Trumbo (2015)

[SeanC]

 

A comedian transitioning over into dramatic roles in search of greater respectability is a common Hollywood trajectory; somewhat less common is the case of Jay Roach, the director of the three Austin Powers films who has since the mid-2000s become primarily a director of HBO prestige TV movies on political topics. Trumbo could easily fit into that canon, particularly as Roach and star Bryan Cranston indeed have another TV movie, the Lyndon Johnson biopic All the Way, due out next year.

 

It's hard to identify anything egregiously amiss with this film. Cranston, as the Blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, gives a customarily good performance. The supporting cast is fine, even if the roles could largely be said to be underwritten (Diane Lane is unfortunately stuck in as The Wife, and not a particularly strong example of this stock biopic character). There's always a particular challenge whenever contemporary actors are called on to represent yesterday's stars; Dean O'Gorman does a pretty good Kirk Douglas here, while JAG star David James Elliott is a fairly weak John Wayne.

 

The film most comes alive in the scenes depicting Trumbo's time working at the bargain basement film studio King Pictures, aided by the boisterous presence of John Goodman as the John Goodman-esque studio head. Much of the rest is competent, but it rarely sings at the level it aspires to, the level its subject wrote at when he was at his best.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

The film most comes alive in the scenes depicting Trumbo's time working at the bargain basement film studio King Pictures, aided by the boisterous presence of John Goodman as the John Goodman-esque studio head. Much of the rest is competent, but it rarely sings at the level it aspires to, the level its subject wrote at when he was at his best.

 

Watching Trumbo on DVD right now, and John Goodman is cracking me up:

 

"Wanna keep me from hiring union? I'll go downtown, hire a bunch of winos and hookers. It doesn't matter. I make garbage! You wanna call me a pinko in the papers? Do it! None of the people that go to my fucking movies can read!"

 

Googling Hedda Hopper, who I had heard of before but didn't know much about, I discovered that she was an actress before she was a gossip columnist. I think this is the first role where I haven't utterly adored Helen Mirren, because Hopper comes across as such a bad-tempered wretch for no reason.

[Chaos Theory]

I really enjoyed this. I am somewhat aware of the time period. I used to own a cigarette case given to my grandfather by McCarthy himself (My grandfather was an usher at his wedding and apparently a friend). I have no idea what happened to the case and I am crushed I loved that thing. It was a price of history for me. Anyway I didn't exactly know who Trumbo was even though I love Spartacus. I thought the movie itself was extremely well done and I loved everyone in it. I actually rented Gun Crazy from Netflux and plan to watch Roman Holliday.

It's a pity Cranston didn't best actor.

Edited April 8, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[annzeepark914]

Loved this film...but then, I was a little kid when it happened and remember my parents pointing out a hotel outside of our town as a gathering place for "communists" (a/k/a liberal New York City intellectuals who vacationed there, wearing odd clothes and socks w/ sandals, something bizarre in our small town). The best thing about this movie was Bryan Cranston.  I wish my parents were alive to see this film.  It would've meant more to them.  That was an ugly time in America.

[millennium]

On 3/16/2016 at 7:06 PM, Cobalt Stargazer said:

Googling Hedda Hopper, who I had heard of before but didn't know much about, I discovered that she was an actress before she was a gossip columnist. I think this is the first role where I haven't utterly adored Helen Mirren, because Hopper comes across as such a bad-tempered wretch for no reason.

I was disappointed to discover she was best friends with Lucille Ball.

After watching this movie, a few things came into focus, such as Hedda Hopper's appearance on a Hollywood episode of I Love Lucy, not to mention a subsequent appearance by John Wayne (can you ever look at him the same again after this movie?)

The critics were rough on Trumbo, said it gave only a superficial treatment of the story it tried to tell.   I enjoyed Bryan Cranston though.    The bathtub scenes were ludicrous, and yet that's how the guy operated.