☰
Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Spotlight

Play trailer 2:31 Poster for Spotlight R Released Nov 20, 2015 2h 8m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
97% Tomatometer 380 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
In 2001, editor Marty Baron of The Boston Globe assigns a team of journalists to investigate allegations against John Geoghan, an unfrocked priest accused of molesting more than 80 boys. Led by editor Walter "Robby" Robinson (Michael Keaton), reporters Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Matt Carroll and Sacha Pfeiffer interview victims and try to unseal sensitive documents. The reporters make it their mission to provide proof of a cover-up of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Spotlight

Spotlight

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Spotlight gracefully handles the lurid details of its fact-based story while resisting the temptation to lionize its heroes, resulting in a drama that honors the audience as well as its real-life subjects.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More (380)
Zach Schonfeld Newsweek Spotlight manages the seemingly impossible task of wooing journalists with authenticity while still elevating reporters to hero status, as they battle a formidable and corrupt institution with righteous determination. Feb 28, 2018 Full Review Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune Ruffalo gets top billing in the movie, and he brings some wonderfully lived-in behavioral details to his performance -- the quick, terrier-like movements of the head and the bitten-off sentences. Rated: 4/4 Feb 26, 2017 Full Review Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com Spotlight giving center stage to unsung warriors for truth who understood telling the story right, without embellishment, without melodramatic editorial excess, was the greatest victory of them all. Rated: 4/4 Aug 22, 2016 Full Review Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson This ensemble is flawless at every level. Not a single performance is preening or misaligned with the central cause to respect the stern roots of the actual history. Rated: 5/5 Jul 31, 2025 Full Review Pradeep Menon Firstpost Spotlight is a must-watch for people in the media, as well as people who consume the media, because it reaffirms a belief in the ideals of journalism. Nov 1, 2023 Full Review Mark Johnson Awards Daily It’s not just that it is a profound story, but one that is executed to perfection that draws out such emotion. Jun 14, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More (1000+)
Steven M. Well-written and acted film! Michael Keaton and Rachel McAdams, especially, live up to expectations. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/15/21 Full Review Isa B The story featured in this film is a very interesting one. However, it is told in the most dry, lifeless way possible. I felt like I was sitting in their little office for two hours, waiting on the phone to ring. The phone never rang for me and the film never grabbed my attention. The movie wasn't bad, but it also wasn't great or even that interesting. With this subject matter and an awesome cast to bring it to life, there really is no excuse for this film to be so uninteresting. I was really disappointed. How can an A+ story and an A cast result in a C+ movie? Well, it did just that. Others may like it, but I don't recommend this film. 82/100 Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/08/25 Full Review Veronica A When I read the review for this movie, I said to myself, "I have to go see this." I did and it was well worth my time. I was impressed by the work and research the Boston Globe's Spotlight team put into investigating the horrific child sexual abuse going on the Catholic church. Having been raised a Catholic, I was shocked to see in the closing credits FOUR screens of the lists of cities, towns, and countries where the abuse happened. I'd already known about the abuse, but I had no idea just how widespread it was. At that, I had to stop and cry before I left the theater. "Spotlight" showed us the truth about what my childhood church tried to cover up--and gave validation to the victims still suffering all those years later. The Spotlight team truly did their jobs. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/23/25 Full Review Jace E Spotlight is raw and vulnerable. It is not a movie that I plan on re-watching anytime soon, but it is a movie that I can appreciate. Where this film shines is in its approach to honest storytelling. There is no fluff and no unnecessary scenes. It is a dense 129 minutes, during which a true, unimaginable scandal is brought to light. I have incredible respect for the filmmakers as well as the real-life journalists who tackled this heartbreaking story. There is a reason why it won best picture. Best Character: Mike Rezendes Best Quote: "If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one." - Mitchell Garabedian Best Scene: 6% Best Piece of Score: "The Directories" Watch filtered on VidAngel Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/15/25 Full Review Graham M It's ok, rather good but not great great. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/10/25 Full Review Bobby Y. Wonderfully written & Acted! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/05/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Spotlight

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

Tom McCarthy

Director

Mark Ruffalo

Michael Rezendes

Michael Keaton

Walter "Robby" Robinson

Rachel McAdams

Sacha Pfeiffer

Liev Schreiber

Marty Baron

John Slattery

Ben Bradlee Jr.

Movie Clips

View All

Spotlight

View more videos

More Like This

View All
The End of the Tour 92% 82% The End of the Tour Watchlist Winter's Bone 94% 76% Winter's Bone Watchlist TRAILER for Winter's Bone Birds of Paradise 65% 37% Birds of Paradise Watchlist TRAILER for Birds of Paradise The Wife 85% 77% The Wife Watchlist TRAILER for The Wife Drop Squad 17% 45% Drop Squad Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Related Movie News

View All
National Board of Review Announces 2017 Award Winners Rank Michael Keaton’s 10 Best Movies Al Gore’s Five Favorite Films
View All

Spotlight

Spotlight: B-Roll 2 Spotlight: B-Roll 2 5:22 Spotlight: B-Roll 1 Spotlight: B-Roll 1 6:04 Spotlight: Trailer 1 Spotlight: Trailer 1 2:31 View more videos
View All

Spotlight

(L-R) Rachel McAdams as Sacha Pfeiffer, Mark Ruffalo as Michael Rezendes and Brian d'Arcy James as Matt Carroll in "Spotlight." (L-R) Rachel McAdams as Sacha Pfeiffer, Mark Ruffalo as Michael Rezendes, Brian d'Arcy James as Matt Carroll, Michael Keaton as Walter 'Robby' Robinson and John Slattery as Ben Bradlee Jr. in "Spotlight." (L-R) Michael Keaton as Walter 'Robby' Robinson and Mark Ruffalo as Michael Rezendes in "Spotlight." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In 2001, editor Marty Baron of The Boston Globe assigns a team of journalists to investigate allegations against John Geoghan, an unfrocked priest accused of molesting more than 80 boys. Led by editor Walter "Robby" Robinson (Michael Keaton), reporters Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Matt Carroll and Sacha Pfeiffer interview victims and try to unseal sensitive documents. The reporters make it their mission to provide proof of a cover-up of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church.
Director
Tom McCarthy
Producer
Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, Blye Pagon Faust
Screenwriter
Josh Singer, Tom McCarthy
Distributor
Open Road
Production Co
Anonymous Content, Rocklin/Faust
Rating
R (Some Language|Sexual References)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 20, 2015, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 2, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$45.0M
Runtime
2h 8m
Most Popular at Home Now