• Consequence
  • Music
  • Film
  • TV
  • Heavy
Menu Consequence
Menu Shop Search Newsletter
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Live
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Cover Story
Advertisement
  • Reviews
  • Film Reviews

Film Review: Trumbo

C+

Directed by

  • Jay Roach

Starring

  • Elle Fanning
  • Bryan Cranston
  • Diane Lane
  • Helen Mirren

Release Year

  • 2015

Rating

  • R
Advertisement
Sarah Kurchak
November 4, 2015 | 12:00am ET

    Note: This review was originally published back in September 2015 as part of our coverage for the Toronto International Film Festival.

    tiff-logoDalton Trumbo, the titular subject of Jay Roach’s new historical Hollywood biopic, was an excellent writer. The novelist and screenwriter – and registered member of the American Communist Party – managed to pen one of the most haunting anti-war tomes of all time (Johnny Got His Gun, which inspired, among other things, Metallica’s “One” video), write a stunning number of celebrated scripts (Spartacus, Exodus, Papillon), fix even more, and win two Oscars for his efforts (for Roman Holiday and The Brave One, both written under fronts or pseudonyms and officially recognized by the Academy as Trumbo’s in the post-blacklist era). So it’s a shame that the film about his life often feels less like a worthy tribute than something that would have benefited from his substantial rewriting skills.

    The characters are introduced in the broadest of strokes. In 1947, Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) is a cantankerous but lovable and principled writer who actively participates in the Communist party and shares their ideals. He even charmingly explains the ideology to his young daughter Nikola (played in her later years by Elle Fanning) with a metaphor about sharing sandwiches at school. His wife Cleo (Diane Lane) is supportive. His friends and fellow writers, like Ian McLellan Hunter (Alan Tudyk) and Arlen Hird (Louis C.K.) are clever and quippy.

    Related Video

    The purveyors of anti-communist sentiment both in Hollywood – where gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren) and John Wayne (David James Elliott) campaign to blacklist communist and known associates from the film industry – and Washington – where J. Parnell Thomas (James DuMont) chairs the House Committee of Un-American Activities (HCUAA) – might as well be cartoon villains.

    Advertisement

    The battle between Trumbo and McCarthyism is hardly a polarizing issue these days – there are few who would argue that the red panic-fueled political witch hunt that cost some of Hollywood’s best and brightest their livelihoods (and sometimes their lives) is anything but a blight on American history. And yet the scenes leading up to Trumbo’s time in front of the HCUAA, and his imprisonment for contempt of Congress for refusing to answer the committee’s questions feel too simplistic a battle between white and black knights to carry the weight of the drama that Trumbo aspires to be.

    Perhaps this is why the film’s more playful middle is so much more promising. Free from most of the proselytizing of the first act, Trumbo settles into an almost caper-esque tone. Home from prison and in need of work, Trumbo takes his writing to the black market, penning scripts under a series of pseudonyms for a pair of schlocky producers (John Goodman and Stephen Root) and finding similar work for his fellow blacklistees. With dialogue almost as snappy and effervescent as the jazzy score, Trumbo and crew subvert and foil the enemy. The mix of drama and humor works well here and comedic backgrounds of many of Trumbo’s stars becomes an incredible asset, adding almost perfect timing to many a line-reading. The severity of the circumstances facing the men and their families is never downplayed, but the Important Issues at play no longer feel so heavy-handed.

    As the film climbs toward its conclusion, though, Roach and screenwriter John McNamara are once again openly striving for prestige drama. They’re more successful here than at the beginning of the film, but not all of the emotional, soul-searching beats and fights between Trumbo and his family are effective. At their best, they add a moral ambiguity to the biopic: Was Trumbo really a Hollywood hero, or was he one man with a personal agenda that happened to coincide with doing the right thing? And at what cost? The weaker moments often feel like emote-by-numbers monologues written specifically for the Oscar reel. And the uneven writing robs Trumbo’s final speech of its deserved resonance.

    Advertisement

    At a moment of great triumph and deep reflection, you just might find your mind wandering and wondering what Trumbo would have had to say about the writing, and how he might have fixed it.

