Episode 39 - Sully

Noted empty chair scolder, Clint Eastwood, directed the 2016 biographical drama, "Sully," which was proudly nominated for three AARP Movies for Grownups Awards. The film somehow manages to take the captivating story of one of greatest heroes of modern times, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, and twist it into a mind-numbingly boring rant about how governmental agencies are malevolent and incompetent. Who knew that a movie about a guy who single-handedly saved 155 lives and was an Air Force fighter pilot could be such a snoozefest? Charming and brilliant Tom Hanks made the unfortunate mistake of following Eastwood's ham-fisted direction in his portrayal of Sully. He presents him as stiff and robotic rather than the charismatic and dynamic character he has demonstrated himself to be on numerous occasions. While the real Sully confidently strode into the media spotlight following "The Miracle on the Hudson," he is awkwardly depicted as a withdrawn and frightened mess who feared being exposed as a negligent fraud. Again, we blame Dirty Harry for this rather than Tom. Aaron Eckhart plays Jeff Skiles, Sully's heavily-mustachioed First Officer on US Airways Flight 1549. Eckhart's over-the-top facial fur and cheesy affect made for a performance that was more cartoonish than when he played Two-Face in "The Dark Knight." Laura Linney plays Sully's wife, Lorrie Sullenberger. For some reason, they decided to portray Sully's beloved wife, who was a great source of support to him, as an ill-natured Nervous Nellie. She only talks to him on the phone in this and seems to try to add to his stress level at every opportunity. Mike O'Malley, of Nickelodeon "GUTS" fame, plays the evil leader of the made-up governmental conspiracy against Sully that Eastwood shoehorned into this movie for no apparent reason. Anna Gunn, aka Skylar White in "Breaking Bad," plays a slightly less evil government agent. She also tries railroad Sully as a bad guy after he saved 155 people, but she was a little bit nicer about it. Join us as we discuss Hanks's acclaimed history of playing captains, chicken cannons and awkward cab conversations. Tell us what you think by chatting with us (@filmsnuff) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or by shooting us an email over at [email protected]. This episode is sponsored by ActualMonster.com. Visit our website at https://www.filmsnuff.com.