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Howl

Play trailer Poster for Howl R 2010 1h 24m Drama Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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64% Tomatometer 107 Reviews 58% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Poet and cultural icon Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) is living in San Francisco in the mid '50s with friends and fellow writers Jack Kerouac (Todd Rotondi) and Neal Cassady (Jon Prescott) when he conceives "Howl," a poem that is credited with popularizing the Beat movement. When bookstore owner Lawrence Ferlinghetti (Andrew Rogers) publishes the poem, he is put on trial for obscenity. The film includes animated portions depicting interpretations of the poem itself.
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Howl

Howl

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Critics Consensus

James Franco gives it his all as beat poet Allen Ginsberg, but Howl never develops enough of a focus to do his performance justice.

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Critics Reviews

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Jennie Yabroff Newsweek Feb 7, 2018
Great art transcends its creator. In this case, it also lays the foundation for a great film. Go to Full Review Jim Schembri The Age (Australia) Mar 12, 2011
3/5
It is the trial itself - which Ginsberg did not attend - that is the real payoff here as Howl's defenders and detractors get their day in court. Go to Full Review Philip French Guardian Feb 28, 2011
Sadly, I found it only moderately enjoyable and rather smug, much like an average edition of the BBC's Arena. Go to Full Review David Sugarman CineVue Mar 22, 2021
2/5
Howl basically plays like a decent Sunday-afternoon TV docudrama. It may be considered by some to be art, but I imagine few will consider it to be cinema. Go to Full Review David Lamble Bay Area Reporter Jun 10, 2020
Epstein and Friedman utilize fact, fiction and animation tropes to explain how a seven-page poem would launch a counterculture, or what some have labeled an ongoing culture war. Go to Full Review Felicia Feaster Charleston City Paper Jan 22, 2020
But for students of Ginsberg, American history, and the Beats, Howl is probably essential viewing. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Robert P @Superbad Oct 8, 2026 Howl is a *3* star Movie!!! See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jul 12, 2026 The worldwide gross is $1,614,810.00. See more Shioka O @RT54204327 Jun 3, 2025 I'm not sure if its better to read the book than watching this because the entire movie is just reading of paragraphs in the book. See more Lorenz L @Lorenz1060 Dec 30, 2024 The format of the film – essentially three interwoven segments, one of them animated – may be too much for some people to follow. Ginsberg’s poem itself may still shock and offend people in 2024. James Franco gives one of the best, most-focused performances of his daring career, but doesn’t attempt to be the main attraction. With gripping and often humorous performances from Jon Hamm, David Strathairn, Bob Balaban, Treat Williams, and – especially – Jeff Daniels, it is truly an ensemble cast, all of them in top form. Filmed in 14 days (think about that!) on a shoestring budget, it is a small miracle that it so perfectly captures the early days of the Beat Generation. Oh - you may want to read the poem first if you haven't already. See more Feb 15, 2021 This is one of my all time favorite films. It's very artsy, inspiring and crudely entertaining at times. Also, this is a must watch if you love poetry or writing <3 See more May 18, 2020 I went with 2 stars for this movie, I only seen it once. Idk if I would watch it again the animation throughout the movie was distracting to me throughout the movie. I liked the parts of his private life/poetry readings. The courtroom part was interesting I do believe that a person with little to no interest in poems/poetry the author and his work will really get this movie or hold their interest. The movie though slow and at times boring you can keep interest throughout. I think that James Franco did a good job in this role, it was also interesting to me to learn more about the poem Howl and who the poet himself was, 2 stars. See more Read all reviews
Howl

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Cast & Crew

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Rob Epstein

Director

Jeffrey Friedman

Director

James Franco

Allen Ginsberg

David Strathairn

Ralph McIntosh

Jon Hamm

Jake Ehrlich

Bob Balaban

Judge Clayton Horn

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Howl

Howl (2010) Howl (2010) Jon Hamm as Jake Ehrlich in "Howl." (L-R) Aaron Tveit as Peter Orlovsky and James Franco as Allen Ginsberg in "Howl." James Franco as Allen Ginsberg in "Howl." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Poet and cultural icon Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) is living in San Francisco in the mid '50s with friends and fellow writers Jack Kerouac (Todd Rotondi) and Neal Cassady (Jon Prescott) when he conceives "Howl," a poem that is credited with popularizing the Beat movement. When bookstore owner Lawrence Ferlinghetti (Andrew Rogers) publishes the poem, he is put on trial for obscenity. The film includes animated portions depicting interpretations of the poem itself.
Director
Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Producer
Elizabeth Redleaf, Christine K. Walker, Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Screenwriter
Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Distributor
Oscilloscope Pictures
Production Co
Telling Pictures, RabbitBandini Productions
Rating
R (Some Drug Material|Sexual Language|Sexual Images|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre
Drama, Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 24, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$617.3K
Runtime
1h 24m
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