What could have been a human- and Hollywood-interest film turns out to be a not very successful experiment.
Trumbo (2008)
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Reviews Counted:51
Fresh:41
Rotten:10
Average Rating:6.7/10
Consensus: Trumbo celebrates the life and work of blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo with measures of humor and sadness.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for a sex-related commentary.
Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins
Genre: Education/General Interest
Theatrical Release:Jun 27, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $28,125
Synopsis: This documentary focuses on the Oscar-winning mind behind ROMAN HOLIDAY and THE BRAVE ONE. TRUMBO centers on Dalton Trumbo, a screenwriter and member of the Hollywood 10 who vaulted from the A-list... This documentary focuses on the Oscar-winning mind behind ROMAN HOLIDAY and THE BRAVE ONE. TRUMBO centers on Dalton Trumbo, a screenwriter and member of the Hollywood 10 who vaulted from the A-list to the blacklist and back again. This film features prominent actors Joan Allen, Michael Douglas, Liam Neeson, and more, and they contribute to the film in a variety of ways. [More]
Starring: Joan Allen, Brian Dennehy, Michael Douglas, Paul Giamatti
Starring: Joan Allen, Brian Dennehy, Michael Douglas, Paul Giamatti, Nathan Lane, Josh Lucas, Liam Neeson, David Strathairn, Donald Sutherland
Director: Peter Askin
Director: Peter Askin
Producer: Will Battersby, Tory Tunnell, Alan Klingenstein, David Viola
Composer: Robert Miller
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films
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Reviews for Trumbo
Balancing the political and the personal is a smart idea, though the resulting togglethon ends up being the uneasiest of marriages.
An overdue vindication of a true patriot and a timely reminder to continue challenging authority in the face of the Patriot Act.
Myth and piety are the film’s guiding principles -- documenting truth isn’t.
The readings of Dalton Trumbo's letters to family and friends are starkly rendered—famous faces...recite rousing missives without the aid of sets or props of any kind save for Trumbo's own thunderous proclamations in defense of free speech.
A fine counterpart to Good Night, and Good Luck and a unique amalgam of talking heads and theatrics, the story of Dalton Trumbo and how he and his family dealt with being blacklisted is an amazing one.
...the film's inability to put a new spin on well-covered material... means the definitive work about this fascinating figure is yet to come.
Blacklisted screenwriter and freedom-fighter Dalton Trumbo is revealed in this touching documentary that utilizes talking-head interviews along with Trumbo's letters to flesh out the man responsible for such film classics as "Johnny Got His Gun," "Spartac
Trumbo is most focused when it lets the man and his peers testify directly.
Using rich archival footage, including Trumbo's own words and letters, this comprehensive docu sheds light on the Oscar-winning blacklisted writer (one of the Hollywood Ten) who continued to be creative in exile.
Epistolary dramas are often big bores, but this film is much better than it has the right to be given the variety of actors playing Trumbo.
This may be the last film to feature Trumbo's writing and it has some of his most powerful prose. It is may be the best film that has ever been made about the Hollywood blacklist and the Hollywood Ten.
First-rate documentary about a screenwriter who stood up to the blacklist and serves as an example of the kind of resistance that is needed today as the government shreds the Constitution.
Latest News for Trumbo
June 30, 2008:
Critics Consensus: WALL-E Is the Best-Reviewed Film of 2008
This week at the movies, we've got lonely robots (Pixar's WALL-E, directed by Andrew Stanton) and kinetic killers (Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, and Morgan... More...
June 25, 2008:
Bio-pic revisits the rise, fall and vindication of blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter. ![]()
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May 25, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
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| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
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