A compelling movie that reveals the flaws in American high society to readily accept people based on vague connections and sheer gall. The protagonist in this movie, played wonderfully by Christoph Waltz (who also directs) is both fascinating and disturbing - a character so determined to climb the social and political ladder that he'll attempt to charm and shmooze his way into virtually every opportunity, all delivered with the smile of a charming, dinner party host. The film unfolds via a series of flashbacks, each showing chapters of the character's life and disturbing personality, culminating in a criminal event. The other cast members are equally brilliant and the movie keeps the tension going throughout. A great film to watch if you're interested in human psychology and the motivations behind those that prey on the vulnerabilities and egos of others.
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daveamac14 June 2021
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jorgegoraieb27 July 2020I don't understand the bad ratings. Ok it's not a 10 but an enjoyable movie with Waltz at his best. 1st half of the movie is brilliant. The second half, especially towards the ending, lacks a bit which is why I only give it a 7.
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vandeman-scott31 December 2022Christopher Waltz, in GEORGETOWN, picks up his goofy character from BIG EYES (2014) right where he left off. He's becoming quite the expert at playing bombastic, sociopathic fabulists. Unfortunately, this particular stock character isn't enough to carry the movie as lead.
Overall, GEORGETOWN is watchable, but it never gains the kind of momentum that's inherent in its premise in spite of objectively good performances from Vanessa Redgrave and Annette Benning. The blame falls squarely on Waltz's shoulders as both director and lead actor. The situations that arise from the protagonist Ulrich Mott's delusions offer plenty of opportunity for suspense, but he fails to capitalize in both capacities.
Based on the true story of Albrecht Gero Muth, a DC grifter currently serving a 50-year sentence for murdering his elderly wife, GEORGETOWN could have been a much better film. Perhaps if Waltz had portrayed Mott with more menace rather than drawing him as a basic clown, the character could have commanded the screen. Instead, we have a cartoon that comes off as a supporting role writ large.
There's always a presumption of darkness in characters like Mott's, but Waltz never goes beyond the surface and, as a result, his portrayal lacks complexity and wears thin quickly. Viewers get no insight into why Mott is the way he is. Lacking much needed character development, his actions at film's end are unsupported and feel contrived.
In addition to (or maybe because of) the weak lead, the film's other elements never gel. In other words, the whole effort is mediocre at best. With a cast this good and a true story to back it up, GEORGETOWN is the very definition of a missed opportunity. -
In a sense this is the Christoph Waltz show, he directs and stars as a man who had great ambitions but was totally duplicitous. In the Washington, D. C. area. Dabbling on the edges of politics and wars. When he 91-yr-old wife turns up dead in their home he is the logical suspect.
In the real life inspiration for the movie the younger man met his eventual wife when he was still a teenager in college. She was married at the time but after her husband died they reconnected. They married in 1990 when she was 70 and he was 26. Her death was 21 years later.
There are a number of really good actors but the movie succeeds on the performance of Christoph Waltz as the duplicitous narcissist. I have seen him in a variety of roles and he is always excellent, a real expert in his craft.
My wife and I watched it at home streaming on Amazon. A really interesting and entertaining movie. -
jimneutens5 August 2022Waltz and Redgrave offer great performances portraying the real people involved in this movie. Be ready to raise questions and seek answers. Think fraud but ....
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SnoopyStyle6 January 2022Ulrich Mott (Christoph Waltz) is a well-connected DC operator. He's married to the elderly widow Elsa Breht (Vanessa Redgrave). Her daughter Amanda Breht (Annette Bening) distrusts the smooth talker. When Elsa is suddenly dead, Amanda immediately accuses Ulrich.
