"First Man" is a weird film. Much of it is pleasing and somewhat surprising (the claustrophobic space-entry sequence) and some of it not so much: for example, the glaring whiteness not exactly helped by a scene that appears to be glib about civil rights protestors.
I just got the sense watching it that Damien Chazelle is kinda cynically and unapologetically pandering to white male viewers throughout the film, which is ironic given that the film's box office take has been hurt by the flag controversy and Trump's criticism.
That said, Claire Joy is marvelous as Janet Armstrong, and I wish she had an even bigger piece of the script. And can Kyle Chandler do no wrong? Not in my eyes, even if he's basically playing a different version of Coach Taylor here.
Overall: B-
Overall: B-
