The Mean Season

UK Release Date. 31 May 1985
Certification. 15
Running Time. 1 hour 43 mins
Director. Phillip Borsos
Cast. Andy Garcia, Mariel Hemingway, Richard Masur, Joe Pantoliano, Kurt Russell.

Rating. 34%

Review.

Set against the backdrop of Miami’s stifling summer heat, a burnt out and disillusioned by crime reporter, Malcolm Anderson (Kurt Russell) is drawn deep into an especially grisly case when the murderer chooses him as a media conduit. Based on the novel, In the Heat of the Summer by former crime reporter, John Katzenbach, and directed by Phillip Borsos, the film explores the public’s, potentially unhealthy, consumption of true crime. Malcolm’s personal involvement in the murder investigation and his professional status as an objective bystander are increasingly blurred, and by the time the character crosses the very line he should be defending, its a little too late for him.

The Mean Season is not perfect by any means. Elements of the storyline make for a poor imitation of what newspaper reporting was presumably like in 1985 despite filming on location in the actual Miami Herald newsroom. The Mean Season still somehow lacks the authenticity and procedural depth of films like All The Presidents Men, Spotlight and Zodiac.

The Mean Season opens competently and attempts to establish Malcolm Anderson as an appealing character, but an erratic mid-section only serves to highlight the deficiencies in the plot, pacing and personnel. By the time the wildly over the top climax rolls around, it is abundantly clear that The Mean Season is nothing more than a below average endeavour. 

Russell was not cut out for roles such as this. Worse still is the casting of Mariel Hemingway as his troubled girlfriend, Christine. Written as an incessant nagging voice - whose concerns are presented as nitpicks and a hindrance to Malcolm - Hemingway is beyond wooden.

If you are interested in a film that explores the themes of the impact of media sensationalism and morality, then I would suggest that you seek out Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler (2014), Tom McCarthy's Spotlight (2016) or Todd Phillips' Joker (2019) instead.