Miss Sloane begins with a burst of energy, throwing you straight into the high-stakes political maneuvering that dominates the story. Jessica Chastain plays the fierce and driven Madeline Sloane, a character who takes no shit from anyone and fights tooth and nail for what she believes in. It’s a talky but fiery start, and it’s evident early on that Chastain is going to carry this story all the way through.
That she does, and it’s fortunate that this film is graced with her presence because it stumbles down the stretch. We don’t get all that much by the way of character development because the film opts to put all its chips in the plot basket, and the glaring weaknesses that result are evident in the overly twisty final act. In addition, the repetitive nature of some of the scenes drags a bit in the middle section. Nevertheless, I respect that the film isn’t shy at all about what it believes in, and it embraces the in-your-face soap opera aspect of the story effectively. Certain moments are eyeroll-worthy, but when all is said and done, what remains at the center of it all is Chastain’s compelling performance and an extremely relevant story.
GRADE: B
*I saw this at the premiere at AFI Fest, and I can confirm that Jessica Chastain is a wonderful human being. My heart soared when she went down the line of people who couldn’t get in and said hi to everyone.
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