Trumbo is hurt by an unwillingness to actually explore Trumbo's own politics and delve into his actual beliefs about communism, Stalin or Marxist ideology.
Comment
10/18/08
Trumbo (2008)
80
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:51
Fresh:41
Rotten:10
Average Rating:6.7/10
Consensus: Trumbo celebrates the life and work of blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo with measures of humor and sadness.
Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins
Genre: Education/General Interest
Synopsis: This documentary focuses on the Oscar-winning mind behind ROMAN HOLIDAY and THE BRAVE ONE. TRUMBO centers on Dalton Trumbo, a screenwriter and member of the Hollywood 10 who vaulted from the A-list... [More]
Starring: Joan Allen, Brian Dennehy, Michael Douglas, Paul Giamatti
Director: Peter Askin
Reviews for Trumbo
Like the great artist he is Trumbo's work speaks as loudly today as it did 50 years ago. Perhaps we should all listen.
09/13/09
A portrait of Dalton Trumbo, the writer who defied HUAC. Joan Allen, Paul Giamatti, Liam Neeson, David Strathairn and Donald Sutherland, among others, read excerpts from Trumbo's letters. Moving and compelling. Must see.
05/27/09
Click to read the article
04/23/09
Does a fine job of showing the emotional and financial toll the decadelong blacklist (plus a year's imprisonment for contempt of Congress) took on Trumbo and his family as he tried to scrape by writing anonymously.
01/09/09
The transporting power of this experience is in the passionate and almost outlandishly eloquent verbal expression Trumbo poured into his correspondence, and the vividly American principles he defends.
11/10/08
Click to read the article
10/18/08
The film is an enlightening recap of '50s Red Scare politics, and a parade of actors giving meaningful, earnest readings of Trumbo's speeches and letters.
10/18/08
It will serve as a fine entry point for younger auds interested in learning about theprice paid by moviemakers and their families swept up in the 1950s anti-Communist net.
10/18/08
Top CriticAn amazing primer on how to stand by your principles even as the unprincipled knock you around.
10/18/08
It's a pleasure to meet a truly moral man in a documentary that rightly heralds his name.
10/18/08
A ousing documentary as ornery, orotund and captivating as its subject.
10/18/08
As the story of a fierce, beleaguered individualist, 'Trumbo' is stirring and informative, though perhaps not as thorough as it could be.
09/28/08
Dalton Trumbo showed that it was possible, even within the Hollywood system, to deal seriously with issues like freedom and personal responsibility.
09/19/08
Although it glosses over a few relevant details, Trumbo also functions as a passionate defense of truth from a writer who embodied all of the virtues that America claims to value.
09/12/08
Of all the many narrative films and documentaries that have been made about the Hollywood blacklist, none has more intimately captured what it must have been like to live through that sordid time.
09/11/08
This biography is celebratory to a fault. There is scant context about the history and political climate that led to the blacklist.
08/22/08
Trumbo was initiated by two of Trumbo's children, but their attempt to personalize the film isn't quite personal enough.
08/22/08
... a beautifully directed and passionate homage to the dignity of one man against the indignity of the times.
08/19/08
A celebration of a large-hearted contrarian, and if it's over-worshipful, the film gets you in an indulgent frame of mind.
08/15/08
Latest News for Trumbo
June 30, 2008:
Critics Consensus: WALL-E Is the Best-Reviewed Film of 2008
This week at the movies, we've got lonely robots (Pixar's WALL-E, directed by Andrew Stanton) and kinetic killers (Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, and Morgan... More...
June 25, 2008:
Bio-pic revisits the rise, fall and vindication of blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter. 
More...
May 25, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review
More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds