Hitchcock (2012)
Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 191
Fresh: 120 | Rotten: 71
Though it suffers from tonal inconsistency and a lack of truly insightful retrospection, Hitchcock is elevated by inspired performances from its two distinguished leads.
Average Rating: 5.8/10
Critic Reviews: 43
Fresh: 21 | Rotten: 22
Though it suffers from tonal inconsistency and a lack of truly insightful retrospection, Hitchcock is elevated by inspired performances from its two distinguished leads.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 18,753
My Rating
Movie Info
HITCHCOCK is a love story about one of the most influential filmmakers of the last century, Alfred Hitchcock and his wife and partner Alma Reville. The film takes place during the making of Hitchcock's seminal movie Psycho.
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Cast
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Anthony Hopkins
Alfred Hitchcock -
Helen Mirren
Alma Reville -
Scarlett Johansson
Janet Leigh -
Danny Huston
Whitfield Cook -
Toni Collette
Peggy
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Hitchcock Trailer & Photos
All Critics (191) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (122) | Rotten (71) | DVD (2)
Scatty, intriguing but slightly undercooked ...
Top CriticThe movie spends too much time off the set of Psycho, where the real story was, and focuses instead on incidental matters that feel like outtakes.
An overly literal idea of the brilliant director, but an entertaining visit to the set of a horror classic.
Filmed with lots of style and a macabre sense of humor the master himself would have enjoyed.
It's tough work giving good face to an iconic role, yet Johansson manages to show Leigh as a thoughtful professional aware of the interpersonal booby-traps set by her director for his leading ladies.
Hopkins has been fitted out prosthetically to resemble Hitchcock and he does a reasonably good job of impersonating him, but it's a foredoomed effort.
... a slight, forgettable movie. Sometimes that's enough.
The Cook/Reville subplot is pretty standard stuff, so the movie is pretty lopsided, but the behind-the-scenes stuff surrounding Psycho is very compelling, even if it's not 100 percent true.
A half-hearted, clunky stab at psychodrama.
Hopkins' performance makes "Hitchcock" as much fun as one of the old episodes from "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."
This piece of Oscar bait didn't catch any nibbles, but still stood out as one of the better movies to drop during last year's awards season.
A rare treat offering peeks behind the scenes and behind the closed doors of a legendary director and the love of his life.
Alternatively devilish, wry, soulful, and witty, Hitchcock presents a singing celebration of one of cinema's great unsung collaborations
All we mostly get to see is the sad, silent contemplation of an old, weary, prosthetically constructed man
Occasional flair and an A-list cast are simply not enough to carry this erratic origins story.
With Hitchcock, Gervasi, maker of beguiling rock documentary Anvil, has come up with a breezy entertainment rather than an in-depth biopic. You won't find any real insights into Hitchcock's filmmaking process or his psyche.
Hitchcock is both polished and crude, its accurate research not matched by original insight.
Here's a film fact you should tell your friends: Alfred Hitchcock was given his first directing job by... a Brummie.
"A nice, clean, nasty piece of work" is how Hopkins' stand-in describes the superior film within the film. Gervasi's movie is just nice and clean and that's not nearly Hitchcockian enough for a film that carries the name.
I'm not really sure what the point of the movie is beyond giving Alma her rightful place in film history and putting her over-praised hubby back in his place - if what the picture depicts is true.
Despite amusing moments and a sprinkling of catnip for film buffs, Hitchcock is disappointingly inconsequential.
What Gervasi and his scriptwriter John McLaughlin bring to the table are banality and predictability, quintessentially non-Hitchcockian qualities.
What could have been an intriguing look at how Alfred Hitchcock created one of his most iconic masterpieces is instead turned into a gently entertaining romp.
Hitchcock remains an enjoyable film. A film about Hitchcock this may be, but not necessarily a film for Hitchcock fans.
An enjoyable and humorous Hopkins and another wonderful performance from Mirren make this film quietly watchable.
A disappointing excursion into movie history.
Audience Reviews for Hitchcock
Super Reviewer
Very good movie! The movie is entitled "Hitchcock" and is based on the making of "Psycho", but in fact, it's more the story of Alma and her husband. While there is nothing wrong with that story ... in fact, it is quite interesting and entertaining ... it's just kind of false advertising. "Hitchcock" is a mix between a Hitchcock thriller, a comedy, a biopic, and a romantic drama. And I'm pretty sure that explains the negative reactions to the film. I agree that it's a strange mix but it works with what they are going for. Wanting to focus on the marriage between Alma Reville and Alfred Hitchcock, a romantic biopic can be dry, so staying true to the spirit of the legendary director, the film throws in some wry humour and frames it all with the tone of a thriller. The film's main purpose appears to just be entertaining. Which is all good, but the rather poor reception is because it could have used some depth into the interesting inner-workings of Hitchcock. At times it comes off as a superficial caricature but the man was a legend because there was so much more to him. Anthony Hopkins appeared to be exactly like Hitchcock both physically and linguistically. He got his sly and comedic mannerisms and phrasing perfect. Which fits the entertaining and humorous frame for the picture. Go see it!
In 1959, Alfred Hitchcock and his wife, Alma, are at the top of their creative game as filmmakers amid disquieting insinuations about it being time to retire. To recapture his youth's artistic daring, Alfred decides his next film will adapt the lurid horror novel, Psycho, over everyone's misgivings. Unfortunately, as Alfred self-finances and labors on this film, Alma finally loses patience with his roving eye and controlling habits with his actresses. When an ambitious friend lures her to collaborate on a work of their own, the resulting marital tension colors Alfred's work even as the novel's inspiration haunts his dreams.
Super Reviewer
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- Peggy: I think I'll never have another shower again.
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- Alfred Hitchcock: Not now Mr.Gein.
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- Janet Leigh: I'm just curious about this shower scene.
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- Alfred Hitchcock: Good evening.
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- Alfred Hitchcock: But they can't stop looking. Can they?
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- Alma Reville: Charming. Doris Day should do it as a musical.
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Watch "Hitchcock" Movie Free Online | 35 days ago | 1 |
| DVD available in local stores? | 37 days ago | 0 |
| Pity about the so-so reviews... | 4 months ago | 9 |
| Donald Levit's review | 5 months ago | 0 |
| Emmanuel Levy's review | 5 months ago | 0 |
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