History Trivia / Spotlight

* PlayingAgainstType: Veteran character actor Len Cariou plays the StepfordSmiler / FauxAffablyEvil Cardinal Bernard Law. For those familiar with ''Series/BlueBloods'', it might be unsettling to see him playing a cardinal covering up a very disturbing scandal instead of the CoolOldGuy patriarch in the series.

* CareerResurrection: Solidified Michael Keaton's emergence back into the limelight, showing that his work in ''Film/{{Birdman}}'' wasn't just a one-time thing.

* AllStarCast: Creator/MichaelKeaton, Creator/MarkRuffalo, Creator/RachelMcAdams, [[Theatre/SomethingRotten Brian d'Arcy James]], Creator/JohnSlattery, Creator/LievSchreiber, Creator/BillyCrudup, and Creator/StanleyTucci. This is a stellar cast.

** But if you remember that he originated the title role in ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'', it might make a bit more sense.

* RealitySubtext: Jimmy [=LeBlanc=], who plays Patrick [=McSorley=], was himself an actual survivor of the clerical abuse scandal, so when director Tom [=McCarthy=] first brought him in for rehearsals with Creator/MarkRuffalo, Creatr/MichaelKeaton and Creator/StanleyTucci, he was concerned that 'revisiting' Jimmy's abusive past might be too emotionally traumatic for him. However, as [=McCarthy=] later accompanied Jimmy out after the session, he asked him if he was freaked out by his first "acting" experience with the other actors. "Of course I'm freaked out," Jimmy said, "that was [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse the Hulk]] and ComicBook/{{Batman}} and that guy from ''Film/TheDevilWearsPrada''".

* AllStarCast: Creator/MichaelKeaton, Creator/MarkRuffalo, Creator/RachelMcAdams, [[Theatre/SomethingRotten Brian d'Arcy James]], [[Series/MadMen John Slattery]], Creator/LievSchreiber, Creator/BillyCrudup, and Creator/StanleyTucci. This is a stellar cast.

* DuelingMovies: With ''Film/BlackMass'', another film about a dark period of Boston's recent history. It also came out just after another film about intrepid journalists investigating a major scandal, ''Truth'', though unlike ''Spotlight'' that movie tanked at the box office and was quickly forgotten.

* [[CastingGag Directing Gag]]: The co-writer/director of this ode to honest journalism is Thomas [=McCarthy=], who played Scott Templeton, a dishonest, power-hungry journalist who fabricated his stories [[KarmaHoudini and got away with it]] on ''Series/TheWire''.

* MethodActing: How Creator/MichaelKeaton and Creator/MarkRuffalo prepared for their roles. The real Walter Robinson said, "If Michael Keaton robbed a bank, the police would have me in handcuffs." Ruffalo had the real Mike Rezendes say his lines on every break, and asked him if he could watch him yell at someone. (The real Rezendes said no.) Creator/RachelMcAdams also admitted to basically "stalking" Sacha Pfeiffer, through face-to-face meetings, phone conversations and listening to radio and TV broadcasts. Pfeiffer notes that she allowed the production borrow to her actual 1995 Honda Civic, which [=McAdams=] drives in the film.

* ActorAllusion: Probably not intentional, but Creator/MarkRuffalo looks like he's HulkingOut when informed that the story will need to be delayed for several additional months.

* DuelingMovies: With ''Film/BlackMass'', another film about a dark period of Boston's recent history.

* MethodActing: How Creator/MichaelKeaton and Creator/MarkRuffalo prepared for their roles. The real Walter Robinson said, "If Michael Keaton robbed a bank, the police would have me in handcuffs." Ruffalo had the real Mike Rezendes say his lines on every break, and asked him if he could watch him yell at someone. (The real Rezendes said no.) Creator/RachelMcAdams also admitted to basically "stalking" Sacha Pfeiffer, through face-to-face meetings, phone conversations and listening to radio and TV broadcasts. Pfeiffer notes that she allowed the production borrow her actual 1995 Honda Civic, which [=McAdams=] drives in the film.

* MethodActing: How Creator/MichaelKeaton and Creator/MarkRuffalo prepared for their roles. The real Walter Robinson said, "If Michael Keaton robbed a bank, the police would have me in handcuffs." Ruffalo had the real Mike Rezendes say his lines on every break, and asked him if he could watch him yell at someone. (The real Rezendes said no.) Creator/RachelMcAdams also admitted to basically "stalking" Sacha Pfeiffer, through face-to-face meetings, phone conversations and listening to radio and TV broadcasts.

* CareerResurrection: Solidified Michael Keaton's emergence back into the limelight, showing that his work in ''Birdman'' wasn't just a one-time thing.

