YES. I love the dialogue in this film generally. But especially with Marty. It's so restrained and true to life. The introduction to Marty vs. Robby is simply brilliant in my book. It gets in a lot of introduction/exposition (check out that ultra smooth intro to the Spotlight team.) It establishes an immediate insider vs outsider dynamic as well as a boss/employee dynamic and is highly revealing of character. And it's way fun! How much do we love watching these two very smart men jockey for footing with one another. The power shifts are masterful: when they first meet both men are uncertain. Then Marty's put a bit on the defensive with the reveal that he knows nothing about sports (sacrilege in Boston!). Then it's Robby's turn to feel defensive with the possible put down about his "elder" status. Robby turns it around on Marty when he tells Marty they've been investigating him. But it's Robby who ends up ill at ease when Marty refuses to reveal why he is asking about Spotlight. [See more after the scene.] MARTY BARON, 46, bearded, intellectual, sits at a table reading “The Curse of the Bambino,” a NOTEPAD beside him. ROBBY Mr. Baron. Marty looks up and rises to greet Robby. MARTY Uh, Walter? ROBBY Call me Robby. MARTY Thanks for taking time out of your weekend. ROBBY I was flattered to be asked. (sitting) That’s a good book, it was written by one of our sports writers. MARTY It seems you can’t properly consider Boston without considering the Red Sox. ROBBY (playfully) I hope you’re not a Marlins fan. MARTY Uh, no. I actually don’t care much for baseball. ROBBY Oh. Awkward moment. MARTY So I, uh, asked a few senior editors who I should sit down with and your name was at the top of every list. ROBBY Well, I’m sure I’m on a few of those lists for the wrong reasons. MARTY They were mostly positive. Robby reacts. Mostly? MARTY In fact, a few referred to you as an elder statesman. Elder? Robby doesn’t like the sound of that either. ROBBY I’m very proud to work as a reporter for this paper. Marty eyes his notebook. MARTY You are an editor, though? For, uh, the Spotlight team? ROBBY I prefer to think of myself as more of a player coach. But yes. You’re familiar with Spotlight? MARTY Uh, not particularly. Nothing is smooth with this guy. ROBBY It’s a four person team, long term investigative. Mike Rezendes, real bulldog; Sacha Pfeiffer, she’s young but knows the courts; Matty Carroll, computer-assisted-reporting. And of course, we report to Ben Bradlee. We just put out a piece on this negligent construction outfit, now we’re trolling around for our next story. MARTY How long does that usually take? ROBBY Few weeks, we don’t like to rush it. Once we focus on something we invest a lot of time and resources. MARTY Yes, I can imagine. Marty jots down some notes. Is he judging? MARTY (CONT’D) So what are you considering now? Robby, used to asking the questions, turns it around. ROBBY Well, to be honest, we’ve all been doing a little investigating into Marty Baron. Marty puts down his pen. ROBBY (CONT’D) First Editor from the outside. Shaky economic times, I think some people are jittery. MARTY That’s understandable. All indicators suggest that we are going to lose all of our classified revenue before the end of year. ROBBY That’s a lot of money lost. MARTY Yes it is. ROBBY I’m curious, is that why you’re asking about Spotlight? MARTY No. It was unrelated. He jots down more notes. Off Robby, unsure. This is how these guys talk. The jockeying feels true. The playing ones cards close to one's chest feels true. The insecurities about age, about lack of sports knowledge are true. And the journalist's desire to be the questioner rather than responder are DEAD ON. Yikes, I knew I was "in" after this scene. They had my attention wherever they went after this. But also, here's what I love about this scene: it totally pays off in a character arc for Robby that's also an arc for the Globe team. See Robby's scene with Peter Conley at the Fairmont toward the end of the movie. We saw Marty and Robby start off on uncertain footing as per above. In the Fairmont scene, we also see two men jockeying and teasing each other. But this time it's not two men sussing each other out. It's two men who have known each other a long time. And who have both come to a decision about WHERE THEY STAND. It's a brilliant mirror of the early scene with Marty. And shows the distance Robby has traveled over the length of the movie. He's now solidly allied with the "outsider" and taking on the status quo represented by men like Peter Conley. INT. FAIRMONT HOTEL, OAK ROOM - NIGHT The posh bar of one of Boston’s oldest hotels. Robby is at the bar, a scotch in front of him. PETER CONLEY Looks like a long day. Peter Conley walks up. Nods to the barman. PETER CONLEY (CONT’D) Sorry to make it longer. (to the barkeep) Same. ROBBY Anyone ever say no to a drink with you, Pete? PETER CONLEY Sure. Trick is to keep asking. The drink arrives. PETER CONLEY (CONT’D) Health. They drink. ROBBY You here for the Cardinal? PETER CONLEY I wouldn’t pretend to speak for the Cardinal. I leave that to Donna Morrissey. Robby smiles. Pete is smooth. PETER CONLEY (CONT’D) This guy Baron, you like him? ROBBY He’s growing on me. PETER CONLEY I’m not sure he’s so good for the paper. ROBBY No? PETER CONLEY Globe’s not what it used to be. You run a story like this, you will lose subscribers. You remember the calls after Porter? ROBBY That’s what the switchboard’s for. PETER CONLEY You’ve had a good career, Robby. Hell, a great one. You want to end it as the guy who brought down the Globe? (then) We take care of our own. It’s what we do. Baron’s not one of us. Robby looks at Conley. A long beat. He shakes his head. ROBBY This is how it happens, a guy leans on a guy and suddenly the whole fucking town looks the other way. PETER CONLEY Goodnight, Robby. Conley leaves. Yeah, that’s exactly how it happens. Off Robby, BROODING -- Ack, LOVE.