This movie is trying hard to sell its reveals. In the end, there is only one truly intriguing reveal. Once that reveal is shown, I would like to see more of Elsa. It's their relationship that is so mysterious. I want to figure her out more. He's a scammer and a skilled story teller. Him telling his stories is not the most compelling cinema. It's not that deep. It's marginally quirky enough to be mildly amusing. I want her and I want to see more of their relationship. -
Dougmd19745 July 2021Overall liked the movie, was decent. Acting was good and the story was relatively interesting. The film comes off as if events were incredibly complex, but at the end it's all quite simple.
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Never really liked many of Christopher Waltz's past overly showy turns but then, they were mostly in typically juvenile, show-off Tarantino movies so, had to make some compensations. Here he plays a real-life mythomaniac with a measure of self-doubt and wanna-be super socialite ego - he also directs with a good measure of success. Based on a factual murder and bizarre case of identity crisis, it's nicely produced, photographed, and features an interesting music score.
Redgrave plays a German-born journalist, who's the subject of his attentions because of her strong social connections within political circles. For some, what's going on might not always be as focused as it should be (mainly because the main character needed to be fleshed out more thoroughly) but this tends to become a little clearer as it progresses. The Washington 'set' comes in for a mostly deserved dressing down - with the parties and often superficial high-flying 'connections' but it seems this mismatched 'husband and wife' (of convenience) are at times as opportunistic as one another, albeit with some unbecoming results.
The unfortunate journalist's daughter (Bening) has to stand by and witness her mother be used, in all the peculiar set-ups and idiosyncratic extremes by an opportunistic queer, sleeping his way to the top of the social dung heap, without any honesty or moral compass whatsoever. -
This film is a huge disappointment. The central character has no back story or reason why he is where he is at this point in life. The other characters are similarly one dimensional. The plot is like a made for TV movie. I wonder how respected,talented actors sign on to such a poorly developed script.
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lavatch17 June 2022Ulrich Mott (Motti) is quite the gadfly, worming his way into the elite circles of Washington, D. C. He instantly recognizes that the dowager Elsa Breht can be of assistance in introducing him to VIPs. With Elsa's guidance and support, Motti starts a new NGO and begins the glad handing process. His goal: to make a difference in the world!
The film was especially well-crafted in the different roles played by Motti. One of the best sequences was "The Butler" in which Motti is preparing an elaborate meal for a dinner party. The great self-promoter seemed even to be having an impact on the visiting French President.
The screenplay was not quite as successful in developing "The Embed" story of Motti's experience in Iraq. Did this only happen in Motti's vivid imagination? If so, why were there extensive files on Motti's Iraq experience? That was the question that his confused attorney was asking in the courtroom.
The film is essentially a three-character drama with Motti, Elsa, and her daughter Amanda, who, from the outset, recognizes Motti as a charlatan. There was good humor throughout the experience, especially in the moments when Motti's mask slips, and we see a pitiful loser, whose life boils down to a tawdry two-year stay in a cheap motel. -
valleyjohn8 April 2020This is the story of Ulrich Mott, an eccentric who seduced and married a wealthy older widow, Elsa Brecht. Although Mott wad three decades younger than his her , they join forces to dominate the political and social circles of Washington, DC by throwing lavish events at their townhouse in the fashionable suburb of Georgetown. When Elsa is found dead just hours after a dinner party, Ulrich immediately comes under suspicion .
This is Christoph Waltz's directorial debut and going on this effort , he should probably stick to acting alone .
I originally thought that Georgetown was a film about the massacre's in Guyana in the 70's but sadly it wasn't anything quite as dramatic or exciting. There is definitely an interesting movie trying get out here but sadly it doesn't even come close to succeeding.
The problem is i didn't fully understand or even care what was happening with the plot . It was a mixture of a Walter Mitty like story , intertwined with a very weak murder thread and sadly By the end I cared about neither . -
Why the haters coming down on this amazing movie? Christophe Waltz is brilliant as always! Annette Bening is terrific as always! Everyone is great and the casting is tops. There is mystery, intrigue, a bit of humor. It is a bit slow paced in parts but is consistently watchable. If you like a well-made film for adults, this is it. Give it a chance!
