Trumbo is based on the true story of Dalton Trumbo who, at one time, was one of Hollywood’s top screenwriters until he was blacklisted during the 1950s for his political beliefs. The movie chronicles his fall to his unlikely rise thanks to his family, dedication and people willing to go out on a limb.
Being a fan of both the history and politics of Hollywood, it’s hard not to know, or to think you know, all about the blacklist and house of un-American committee run by Senator Joseph McCarthy during the 1950s. With Trumbo, you get a behind-the-scenes of how the witch-hunt affected those who were blacklisted. You have to remember that many of those who were blacklisted lost their jobs, their families and, in some instances, their lives.
The movie was a fantastic mixture of amazing writing and acting. Bryan Cranston is fantastic in the film and will more than likely be nominated for an Academy Award. Trumbo and his family goes through a lot throughout the film. The film is brilliantly and hilariously cast, and Louis C.K., as faithful blacklisted writer Arlen Hird, and John Goodman, as Frank King who gave Trumbo his second shot, really steal every scene that they are in. This is a movie where you look around and think “oh, that should get a nomination. Oh! That definitely should get a nomination!”
Diane Lane, Helen Mirren and Elle Fanning all fall into that category. All three women are just so diverse in their characters, and each one conjures up an array of emotions out of you, whether its love or hatred or sympathy. Diane Lane plays Cleo Trumbo, the faithful and loyal wife to Dalton Trumbo who never once waivers in the face of adversity and Diane Lane is able to draw tears out of a person when you didn’t think there would be any. Helen Mirren plays Hedda Hopper who is an early version of TMZ who was a driving force behind the blacklisting of many of the Hollywood artists. And I have only mentioned a handful of the actors/actresses in this film. Every single person was fantastic. Whether it’s Stephen Root as Goodman’s partner Hymie King, or Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Virgl Brooks or Alan Tudyk as Ian McLellan Hunter, everyone is great. They even got John Wayne and Kirk Douglas down pat with performances by David James Elliot and Dean O’Gorman, respectfully.
Since this is Jay Roach’s first non-comedic movie, wow does he know how to direct a dramatic movie (I would consider it a dramedy since there were a lot of great witty and funny one-liners), and he does it so well, from doing a scene where you are laughing hysterically to the next where he pulls the rug out from underneath you and makes your eyes get a little misty. Do I think that he will get an Oscar nomination? Sadly, I think he’ll be in the ‘snub’ category this year. However, John McNamara could get a nomination for best adaptation screenplay. His writing was just so on point that as a writer you get jealous.
