Movie Review – Devotion

It’s hard not to give this movie a higher grade than a C+, but it lacks the polish that comes with a higher grade.

Overall the acting was good, with a few moments of greatness. But it felt like there was a distance between the actor and the audience. There are too many scenes of people standing around and talking. In a well-made movie, the director is able to use the actors and camera to communicate on multiple levels simultaneously, using dialog, gestures, expressions, and the framing of the shot. All these combine to deliver meaning to the audience. This movie felt one-dimensional. If there was dialog then everything was focused on just that. If there was action then the focus was on just that. Rarely more than one thing at a time.

The script could have stood for another few rounds of editing. I question why certain scenes and stories were included in the movie. For instance, the side story about what happened in Cannes France was interesting, but it had little bearing on the story itself. I would have been interested in the story explaining more of the relationships between the pilots. For instance, Tom Hudner’s character excepted Jesse right from the beginning. At that time racism was the norm. So what was it about Tom that he accepted Jesse from the beginning? We never really learned much about Tom at all.

Acting

Jonathan Majors did an outstanding job with the script he had to work with. There were a few very powerful moments, but then there were many scenes where it felt like Jonathan wasn’t really sure how he was supposed to deliver his lines. That falls to a weak script and uncertain direction. Again, I don’t think the direction was bad, just not polished. My guess is that if this crew made this movie after another decade of experience this could have been an outstanding movie. There’s a lot of potential here.

Conclusion

That being said, the movie got better as it went along. The last third was gripping and there were tears at the end.

I’d recommend seeing this movie but wait for it to stream.

Grade: C+

About The Peetimes: I have four good Peetimes for you. I think the first two are best. The last Peetime is for emergency use only. There’s a touching moment and then the drama begins to build toward the end of the movie climax.

There are extra scenes during, or after, the end credits of Devotion.

Rated:	(PG-13) NA
Genres:	Action, Drama, War
Starring:	Glen Powell, Jonathan Majors, Serinda Swan
Director:	J.D. Dillard
Writer(s):	Jake Crane, Adam Makos, Jonathan Stewart
Language:	English, Korean
Country:	United States

Plot
A pair of U.S. Navy fighter pilots risk their lives during the Korean War and become some of the Navy’s most celebrated wingmen.