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Milk

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Milk (2008)

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Reviews Counted:36

Fresh:34

Rotten:2

Average Rating:8.2/10

Consensus: Anchored by Sean Penn's powerhouse performance, Milk is a triumphant account of America's first openly gay man elected to public office.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language, some sexual content and brief violence.

Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Nov 26, 2008 Limited

Box Office: $31,716,847

Synopsis: In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay... In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay rights; he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Harvey Milk changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights and became, before his untimely death in 1978, a hero for all Americans. Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk under the direction of Gus Van Sant in Milk, filmed on location in San Francisco from an original screenplay by Dustin Lance Black, and produced by Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen. Milk charts the last eight years of Harvey Milk’s life. While living in New York City, he turns 40. Looking for more purpose, Milk and his lover Scott Smith (James Franco) relocate to San Francisco, where they found a small business, Castro Camera, in the heart of a working-class neighborhood. With his beloved Castro neighborhood and beautiful city empowering him, Milk surprises Scott and himself by becoming an outspoken agent for change. With vitalizing support from Scott and from new friends like young activist Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch), Milk plunges headfirst into the choppy waters of politics. Bolstering his public profile with humor, Milk’s actions speak even louder than his gift-of-gab words. When Milk is elected supervisor for the newly zoned District 5, he tries to coordinate his efforts with those of another newly elected supervisor, Dan White (Josh Brolin). But as White and Milk’s political agendas increasingly diverge, their personal destinies tragically converge. Milk’s platform was and is one of hope – a hero’s legacy that resonates in the here and now. --© Focus Features [More]

Starring: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna

Starring: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco

Director: Gus Van Sant

Director: Gus Van Sant
Screenwriter: Dustin Lance Black
Producer: Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen
Composer: Danny Elfman
Studio: Focus Features

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Release:

Mar 10, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region [unknown]
  • Snap Case
  • Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French
  • Subtitles - English (SDH), French, Spanish

Additional Release Material:

  • Deleted Scenes

Featurette:

  • 1. Remembering Harvey
  • 2. Hollywood Comes to San Francisco
  • 3. Marching for Equality
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Milk

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Sean Penn gives a meticulously detailed performance as the cagey and charismatic pol, but credit should also go to Dustin Lance Black, whose script squarely locates Milk at the center of his community, his city, and his cause.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
05/09/09
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Penn's performance is a marvelous act of empathy in a movie that, for all its surprisingly conventional style, measures up to its stirring subject.

Full Review Source: Wall Street Journal | comment Comment
12/01/08
Joe Morgenstern
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
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This film wants us to understand both how far we've come as a society and that it is still not far enough.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment 16 Comments
11/26/08
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
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Once in a while, a movie arrives at such a perfect moment, its message and meaning so finely tuned to the current zeitgeist, that it seems less a cinematic event than a cosmic convergence, willed into being by a once-in-a-lifetime alignment of the stars.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment 4 Comments
11/26/08
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
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Milk is so immediate that it's impossible to separate the movie's moment from this one.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
11/26/08
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice
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Milk has one of the finest ensemble casts this year and a magnificent, career-topping performance by Sean Penn, who disappears into the title role.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
11/26/08
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today
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The film understandably and movingly centres itself on Penn's portrayal of a hedonist-turned-activist who discovered that in order to change his world, he had to find his voice.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
11/26/08
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
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I don't know that this is Penn's best performance, overall -- let's have that debate some other time -- but as far as the mannered, immersive impersonations of his later career go, Harvey Milk takes the cake.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
11/26/08
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.com
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Milk represents a thought provoking, cathartic, and mostly true tale of politics and courage.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
11/26/08
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
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The final result somehow undersells a man whose life and death were watershed moments in the gay rights movement.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment 4 Comments
11/26/08
Joe Neumaier
Joe Neumaier
New York Daily News
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Penn is one of our great actors, and his greatness comes from small things. Close your eyes and listen to how he absolutely gets -- but doesn't caricature -- Milk's honking Long Island accent.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
11/26/08
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
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Penn goes way deep and soulful in a highly ingratiating performance that's the one to beat for the Best Actor Oscar.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
11/26/08
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
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Somehow, Milk implants hope in those who’ve lost it. Somehow, Penn plays him as a feisty charmer so winning and lifelike that you’ll regard him as a friend before it’s over.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
11/26/08
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle
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Milk is a worthy docudrama that is solid if not sublime. But, sometimes, a merely good film can brush up against greatness, and this one does so twice.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
11/26/08
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
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Progress is slow, but Harvey Milk was one of the first to set the wheels in motion. He more than deserves a movie this good.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
11/26/08
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News
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At the heart of this eloquent portrait of a cultural catalyst is Penn's profoundly human, and possibly finest, performance.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
11/26/08
Lisa Kennedy
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post
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It's a reminder, in this age of virtual flash and computer-generated wonders, of the power of simple human expression.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
11/26/08
Tom Maurstad
Tom Maurstad
Dallas Morning News
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What's surprising about Milk is how much creative fun Van Sant has under the serious circumstances.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
11/26/08
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
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Penn is so engaging, physically loose and just plain smart in the title role, he's bound to top everyone's shortlist come awards time.

Full Review Source: NPR | comment Comment
11/26/08
Bob Mondello
Bob Mondello
NPR
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The story of Harvey Milk is a tragedy, but not since Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High has Sean Penn played such a serenely happy individual.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
11/26/08
Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune
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Latest News for Milk

March 09, 2009: RT on DVD: Rachel Getting Married, Milk Lead Super Fresh New Releases
Home video enthusiasts, prepare yourself for what may be the best week ever! This week you'll have to choose between Academy Award flicks Rachel Getting Married (Best Actress... More...

February 24, 2009: Backstage at the Oscars: My First Time
In the movie world there is no event greater, no red carpet glitzier, no awards show more meaningful, than that of the Academy Awards. While millions watch the biggest night... More...

February 01, 2009: Slumdog's Danny Boyle Wins DGA Award
Danny Boyle takes home another win for Best Director from the Director's Guild of America -- could Oscar gold be just around the corner? See who else was nominated this year in... More...

January 27, 2009: Milk Among GLAAD Nominees Opens in new window
"Milk" has been a favorite on the awards circuit this year, and its hot streak has been extended courtesy of the GLAAD Media Awards, where it will compete in the Outstanding... More...

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