The Public

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

71%

TOMATOMETER

Reviews Counted: 7
Audience Score
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Audience Score

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TOMATOMETER

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All Critics | Top Critics
Average Rating: N/A
Reviews Count: 0
Fresh: 0
Rotten: 0

AUDIENCE SCORE

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Movie Info

In "The Public" an unusually bitter Arctic blast has made its way to downtown Cincinnati and the front doors of the public library where the action of the film takes place. At odds with library officials over how to handle the extreme weather event, some homeless patrons turn the building into a shelter for the night by staging an "Occupy" sit in. What begins as an act of civil disobedience becomes a stand-off with police and a rush-to-judgment media constantly speculating about what's really happening. This David versus Goliath story tackles some of our nation's most challenging issues, homelessness and mental illness and sets the drama inside one of the last bastions of democracy-in-action: your public library.
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (for thematic material, nudity, language, and some suggestive content)
  • Genre:
    Drama
  • Directed By:
    Emilio Estevez
  • Written By:
    Emilio Estevez
  • In Theaters:
     limited
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Universal Pictures

Cast

Alec Baldwin
as Detective Bill Ramstead
Emilio Estevez
as Stuart Goodson
Jena Malone
as Myra
Taylor Schilling
as Angela
Christian Slater
as Josh Davis
Gabrielle Union
Jacob Vargas
Michael Kenneth Williams
Jeffrey Wright
as Anderson
Che "Rhymefest" Smith
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Critic Reviews for The Public

All Critics (7) | Top Critics (2)

Consistently engages despite the relative obviousness of its dramatic tactics.

Sep 14, 2018 | Full Review…
Variety
Top Critic

The dialogue often has a stilted, unnatural ring to it, and it is a tribute to the cast that they manage to bring out the essence of the film, its political heart, so strongly.

Sep 10, 2018 | Full Review…
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic

The Public now comes across as heavy-handed fiction, which creates an emotional disconnection with the very real plight of homelessness...removing politics from the argument, The Public is a reasonably decent comedy/drama.

Feb 19, 2019 | Rating: 6/10 | Full Review…
Film Threat

The Public is a feel-good crowd-pleaser about the power of social justice.

Nov 6, 2018 | Rating: 8/10 | Full Review…
We Live Entertainment

The Public is rife with heavy-handed, subtle-as-a-heart-attack type elements designed to perpetuate his agenda...

Sep 24, 2018 | Rating: 1.5/4 | Full Review…
Reel Film Reviews

Humorous, impactful and poignant. With a little extra tooling, it would also make a great Broadway play.

Sep 18, 2018 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
National Newspaper Publishers Association
View All Critic Reviews (7)

Audience Reviews for The Public

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