a journey. Also the art design was done very well. Yes there were personal computers and cell phones in the early 2000s, but this really did look like 2002-2003. The sets, clothes, technology, and music were near perfect. The little things like the bulky computer monitors with those early Windows screensavers were spot on.
Youtube film reviewer Chris Stuckmann had this in his top ten list for 2020 - in fact he rated it 3rd - even though it was made in 2019, and I'd never even heard of it. I guess it was a victim of bad timing with the pandemic occurring and it being bought up by HBO rather than having a general release. I'd highly recommend it.