Six years ago the sports world, and the nation as a whole, was rocked by the unearthing of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal and decades long cover up that tarnished not only the prestigious university, but its iconic head football coach, Joe Paterno.
The HBO docu/drama “Paterno,” helmed by Academy Award winning director Barry Levinson, covers the rapid fall from grace of the godlike head coach in the wake and aftermath of the breaking news.
What we know for fact is that long time assistant coach and Penn State alum Jerry Sandusky was charged with 52 counts sexual assault of young boys over a 15-year period from 1994 to 2009, with a jury finding Sandusky guilty on 45 of the 48 counts brought to trial. Levinson and team deal with the legacy of the seemingly untaintable and beloved head coach – nicknamed JoePa – for his culpability in looking the other way amidst the accusations against Sandusky.
Al Pacino is known as an actor who gives it his all, such as in his iconic role in “Scent of a Woman” and here demonstrates his prowess with fervor in the part of Joe Paterno. For a man who once played Michael Corleone and “Scarface,” Pacino takes the somewhat unflattering character and delivers as we’ve come to expect, with looks, speech, and idiosyncrasies that mirror those of JoePa.
Non sports fans may not fully understand the power Paterno had in his position, and the influence of Penn State football in Happy Valley. The movie does a great job of illustrating this to those who may be novice of the story. As its revealed in the picture, one can forget about the athletic director or even the university president. “We all know who’s running Penn State.” Says a sports talk show host over the airwaves. “Its JoePa.”
“Paterno” doesn’t rely on special effects or high octane technical wizardry. It simply follows the events as they occurred, opening with Paterno’s historic 409th win – a victory that made him the winningest coach in college football history and was unexpectedly the final game of his career.
For those looking for a football movie, you may be disappointing in the rest. “Paterno” doesn’t focus on the X’s and O’s of the gridiron itself, but the incredibly fast breaking of the story by reporter Sara Ganim (Riley Keough), the massive cover up, and the reaction of JoePa and the Paterno family as they deal with the crisis.
Its easy to see how legions of students and alumni rallied to his side as the scandal broke, and how they just simply couldn’t believe the news. Levinson does a masterful job of displaying the facts, and allowing the viewer to decide for themselves how or if Paterno should be revered, casting the shadow of doubt as to what he knew and when he knew it.
In the years just prior to the “Me Too” movement and the current state of sexual scandals our country is mired within, its a truly compelling story.
“Paterno” will kep you fascinated from start to finish in a way other biographical pictures just can’t do. Al Pacino gives a brilliant performance, and the sad story will leave you thinking about its message long after the movie is over.
by – Matt DeCristo
