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Trumbo

November 27, 2015 | 124 minutes
Directed by: Jay Roach | Written by: John McNamara
The true story of Hollywood's blacklisted screenwwriter who would with two Academy Awards under his pseudonym. In 1947, Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) was Hollywood's top screenwriter until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs. "Trumbo" recounts how Dalton used words and wit to win two Academy Awards and expose the absurdity and injustice under the blacklist, which entangled everyone from gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren) to John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger.
Cast: Bryan Cranston (Dalton Trumbo), Diane Lane (Cleo Fincher Trumbo), Helen Mirren (Hedda Hopper), Louis C.K. (Arlen Hird), Elle Fanning (Nikola Trumbo), John Goodman (Frank King), Michael Stuhlbarg (Edward G. Robinson), Alan Tudyk (Ian McLellan Hunter), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Virgil Brooks), Dean O'Gorman (Kirk Douglas), Stephen Root (Hymie King), Roger Bart (Buddy Ross), David James Elliott (John Wayne), Peter Mackenzie (Robert Kenny), John Getz (Sam Wood), Christian Berkel (Otto Preminger), Billy Slaughter (D.C. Reporter), Richard Portnow (Louis B. Mayer), Sean Bridgers (Jeff Krandall), James Dumont (J. Parnell Thomas)

Production Notes

Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a positive review, saying “Trumbo may be clumsy and overly simplistic at times, but it’s still an important reminder of how democracy can fail (that is, when a fervent majority turns on those with different and potentially threatening values), and the strength of character it takes to fight the system.” Lou Lumenick of the New York Post gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying “It’s a cracking good story, and Cranston does a great job portraying a man who made great sacrifices for his principles.” Manohla Dargis of The New York Times gave the film a negative review, saying “Part biopic, part historical gloss, Trumbo tells a great-man story with a patchwork of fact and fiction, mixing in the odd bit of newsreel with a great many dull, visually flat and poorly lighted dramatic scenes.” Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film three out of four stars, saying “Trumbo is breezy and pithy without ever undercutting the seriousness of the subject. A certain degree of wit is appropriate in a writer’s story, just as any Hollywood tale must at least have a whiff of absurdity, or else it can’t be true.” Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, saying “Trumbo is a corny, well-made B-movie about an A-list screenwriter who had to take jobs writing B-movies after he was blacklisted, but eventually worked his way back to writing A-movies with Kirk Douglas a.k.a. Spartacus as his champion.”

Helen Mirren received a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations (as Best Supporting Actress and as part of the ensemble) for playing Hedda Hopper. Bryan Cranston received Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA and an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor.

Awards and Nominations for Helen Mirren

   AARP Movies for Grownups Award – Best Supporting Actress
   Critics Choice Award – Best Supporting Actress
   North Carolina Film Critics Association – Best Supporting Actress
   Phoenix Film Critics Society Award – Best Actress in a Supporting Role
   San Diego Film Critics Society Award – Best Supporting Actress
   San Francisco Film Critics Circle – Best Supporting Actress
   Screen Actors Guild Award – Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
   Women Film Critics Circle Award – Worst Female Images in a Movie

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