Review of Trumbo (2015) by Anthony I — 27 Nov 2015

Say my name. Dalton Trumbo? You're goddamn right. Dalton Trumbo is a great hero to many writers, and a man who shook up the Hollywood industry when the Red Scare surged the United States. The rise and fall, and rise again of a man so prolific that he fought the US government just so he can put his name on the pictures he wrote.

The man asks for a larger than life story, but whether or not Jay Roach and company pulled it off is debatable. Trumbo is a thoroughly watchable movie, and a cool tribute to Old Hollywood. Is it something to get excited over? No.

At times, it's too corny for it's own good. Most of Jay Roach's political biopics are. What makes this movie good is Bryan Cranston. He's the man. Everything he touches lately is great.

His performance as Trumbo does not disappoint. He is commanding in just about every scene. His cadence here reminded me of John Huston. His greatest moment is the confrontation in the bathtub between him and his daughter.

John Goodman, Helen Mirren, and Elle Fanning all do great jobs as well. Louis CK seems a bit out of his element, but I can't deny that he made me laugh, and played a perfect communist of the era. The screenplay is very uneven.

For a film about a screenwriter, it deserved a much better draft. Also, while inescapable due to the subject matter, the film portrays a few individuals a bit too harshly in my opinion, and is unable to look at the bigger picture.

Politically, this film is absolutely accurate, but I'm not too sure if I'd call the republican celebrities from Hollywood as evil as the senators who conducted the hearings. I don't know, honestly.

Would I watch this movie again? Not really. It's screenplay and direction doesn't reel me in enough. Entertaining for what it's worth? Sure.