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sha-4624 April 2022Happened upon this film by chance. Did not know this was based on real events. The characters of Bening and Redgrave I understood, but not Waltz's character; let alone all of the other supposedly intelligent characters in the film falling for his crap. It makes me wonder if even a second thought was given by the supposedly intelligent characters after the events transpired.
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janwalker-5181627 January 2021This poor plot, poor writing, poor everything! Waltz has tried to have his name removed from Georgetown for a reason also! He finally settled for C. Waltz to try and distant himself for it. If it is ever released save your money!
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Gordon-117 May 2020It is a slow pace mystery which keeps you guessing what really happened. Though there are many surprising twists in the story, there is little surprise. The film somehow lacks a wow factor. Acting is good though.
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PaulDalla24 September 2020Christoph Waltz directs himself to describe the parable of a braggart willing to do anything to rise to the top of American intelligence. Between the tragic and the comic, the incredible character of Ulrich Mott finds an effective representation in Waltz's face and speech. The tight editing and the unusual narrative structure make the vision compelling, but the final part disappoints expectations.
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lucian-g22 March 2020I had much more expectations from Cristophe Waltz, but his film did not delivered, sorry to say. The story just doesn't deliver. Is not a disaster, yet far from a good movie.
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user-3558325 July 2022No explosions. No car chase. Just fine actors plying their trade. Waltz is wonderful as a mischievous yet earnest con man who wants to mix among the DC political elite as much as enjoy the high life that comes with it. Solid supporting cast too.
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aethomson23 June 2022How far might a fantasist get in Washington DC? This, unfortunately, is no longer a merely theoretical question.
"Georgetown" will inevitably be compared with a much better movie on a similar theme, "Reversal of Fortune." (Did Claus von Bulow try to kill his wife Sunny?)
Did Christoph Waltz (as director) choose to make this movie because it gave him scope for his brilliant portrayal (as actor) of the confidence-trick artiste Ulrich Mott? One problem with "Georgetown" is that we can never be sure whether it is drama or dramatized documentary. It's actually divided into themes and phases, with displayed titles, such as "The Intern," "The Butler," and "The Embed." Is this movie a sociological study? Are we to believe that Georgetown, a suburb of Washington (just upstream from Foggy Bottom), is full of important people who can nonetheless be easily fooled into believing that a flashy talker must also be a very important person - like themselves?
Every so often Mott hits a wall: One professional sends him packing. "I'm encouraging you to find a better place to develop your unique set of talents." Does Mott's "NGO", Eminent Persons Group, have credentials from the US State Department? Some Iraqis figure him out - No. Then the State Department figures him out - No again.
But a remarkable number of people do not see through him. And most remarkably, his wife Elsa Breht (Vanessa Redgrave) is taken for a long, long ride into fantasy land. But finally, in a hotel room (oops!): "I thought you were out shopping." "I thought you were at the United Nations. But there was never a meeting at the UN, was there!"
Promotion comes swiftly in Iraq's armed services. After two years Mott has risen to the rank of Brigadier-General. And he's got the uniform and medals to prove it. We feel sorry for the defense attorney Daniel Volker (Corey Hawkins), who knows less and less, as Mott spins more and more cobwebs.
"As I was saying to Kofi..." That would be Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, wouldn't it? Yeah, right. You've got to admire, and even enjoy, the sheer panache that Christoph Waltz displays in this "make it up as you go along" exercise in opportunism. -
yusufpiskin11 December 2022The 2022 movie by Christoph Waltz...
It is Christoph Waltz's third directorial following 'Wenn man sich traut' (2000) and 'Fidelio' (2020).
Waltz is accompanied by Vanessa Redgrave, who gives a fascinating performance in every frame she appears in the movie.
But this is not enough.
While adapting Franklin Foer's book, Waltz falls in love with the work and loses his cinema audience.
