Changeling2008
Changeling (2008)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Beautifully shot and well-acted, Changeling is a compelling story that unfortunately gives in to convention too often.
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Cast
as Christine Collins
as Rev. Gustav Briegleb
as Capt. J.J. Jones
as Det. Lester Ybarra
as Chief James E. Davis
as Ben Harris
as Mayor Cryer
as Gordon Northcott
as Carol Dexter
as S.S. Hahn
as Dr. Jonathan Steele
as Dr. Earl W. Tarr
as Walter Collins

as Arthur Hutchins

as Sanford Clark
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Critic Reviews for Changeling
All Critics (210) | Top Critics (68) | Fresh (130) | Rotten (80) | DVD (7)
It feels empty, monotonous, bloated... This is old-fashioned story-telling that often feels unsophisticated and familiar.
Angelina's performance was powerful and at times agonizing.

There are moments when it seems as if it wants to be an inspirational story about a person who refuses to be beaten by a corrupt system -- but it doesn't, in the end, settle for the uplifting narrative.

Every element, including the photography, the production design, and Eastwood's own plaintive music score, seems close to perfection.
Eastwood is a director made for melodrama and this one proves a lot juicier than Gran Torino, with its dry, dogged sense of righteousness.

Set this film alongside Gran Torino and it's evident that Eastwood is the most impressive classical director working in US cinema today.
Audience Reviews for Changeling
Eastwood's firm direction and Angelina Jolie's powerful performance help make this a gripping film that is as tough to watch as it is definitely rewarding, and it features a fabulous production design and cinematography as well.
Super Reviewer
Enjoyable, historical drama. Not my favorite, but not bad either.
Super Reviewer
Changeling is the true story of a young mother in 1920s America whose son goes missing, but when the wrong boy is returned to her she is persecuted by a corrupt police force trying to avoid public embarrassment. Another beautifully crafted and intelligent drama from Clint Eastwood, Changeling is quite an unbelievable story. It highlights the dreadful, uncaring hypocrisy of corrupt officials, the appalling treatment of the mentally ill of the time, not to mention those "hysterical" women who were committed to avoid embarrassment or inconvenience. The period is meticulously recreated and the plot combines the story of a woman unshakably seeking justice against enormous odds and the investigation into a harrowing serial killer case. The cast are all of course quality, apart from the fact that although she turns in in quite a creditable performance, you can never quite forget you are in the presence of Her Jolieness rather than witnessing actual events. The result is leagues ahead of the hand wringing melodrama that missing child stories usually entail and serves both as an intriguing mystery and cautionary tale about human indifference to the suffering of others.

Super Reviewer
Changeling Quotes
Christine Collins: | Never start a fight... but always finish it |
Capt. J.J. Jones: | Departmental policy is what I say it is. |
Carol Dexter: | Once they get us in here, we either shut up and learn to behave or we don't go home. |
Christine Collins: | I used to tell Walter "Never start a fight... but always finish it." I didn't start this fight... but by God, I'm gonna finish it. |