Review of Trumbo (2015) by Thomas D — 05 Dec 2015

Hollywood loves to make movies about movies, but in this case, it's a movie that looks at a dark age in Hollywood where tons of writers were blacklisted for supposedly being a part of the communist party. Bryan Cranston stars at Dalton Trumbo, perhaps the most famous blacklisted writer who ended up winning a few Oscars under different names during the 1950's. Trumbo has a fascinating story and has plenty of solid performances from the ensemble cast. But the film was a little long and perhaps didn't take enough risks with it's script and direction.

It's interesting, because the film deals a lot with the back and forth between him and characters who want to get him fired or even kicked out of the country for supporting communism. I thought they really handled the balance well. You understand where the people against him are coming from. It was a scary time, and I don't blame them for at least investigating him, though his punishment is obviously not warranted. For a film about a writer, it wasn't actually written all that well. There's no question the film is entertaining throughout the 2 hour running time, but I can't help but think that's because I love movies and I'm interested in this time period. Some characters come off as cartoon-ish like John Goodman's studio head character who likes making bad movies and tries to beat a guy up with a baseball bat. Or even Helen Mirren's character, who is undoubtedly fun to watch, but didn't seem to fit the tone of the rest of the picture.

The film also has an inconsistent flow and the third act tends to drag. But Bryan Cranston's performance is probably worth the price of admission alone. It's fun to see him get lost in a character who isn't obsessed with selling drugs. Louis C.K. is also very good as a supporting role along with Diane Lane, though I don't believe her character ages at all. Seriously, she looks the same even though the film spans 23 years or so. In all, Trumbo is a fun watch, especially if you're a big film fan like myself, but some inconsistencies with tone and flow along with some lack of attention to detail, I can't help but think this was a bit of a missed opportunity.

+Cranston.

+Fascinating story.

+Film lovers delight.

-Tonal issues.

-Attention to detail was lacking.

6.8/10.