Review of Trumbo (2007) by Lynn L — 15 Dec 2015

While Trumbo manages to capture the audience's attention with a great story and a cast that goes above and beyond, it fails to entertain and release its full potential because of lack of direction. Directed by the man behind movies such as Austin Powers, Fifty First Dates, and Bruno, Trumbo is obviously a big change for director Jay Roach. Though there's no doubt Roach has done a fantastic job with many of his previous movies, the transition to this biographical, serious drama did not go very smoothly.

Trumbo is based on the life of Dalton Trumbo, an award-winning Hollywood screenwriter who was black-listed because of his political beliefs. Bryan Cranston makes us forget that he was ever the feared Walter White or the irresponsible Hall. He submerges into his character and makes us love him and hate him for what he does in this movie. Not once did I ever thought of him as anyone other than Dalton Trumbo and that is probably the biggest achievement in this movie.

Equally important is the supporting cast composed mainly of Helen Mirren, Diane Lane and Elle Fanning, not to mention Louis C.K. and John Goodman, do an excellent job throughout the movie. It is also worth mentioning that the makeup, hairstyling, and costume design provide a good visualization of time passage, a key point throughout the movie.

Even though Trumbo did not release its full potential and lack of direction is evident, it succeeds thanks to the wit and submersion of its cast into the characters, as well as visual elements such as makeup and hair styling. The transition for Jay Roach was, overall, a fine attempt.