# Leonardo DiCaprio as J Edgar Hoover-Will It Be Good? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 24, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475 "2011-09-24T19:09:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/1 "2011-09-24T19:09:01Z")
I am looking forward to this flick-I think that Leo did a good job portraying Howard Hughes (“The Aviator”). I happened to read a bit of his interview in GQ magazine, and it seems that enough time has passed to permit a critical look at Hoover’s role in the FBI. I wonder how the film will deal with Hoover’s relationship with Clyde Tolson, and how Hoover was allowed to stay in his job so long. Also, Hoover’s obsession with communism-the guy saw communist agents everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/2 "2011-09-24T23:33:08Z")
Subject material good, Leo is good, Clint Eastwood the director is good - so, things look good. Saw the trailer yesterday and the only thing that looked out of place was Leo as an aging J. Edgar - makeup looked really, really fake and poorly done. Granted, it was a short glimpse, but it just didn’t work. I notice they will touch on J. Edgar’s sexuality - nice little hint of that in the trailer. So - have high hopes as well, other than that brief glimpse of Leo as the “old” J. Edgar. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/3 "2011-09-25T01:15:32Z")
Has Eastwood directed any bad movies? Primate costars not withstanding. ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/4 "2011-09-25T01:45:50Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Has Eastwood directed any bad movies? Primate costars not withstanding. He’s directed more bad movies than good movies. Even after his semi-retirement as an actor, when he was making Oscar-bait films like _Million Dollar Baby_, he was still pumping out mediocre stuff like\* Blood Work\*, _Hereafter_, and _Changeling_. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/5 "2011-09-25T06:03:23Z")
I think so. I’m hoping to see Leo in a dress. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/6 "2011-09-25T07:40:40Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > I think so. I’m hoping to see Leo in a dress. Yes, that wold be “Mary” Hoover! ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/7 "2011-09-25T15:15:17Z")
> [@Tarwater](#): > > He’s directed more bad movies than good movies. Even after his semi-retirement as an actor, when he was making Oscar-bait films like _Million Dollar Baby_, he was still pumping out mediocre stuff like\* Blood Work\*, _Hereafter_, and _Changeling_. How is Blood Work after his retirement? He was the star and appeared in practically every scene. It also wasn’t that bad. And everyone I’ve talked to about Changeling has either absolutely loved it or hated it. So there’s more going on there than just a mediocre movie. ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/8 "2011-09-25T18:54:23Z")
Semi-retirement. More recently, he also starred in _Gran Torino._ So, like I said, he’s not finished completely. But it was around _Million Dollar Baby_ that he said he was shifting his focus from acting to directing. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/9 "2011-09-25T19:12:01Z")
I trust they won’t use the now totally discredited transvestite story but knowing Hollywood it will be too good to pass on even if it is false. The source of the story was author Anthony Summers’ book _Official and Confidential: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover_/ A previous book by him on Kennedy had shown how cavalier he was with the truth and this one was no different. No serious Hoover historian or biographer puts any credit into the tale. See [this link](http://hnn.us/articles/814.html) for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/10 "2011-09-25T21:05:55Z")
I think it’ll be amazing. > [@DMark](#): > > Subject material good, Leo is good, Clint Eastwood the director is good - so, things look good. And don’t forget Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black wrote it. He won Best Original Screenplay for Milk. Reviews of the script floating around rank it as outstanding. The rest of the cast looks great too: Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, Armie Hammer (the Winklevii!), Judi Dench, Stephen Root, Dermot Mulroney, & Lea Thompson (I haven’t seen her in anything for ages). I haven’t watched the trailer. I’m actively trying to avoid it. I’ll be there opening day no matter what. > [@DMark](#): > > I notice they will touch on J. Edgar’s sexuality - nice little hint of that in the trailer. I see the right wingers are starting to come out of the closet to slam the film for even daring to mention it. They’re swarming all over IMDB, like roaches. If it is a great movie, it’s going to be one hell of an Oscars threat (sorry folks, I’m getting into Awards Season mode, so I’ll tend to be very annoying the next few months) with nominations likely for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best ORIGINAL (not Adapted) Screenplay, Cinematography & Costumes. Leo’s overdue for an Oscar but it’ll still be one of the most interesting (and hunky) Best Actor lineups in a long time (I’ll predict Leo’s up against Brad Pitt for Moneyball, Jean Dujardin for The Artist, Michael Shannon for either Shame or Take Shelter and I’m not sure who else, maybe Christopher Plummer for Barrymore). ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/11 "2011-09-25T21:15:52Z")
> **[The truth about "Gay Edgar Hoover"](http://milfuegos.blogspot.com/2009/12/truth-about-gay-edgar-hoover.html)** > > The truth about "Gay Edgar Hoover" Three separate and well-informed sources, including a former White House press photographer and a noted r... There is plenty of people who were in the government who believed hoover was gay. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/12 "2011-09-26T00:23:46Z")
Don’t see why not. Leo doesn’t appear in junk. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/13 "2011-09-26T12:59:21Z")
Now here’s a biopic that’s been too long coming. Hoover is awesome subject material and they shouldn’t even have to use too much poetic license. > [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Has Eastwood directed any bad movies? Primate costars not withstanding. _Hereafter_ was really, really bad. ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/14 "2011-09-26T13:07:25Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > _Hereafter_ was really, really bad. I kinda liked it, is it the near death thing that put everyone off? ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/15 "2011-09-26T13:19:40Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > I see **the right wingers are starting to come out of the closet** to slam the film for even daring to mention it. I see what you did there. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/16 "2011-09-26T14:50:44Z")
Here’s [a link to the trailer](http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/jedgar/) in case anyone needs it. Today was the first time I’ve seen anything about this film (I’m way out of touch apparently) and I think it looks truly great. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/17 "2011-09-26T15:25:42Z")
> [@willthekittensurvive](#): > > I kinda liked it, is it the near death thing that put everyone off? I just saw _Hereafter_ this weekend. I thought it was well put together and well acted, and some scenes were really poignant. But I had a hard time getting past the talking-to-the-dead thing. I had no idea there was a movie about Hoover coming out. It sounds promising, based on this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/18 "2011-09-26T16:52:01Z")
If you ever get a chance, sometimes Fox Movie Channel airs the 1970s low-budget “Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover.” Broderick Crawford plays Hoover as a flawed character but without being cartoonish aspect–but I don’t think they addressed his relationship with Tolson. I get the idea that Hoover was a pretty private person, so I’m guessing the characterization was Crawford’s and the directors. It will be interesting to see how the new version will turn out. David Halberstam once commented that in his opinion Hoover and Tolson were a “couple” of sorts, but he didn’t personally think that the relationship was ever consummated. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/19 "2011-09-26T17:01:46Z")
Was JEH friends with Roy Cohn? Cohn is a very interesting charcter-corrupt to the core, but a staunch anti-commie. Hoover saw commies around every corner-so logically they probably knew eachother. And Hoover’s relationship with the Kennedy clan? I always wondered if he was blackmailing JFK-as he had done for MLK (taping King’s extramarital affairs)-JFK would have provided a mother lode of closet skeletons. Hoover had a lot of stuff destroyed after his death-I wonder if some of the jucier stuff escaped the flames? ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475/20 "2011-09-26T18:28:42Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > I had no idea there was a movie about Hoover coming out. But I thought he never came out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonardo-dicaprio-as-j-edgar-hoover-will-it-be-good/597475.md?page=2)