Richard Jewell (2019)

This was a very good film, with one near fatal flaw.
Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) is a lump of a man, but he is smart enough, just lacks a little common sense, such as pushing a smart-mouthed college student, illegally drinking beer in his dorm room. But he still adores law enforcement and is thrilled to have a job working security at the 1996 Olympics, Centennial Park where nightly concerts are held. That night, in addition to battling diarrhea, he also argues with some young men over shooting beer cans but then discovers a book bag, just shoved under a bench. Now, most would have ignored it, thinking that someone just stashed it, not wanting to carry on their backs while watching the concerts, but not Richard, he insists that it get called in and it's a good thing that he does. Turns out, it's a bomb, so they try to clear the area but the bomb explodes anyway, killing two and injuring more than one hundred.
And Richard goes from hero to suspect in the blink of an eye, thanks to his former boss calling in his suspicions to the FBI.
Here is where the fatal flaw happens. Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde), a hungry reporter for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, goes to her FBI contact, Tom Shaw (Jon Hamm) and bribes him with sex to get a tip that Jewell is being investigated. Not only is that scene untrue, it's also demeaning to women. It highlights the loose morals of both characters. Honestly, while I like Wilde and think she's a solid actress, I felt that her character was unnecessary. The film worked well without her, with the scenes between Richard and his attorney, Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell) and his mother, Bobi (the great Kathy Bates). It dealt with how the FBI was pulling at threads trying to get Richard to be the guilty party when they knew he couldn't have done it. It took them eighty-eight days to figure that out.
It also details how disruptive the press and FBI can be in your life. They take everything from the house, down to Bobi's underwear and tupperware, and she's devastated. I don't blame her.
Despite the incorrect actions of Kathy's character, the film has heart and great performances. It's a shame that that one mistake turned this film from a top film of the year to one that's just middle of the road. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-The Jewell's beagle is just adorable.
-At first I was upset that they created a slight romantic angle between Watson and his secretary, Nadya (Nina Arianda) but it turns out, that was true. They got married and had two children.
-Also, what sort of first name is Watson? I feel bad for him.
-I can't believe that it took the FBI six years to find the actual bomber, Eric Rudolph. He hid for six years and then just confessed? That's probably another film.
-Sam Rockwell was quite good in this film as well and probably should have been in bigger contention for major awards than he was.