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If a biographer is a cinematographer then Michaelis is a freshman at film school. He zooms in on moments, far from the action of Eleanor’s life, and holds the camera there. He is sparse in his establishing shots, leaving those of us who grew up outside the cultural legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt confused about what her impact on the world really was. Every once in a while Michaelis deftly gestures to a motif but they never lead to anything interesting. Yes, nobody’s life fits neatly into a three act structure, but that doesn’t mean a biography has to be this aimless and distractable.