Great analysis once again, screenstudent. And can't you add a third scene in which Robby confronts Jim Sullivan, by now Robby is totally into the journalism universe, willing to push his old friend to get to the truth. Completes Robby's arc. Another thing to note about the first scene with Baron: Look at all the so-called 'unfilmables'!!! Robby reacts. Mostly? Nothing is smooth with this guy. Marty jots down some notes. Is he judging? Robby, used to asking the questions, turns it around. I will be adding this to my upcoming post on this so-called 'rule'. Oscar winning script replete with narrator commentary. Take that, script literalists! Hey, ss, would you email me? Have a few questions for you? And once again, thanks for the excellent analysis!

Another scene with great dialogue was when MARTY visited with CARDINAL LAW. It revealed so much about the two men without either having to say very much at all: CARDINAL LAW I used to sit in on lectures with the Nieman fellows when I was at Harvard. MARTY I, uh, read you were an editor once. Law chuckles. CARDINAL LAW Yes. A very long time ago. The Mississippi Register. Small, diocesan newspaper, but for a 30- year-old pastor it was a big responsibility. Too much at times. MARTY How so? CARDINAL LAW I was close with the Evers brothers, we took a stand on civil rights. Our readership was not pleased. They saw me as a meddling outsider. MARTY I can imagine. CARDINAL LAW Tough seat to sit in, especially in a small town. I think you’ll find Boston’s a small town too, Marty, in many ways. But if I can be of any help, don’t hesitate to ask. I find that this city flourishes when its great institutions work together. MARTY Uh, thank you. Personally I’m of the opinion that for the paper to best perform its function it needs to, uh, stand alone. Law reacts, surprised -- the rebuff almost feels unwarranted. CARDINAL LAW Of course, but my offer stands. ________ What I find fascinating about this conversation is how Law reveals that he had been in a very similar circumstance as a young man and that he found the position to be very difficult. He was on the right side of a different but significant issue and, even with the strong faith one assumes he must have had, was unable, or unwilling, to withstand the pressure from the community. He was a "meddling outsider" - the same as Marty. Law, obviously was a 'go along to get along' kind of guy and was therefore taken aback when Marty suggested that he intended to "stand alone". The conversation shows you what kind of men these two are. Again, not much is said but it's just enough. The meeting also seems like Marty was meeting with the Devil and offered a bargain. (Odd to imagine a Cardinal as the Devil but that's why it's so powerful.) The Cardinal's office was quite ornate and he looked to be very well off. Marty probably could have reaped some real personal rewards if he took Law up on his offer but, instead (and apparently unlike the choice Law had made as a young man) chose to do the right thing and try to reveal the truth of what was happening - to really provide a service to his readers and the community. Great stuff!

Excellent scene and analysis, Adam. You don't get to become a Cardinal unless you have great psychological and political skills, so in this scene, as you note, Law seeks to create a point of commonality between he and Baron, then use that to try steer Baron's thinking and ultimately behavior. Also that "small town" angle, not just to make the connection to Law's own past as an editor, but also to put pressure on Marty: Don't muddy the waters as everybody knows everybody's business here kind of thing. At the end of this scene, Law gives Marty a 'gift', right? The book of Cathecism? Such an act of hubris and frankly an anti-Semitic jab. That is a great scene out. But Marty's response is pitch perfect. Doesn't let it ruffle his feathers. Again: Reserve.

Thanks, Scott. I've often heard it said, usually in the world of sports, that over time a team begins to take on the characteristics of its manager/head coach. In this case, the Spotlight team (or at least its leader, Robby - Rezendes and Carroll were both pretty emotional). And, as you've pointed out, the whole film had the same tone.