* [[CastingGag Directing Gag]]: The co-writer/director of this ode to doing the right thing when it comes to the power of journalism is Thomas [=McCarthy=], who played Scott Templeton, a dishonest, power-hungry journalist who fabricated his stories [[KarmaHoudini and got away with it]] on ''Series/TheWire''.

* DarkHorseVictory: ''Spotlight'' was considered a great movie, [[http://criticstop10.com/ appearing on more Top 10 lists]] than any film from 2015 aside from ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'', and was at one point considered a contender to win Best Picture (winning the top prizes at the Broadcast Film Critics Choice and SAG Awards). However, after ''Film/TheRevenant'' dominated at the Golden Globes and BAFTA and Alejandro González Iñárritu won the DGA award, that film emerged as the Best Picture frontrunner and was expected to steamroll right through the Oscars. As a result, the eventual reveal of ''Spotlight'' as the Best Picture winner came as a surprise, especially since the only other award it managed to take was Best Original Screenplay (making it the first movie since 1952's ''Film/TheGreatestShowOnEarth'' to win Best Picture and only one other prize). This is likely a consequence of the new [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant-runoff_voting instant runoff voting system]]. With other strong contenders like ''Film/TheBigShort'' splitting the vote to deny ''The Revenant'' an absolute majority, ''Spotlight's'' broad appeal may have netted it many second place votes that would be converted to first place as lowest placed films were dropped. ''Spotlight'' would then be able to win despite having fewer absolute first place votes.

* HeyItsThatGuy:
** Batman is the "player/coach" editor for the Spotlight team which also consists of [[Film/TheAvengers2012 The Hulk]], [[Theatre/ShrekTheMusical Shrek]], and [[Film/MeanGirls Regina George]]. They report to [[Series/MadMen Roger Sterling]] and Creator/RayDonovan.
** The two lawyers are played by [[Film/TheHungerGames Caesar Flickerman]] and [[Film/AlmostFamous Russell Hammond.]]
** Richard Jenkins has a voice-only cameo as the ex-priest turned psychiatrist who delivers the devastating blow about just how big the problem was.
** Cardinal Law is played by Len Cariou, [[Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet the original Sweeney Todd himself]]. Kind of ironic, considering what led Sweeney to his StartOfDarkness.
** Creator/BradJones joked that the movie is basically about how Film/{{Batman}} and [[Film/TheAvengers2012 The Hulk]] teamed up with [[Film/XMenOriginsWolverine Sabretooth]] to take down pedophiles.
*** Or more that taking on the Catholic Church ''required'' the combined efforts of Batman, The Hulk and Sabretooth.
** [[Series/TheWire Michael Steintorf]] is Phil Saviano, while [[Series/TheStand Randall Flagg]] is Jim Sullivan.
** If you've seen "''Sleepers''" it's noteworthy to see one of the boys who were sexually abused in that film [[BillyCrudup now being a lawyer handling such cases]].
*** So, Batman and the Hulk with [[{{Film/Watchmen}} Dr Manhattan]]... overpowered much?

* DarkHorseVictory: ''Spotlight'' was considered a great movie, [[http://criticstop10.com/ appearing on more Top 10 lists]] than any film from 2015 aside from ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'', and was at one point considered a contender to win Best Picture (winning the top prizes at the Broadcast Film Critics Choice and SAG Awards). However, after ''The Revenant'' dominated at the Golden Globes and BAFTA and Alejandro González Iñárritu won the DGA award, that film emerged as the Best Picture frontrunner and was expected to steamroll right through the Oscars. As a result, the eventual reveal of ''Spotlight'' as the Best Picture winner came as a surprise, especially since the only other award it managed to take was Best Original Screenplay (making it the first movie since 1952's ''Film/TheGreatestShowOnEarth'' to win Best Picture and only one other prize).
** This is likely a consequence of the new [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant-runoff_voting instant runoff voting system]]. With other strong contenders like Film/TheBigShort splitting the vote to deny TheRevenant an absolute majority, ''Spotlight's'' broad appeal may have netted it many second place votes that would be converted to first place as lowest placed films were dropped. ''Spotlight'' would then be able to win despite having fewer absolute first place votes.

* MethodActing: How Creator/MichaelKeaton and Creator/MarkRuffalo prepared for their roles. The real Walter Robinson said, "If Michael Keaton robbed a bank, the police would have me in handcuffs." Ruffalo had the real Mike Rezendes say his lines on every break, and asked him if he could watch him yell at someone. (The real Rezendes said no.) Creator/RachelMcAdams also admitted to basically "stalking" Sacha Pfeiffer, through face-to-face meetings, phone conversations and listening to radio and TV broadcasts.
* TypeCasting: Probably not intentional, but Creator/MarkRuffalo gets to [[HulkingOut Hulk Out]] when informed that the story will need to be delayed for several additional months.