The script of the movie can't get rid of boring from time to time, and Wlatz's German accent looks very artificial for the first time in a movie.
Despite all its budget, talented on-camera and behind-the-scenes crew, the movie makes the audience feel like it's a shame if I leave before it's over, just like a bad theatrical adaptation in a low-budget theater. -
avindugunasinghe23 December 2022A world that cataclysmically outgrows a man is made into motion picture masterfully. An excellent performance by Christoph Waltz amd Vaness Redgrave. Trauma,Guilt and Emptiness inside of Albrecht Mott's character is enacted well. Both lead characters were supplemented with sincere performances making this a worthwhile watch. Georgetown with it's clever flashforwards gives Mott's journey a supernatural touch. Not a story about a predator but a unique consumer in a society that's consciously too doubtful, too complex and negligent. A very strange and a tragic story of loneliness well made to a film.
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mike-c-b2 August 2020The film is a light story with a lot of intrigue but not much else. Acting is precocious (excessive pandering to all in the scene, but only relevant to themselves/their own amusements) - this is from everybody, so there is no variety of character. You can't wait a few minutes to get another personality.
Background music was a little invasive in trying to make you feel the intrigue of the story. So it comes across as a TV movie.
All other aspects, camera, timing, and editing were fantastic. -
tm-sheehan25 October 2021My Review- Georgetown My Rating 8/10 Based on the true story of Albrect Muth a con man serving a long prison sentence I won't say what for so as not to spoil the plot of the film.
Georgetown won't appeal to everyone but I loved it's originality and style.
If you enjoyed "The Good Liar."2019 made the same year as this film and "Six Degrees of Separation "1993 I think you'll enjoy "Georgetown." This is a story of a true narcissist Albrect Mott played beautifully by Christoph Waltz who also directed the film , which I'm not certain was the best Director choice but he's a great actor and his performance is superb.
IThis is the Directorial debut of Christoph Waltz in a feature film written by David Auburn, based on The New York Times Magazine article "The Worst Marriage in Georgetown" by Franklin Foer. The Georgetown neighborhood is a well-known historic neighborhood in the District of Columbia. Waltz stars alongside Vanessa Redgrave, Annette Bening and Corey Hawkins.
What a cast ! Vanessa Redgrave gives a great performance as Elsa Breht and quite demanding for any actress , especially one over 80 years old . Elsa is a Washington socialite attracted to the magnetic charm of Albrect a man almost half her age much to the horror of her daughter Amanda played by the wonderful Annette Bening.
"Georgetown." Is Vanessa Redgrave and Annette Bening's second film portraying mother and daughter, respectively. The first was Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool (2017) one of my favourite movies.
The character Ulrich Mott is an ambitious social climber who marries a wealthy widow in Washington D. C. in order to mix with powerful political players. He is such a legend in his own mind that he forms his own group The EPG "Eminent Persons Group." and says his credentials include being a General in Iraq with Ambassadorial qualifications.
The story is told in flashback sequences which eventually reveal the truth I would have preferred it to be in chapter form told from the perspective of each character a technique I've enjoyed in recent films.
It's a very interesting and quirky story that truly shows the consequences of narcissism and ego and it's effect on all those involved. -
sergelamarche20 December 2022This is quite a different story very well played. It is done in a way to understand all the sides as it goes along. Vanessa and Christoph are hilarious together even though it is also dramatic.
It is shown as segments with a different theme in each. We can see a point of view in each and we gradually go deeper and deeper in the story. It is intriguing all along. We get to guess a few things. We understand all the characters and we root for them. Only, we don't get how it ended the way it did at the beginning until the end.
Great acting and sets. I definitely liked the film above average. It is a bit of a celebration of life, almost ordinary, of people reaching for the top, while one was overreaching. -
tim-3131515 May 2022... the whole movie builds up in a constant back and forth to a surprise ending - that never materialized. The story could be cut to 5 min and be better for it.