Last year, Tina Satter released “Reality,” a powerful film about Reality Winner’s arrest. It used the FBI interrogation transcript to show Winner being questioned about leaking a classified document. Sydney Sweeney gave a great performance as Winner, an Air Force veteran who felt Americans needed to know the truth about their country, even though it cost her a lot. Reality Winner’s story is a reminder of the risks people take to do the right thing.
However, turning Reality Winner’s story into a comedy seems like an odd choice. That’s what Susanna Fogel’s new film “Winner” tries to do, but it feels misguided from the start. Emilia Jones plays Reality Winner with a heavy Southern accent, making jokes about her name and using humor that doesn’t really land. While there’s nothing wrong with different takes on the same story, this approach doesn’t seem to work.
“Reality” focused on a specific part of Winner’s life, but “Winner” goes back further. It shows her interest in languages, her time in the Air Force, her relationships, and her work as an NSA contractor.
The script by Fogel and Kerry Howley highlights her growing frustration with the government, but this doesn’t clearly connect to her decision to leak the document about Russia’s interference in the U.S. election. The film wants to show where Winner came from and what led to this big moment in her life, but these parts feel disconnected from the main story.
In “Winner,” there isn’t much of a story arc. The film starts with Winner’s arrest and her saying she was trying to reveal the government’s lies. However, her character goes from distrusting the government in the first scene to still distrusting it by the end.
Throughout the movie, we see why she has issues with the government, but none of this explains why she thought leaking the document was the solution. It seems like every time she gets disappointed by the government, it surprises her again.
Fogel and Howley add a lot of unnecessary narration that tries to keep things light and humorous, but the jokes are weak and often just state the obvious. While it’s not fair to compare “Reality” and “Winner” directly, “Winner” feels like it’s trying to build up to a story that’s already been told better.
This makes the arrest scene lose the tension it should have. Turning such a serious story into a comedy isn’t easy, and the film’s jokes often miss the mark, hurting the impact of the story.
Although the expanded look at Winner’s life doesn’t always work, it does give some strong supporting performances, especially when it shows her family. Zach Galifianakis plays Reality’s father Ronald, showing where Reality’s drive to do the right thing comes from.
His role demonstrates Galifianakis’ skills as a serious actor. Kathryn Newton, playing Reality’s sister Brittany, shows how Reality’s actions affected her family and their support for her. Emilia Jones does a good job as Winner, but the script doesn’t do her any favors.
The film does well in showing what happened after Winner’s arrest, including the effect it had on her family and the lack of public impact. For such a significant choice, the disappointing response it gets is tragic, making the aftermath one of the film’s most effective parts.
Between “Winner” and last year’s “Cat Person,” Fogel has taken on challenging projects but hasn’t quite nailed the tone these stories need. “Cat Person” was a mix of awkward romance and comedy that didn’t stick to the original story well. “Winner” is an even bigger mess because it doesn’t give a clear reason why we needed a backstory for Reality Winner, or why a comedic take was necessary.
The best moments in “Winner” are after the arrest, which are also the most serious parts—a sign that the lighter approach might not have been the best choice. It’s disappointing because, as a co-writer on “Booksmart,” Fogel showed she could handle a tricky concept—a touching and funny story about two best friends. But the careful attention to tone and what the story needs just isn’t there in “Winner.”
“Winner” is an interesting idea that quickly turns into a confused film. As a comedy, it doesn’t work, but it has moments of drama that do. “Winner” had potential, but both “Cat Person” and this film show that Fogel might not have been ready for such a tough task.
Winner” attempts to take Reality Winner’s serious and dramatic story and make it into a comedy, but the film struggles with tone and purpose. While it offers some insight into Winner’s background, it fails to connect her life experiences to her choice to leak a classified document about Russian interference in the U.S. election.
The film’s humor often falls flat, and the narration tries too hard to be light-hearted, which detracts from the gravity of Winner’s real-life situation. Although strong performances by the supporting cast, like Zach Galifianakis as Winner’s father and Kathryn Newton as her sister, add some depth, they aren’t enough to overcome the film’s tonal inconsistencies.
The post-arrest portion of the film is where it finally gains some traction, highlighting the personal cost of Winner’s decision and the lackluster public response it received. This section underscores the emotional toll on Winner and her family, making it the most effective and poignant part of the movie.
Despite the ambition of Susanna Fogel in tackling this project, “Winner” doesn’t quite deliver on its premise. It leaves viewers wondering if a more focused dramatic approach might have been the better choice to tell Reality Winner’s complex story.
