Spotlight (2015)

The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.

Director:

Tom McCarthy

Writers:

Josh Singer, Tom McCarthy

Stars:

Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams

Top Rated Movies #224 | Won 2 Oscars. Another 123 wins & 141 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Ruffalo	...	Mike Rezendes
Michael Keaton	...	Walter 'Robby' Robinson
Rachel McAdams	...	Sacha Pfeiffer
Liev Schreiber	...	Marty Baron
John Slattery	...	Ben Bradlee Jr.
Brian d'Arcy James	...	Matt Carroll
Stanley Tucci	...	Mitchell Garabedian
Elena Wohl	...	Barbara
Gene Amoroso	...	Steve Kurkjian
Doug Murray	...	Peter Canellos
Sharon McFarlane	...	Helen Donovan
Jamey Sheridan	...	Jim Sullivan
Neal Huff	...	Phil Saviano
Billy Crudup	...	Eric Macleish
Robert B. Kennedy	...	Court Clerk Mark

Storyline

When the Boston Globe's tenacious "Spotlight" team of reporters delves into allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, their year-long investigation uncovers a decades-long cover-up at the highest levels of Boston's religious, legal, and government establishment, touching off a wave of revelations around the world.

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Plot Keywords:

child molestation | investigation | sexual abuse | cover up | newspaper | 

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Taglines:

Break the story. Break the silence.

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language including sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Page Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 November 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Spotlight

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$295,009, 8 November 2015

Gross USA:

$45,055,776

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$98,690,254

Company Credits

Production Co:

Participant, First Look Media, Anonymous Content

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During an interview on National Public Radio's "Fresh Air", Director Tom McCarthy said that they built a large set to depict many of the Boston Globe offices, where parts of the story take place. When the reporters depicted in the movie first visited the set, they gravitated to "their" desks, and many of them started to arrange the items on those desks the way they had been at the time.

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Goofs

The Buttery where Sacha meets Joe did not open until 2005.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Young Cop: How's that going?
Court Clerk Mark: Mother's bawlin' and the uncle is pissed off.
Young Cop: She's not married?
Court Clerk Mark: Divorced, with 4 kids. I guess the Father was helping out.
Young Cop: Helping out?
Court Clerk Mark: ...Hey, Mr. Burke, they're in the back talking to the Bishop.
Paul Burke: [entering] And Father?
Court Clerk Mark: We put him in the break room.
Paul Burke: Any press?
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Honest Trailers: The Oscars 2018 (2018)

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Soundtracks

Al Fresco
Written and Performed by Tom Keane
Courtesy of Masonmack Music Inc.

User Reviews

Fantastic Movie Filled with Sadness

Going into the theater to see Spotlight, I had read the rave reviews and knew I was in for something special. This movie did not disappoint! Being from Boston, this movie really made me think about my life growing up, as a lot of "what ifs" came to mind. "What if" I went to church every Sunday..."what if" I was gullible enough to have a priest lure me into his lair. Spotlight goes straight to the heart of this amazingly sad (and apparently never-ending) saga of the Catholic church and the amount of abuse priests have inflicted on hundreds of victims. The acting is all-around fantastic, from Mr. Keaton to some actors that I am not familiar with, which is an aspect of this fine movie that makes it so profound. Tense throughout, I was saddened to hear that this abuse is an epidemic and probably will never be stopped. The exclamation point was when a member of the audience stood up and told the rest of us "...I am a survivor..." WOW...