Over the years, there’s always been a supply of journalism films. It’s a genre that’s ripe for cinematic depictions. From some of the very best of the genre, Citizen Kane, All The President’s Men, Zodiac, Spotlight, and The Insider, to underrated gems, Shattered Glass, to not-so-great entries, I Love Trouble, the genre remains one of cinema’s most intriguing topics.
Entering the newsroom is the latest dive into the world of journalism – Cold Copy. A film that not only dives into the cutthroat world of journalism but effectively looks at the price of fame, success, and obsession within the medium.
Cold Copy follows Mia Scott, a journalism student who craves the fame and fortune of being a journalist. When the opportunity arrives to have her story air on Diane Heger’s news show, “The Night Report,” Mia struggles to find the “perfect topic.” She meets Igor, who opens up possibilities that lead to questions about Mia’s moral compass and what she’s willing to do to succeed.
Debut writer/director Roxine Helberg’s screenplay examines the moral ambiguity of succeeding within the field. It’s a confident and stunning debut that celebrates the area and condemns its selfishness. Helberg’s script focuses on the damaging relationships created not just in the success of the field, but in uncovering just one little story on a newscast. It’s utterly fascinating.
On the performance side, it was hard not to be engrossed by the performances of both Bel Powley and Tracee Ellis Ross. While both charters share more similarities than they’d admit, they go about diversely and interestingly, leading to a magnetism to their performances when they appear on the screen. While not as much screen time as I’d hope, Jacob Tremblay offers a complex, unique look at a tortured soul who has yet to process the traumatic events that have overtaken his life entirely.
Cold Copy, while intoxicatingly tense, is not reinventing the wheel. The film’s twists and turns are predicted minutes in advance which lessens the stakes the film attempts to present. Along with a finale that is too on the nose, Cold Copy will enter the zeitgeist of solid, entertaining journalism films but fail at becoming instantly memorable.