    Trailer:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

More on this topic

  • Alan Tudyk
  • Biopic
  • Bryan Cranston
  • Diane Lane
  • Drama
  • Elle Fanning
  • Helen Mirren
  • Jay Roach
  • John Goodman
  • Louis C.K.
  • Stephen Root
  • TIFF 2015 Coverage

Subscribe to our daily email digest for the latest headlines.

Advertisement

Popular Stories

Chad Smith plays Thirty Seconds to Mars song

Heavy Consequence

Chad Smith Crushes Thirty Seconds to Mars Hit as He Hears It for the First Time: Watch

dolly parton 4 non blondes cover what's up rockstar album song stream

Music

Dolly Parton Takes on 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up?" with Linda Perry: Stream

Advertisement

Corey Taylor: Beyond the Mask Merch Bundle Exclusively Available at the Consequence Shop

Corey Taylor: Beyond the Mask Merch Bundle Exclusively Available at the Consequence Shop

The Continental Taxi Driver Easter Eggs

TV

Why De Niro’s Taxi Driver Cab Pulls Up at The Continental

Michael Cera Greta Gerwig Barbie deleted scene Jaws Rodrigo Prieto IMAX

Film

Greta Gerwig "Couldn’t Stop Laughing" at Michael Cera's Deleted Barbie Scene Inspired by Jaws

Latest Stories

B
A Haunting in Venice

A Haunting in Venice Isn't as Scary as It Seems, Thankfully: Review

September 15, 2023

A-
theater camp review ben platt

The Hilarious and Authentic Theater Camp Takes Center Stage: Review

September 14, 2023

B-
Dumb Money Review

Dumb Money Takes Stock of the Gamestop Squeeze in Droll, Empathetic Fashion: Review

September 14, 2023

A
Cassandro Review Gael Garcia Bernal Amazon

Cassandro Review: Gael García Bernal Soars in Stunning, Inspirational Biopic

September 14, 2023

B
The Equalizer 3 Review

The Equalizer 3 Is a Lot of Fun, Even if You've Never Equalized Before: Review

August 29, 2023

B
Strays Review Movie Will Ferrell Jamie Foxx

Strays Review: A Slightly Unhinged, Strangely Funny Dog Comedy

August 17, 2023

B-
Blue Beetle (Warner Bros. Pictures) DC Comics Superhero Movie Review

Blue Beetle Puts Latin Culture At the Forefront of Its Charming Superhero Antics: Review

August 16, 2023

B+
Heart of Stone Review

Heart of Stone Review: Gal Gadot Goes Full James Bond for Netflix

August 10, 2023

Advertisement

News

  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Tours
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture

Reviews

  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews

Features

  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Guides
  • CoSign
  • Song of the Week

Live

  • Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Photo Galleries
  • Music Instruments & Gear

Heavy

  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts

More

  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Wellness
  • Giveaways

Other sites

  • Heavy Consequence
  • Consequence Media
  • Modern Drummer
  • About
  • Privacy policy
  • Advertising
  • Work For Us
  • Terms
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Download our app

  • Get it on the App Store
  • Get it on Google Play
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Consequence
Current story

Film Review: Trumbo

Menu Shop Search Newsletter
Consequence
News
  • News
  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Tours
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture
Reviews
  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews
Features
  • All Features
  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Guides
  • CoSign
  • Song of the Week
Live
  • Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Photo Galleries
  • Music Instruments & Gear
Podcasts
  • The Opus
  • Kyle Meredith With...
  • Stanning BTS
  • The Story Behind the Song
  • The What
  • Going There with Dr. Mike
  • The Rome and Duddy Show
Videos
  • Interviews
  • Two for the Road
  • First Time I Heard
  • When I Made
  • Battle of the Bandmates
  • Peer 2 Peer
  • Essays
  • Fan Theories
Heavy
  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts
  • Premieres
  • Culture
  • Beyond the Boys Club
  • Mining Metal
Shop
  • Shop
  • Giveaways
Hometowns

Follow Consequence

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Close
Close
 

Loading Comments...