...casting Anthony Hopkins, a man as Anglo-Saxon as can be, as an old African-American just doesn’t cut it
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11/18/03
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The Human Stain (2003)
41
%
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Reviews Counted:144
Fresh:59
Rotten:85
Average Rating:5.4/10
Consensus: Though the acting is fine, the leads are miscast, and the story is less powerful on screen than on the page.
Theatrical Release:Oct 31, 2003 Limited
Box Office: $5,311,526
Synopsis: Director Robert Benton brings Philip Roth's 2000 novel THE HUMAN STAIN to the screen in this lavish production, with expert cinematography from Jean-Yves Escoffier. Coleman Silk (Anthony Hopkins)... [More]
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Gary Sinese, Ed Harris
Director: Robert Benton
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Reviews for The Human Stain
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11/17/03
The performances save the day in The Human Stain, bringing humanity to a worthwhile film that could have ultimately been much better.
11/16/03
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11/16/03
A better film would have made us tear up, instead of laugh, when Kidman spills her life story to her crow confidant.
11/14/03
A fascinating and deeply compelling movie, one that resonates not just with personal drama but as a scathing examination of much larger issues.
11/14/03
Philip Roth's novel about race, shame and politics turns into a smug cipher with high-gloss sleepwalkers Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman.
11/14/03
Though not quite as dramatically compelling as one might have hoped, The Human Stain remains a challenging, thought-provoking film, buoyed with finely crafted performances.
11/13/03
The execution by Kramer vs. Kramer director Robert Benton, combined with the casting, makes the film feel false and stagnant.
11/13/03
Any film that makes two references to Greek tragedy within the first 20 minutes should set off your pretension detector.
11/13/03
The overall feeling that “The Human Stain” leaves behind is disappointment.
11/13/03
The ineffectiveness of the premise & other elements that distract from the working story line make this a failure in my eyes, despite its finely crafted aspects.
11/09/03
The title really says it all: The Human Stain is only an imprint rather than a cohesive film. Read the novel instead to get the whole picture.
11/07/03
A bloodless, clumsily told drama that stubbornly refuses to come alive.
11/06/03
Kidman and Hopkins are not on top of their games here; he looks bored and she tries too hard.
11/06/03
The story is not readily accessible to audiences, and the final product leaves you feeling empty.
11/04/03
Though the film was slightly miscast, I still found myself drawn to the story, the characters, and their lives.
11/04/03
Perhaps it was only a matter of time before Hollywood made a serious drama in which Viagra plays a principal role.
11/04/03
One of those films that makes you say, 'That was powerful. Now what the hell was it about?'
11/03/03
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11/03/03
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