Confessions of a Dangerous Mind by way of a World War II biopic, The Catcher Was a Spy stars Paul Rudd as Moe Berg, the real-life genius and Major League Baseball player who went on to become an OSS spy. With a supporting cast that includes Jeff Daniels, Mark Strong, Guy Pearce, Paul Giamatti, and Sienna Miller—and that familiarly puke-colored, brownish-green palette seen in The Imitation Game, The Darkest Hour, and so many a would-be respectable, real-life WWII drama—the film almost seems an early awards contender. But given that it’s hitting on-demand services the same date it hits theaters (June 22), maybe don’t count on it just yet. After all, when was the last time Best Picture went to a movie saddled with an awful Salinger pun of a title?
