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Movies / On DVD / The Human Stain
The Human Stain

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The Human Stain (2003)

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Reviews Counted:144

Fresh:59

Rotten:85

Average Rating:5.4/10

Consensus: Though the acting is fine, the leads are miscast, and the story is less powerful on screen than on the page.

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Director Robert Benton brings Philip Roth's 2000 novel THE HUMAN STAIN to the screen in this lavish production, with expert cinematography from Jean-Yves Escoffier. Coleman Silk (Anthony Hopkins)... Director Robert Benton brings Philip Roth's 2000 novel THE HUMAN STAIN to the screen in this lavish production, with expert cinematography from Jean-Yves Escoffier. Coleman Silk (Anthony Hopkins) is a light-skinned African-American college professor who has kept his true racial identity secret for the majority of his life. His career comes to a sudden halt when he makes a comment that is misinterpreted as a racial slur. Soon after he is fired, Silk hooks up with young Faunia Farely (Nicole Kidman), a local janitor. The affair with Farely, who is almost half Silk's age, becomes small-town gossip, and attracts the attention of Farely's psychotic ex-husband, Lester (Ed Harris). As Lester seeks vengeance, still angry at his ex-wife, Silk must make some tough decisions about his affair with Farely, leading to the film's nail-biting conclusion. Benton draws incredibly convincing performances from his two lead actors. Hopkins ably transcends his Caucasian ethnicity to play an African American. And Kidman fully embraces her character as a downtrodden janitor who is determined to rise beyond her humble beginnings. The two actors conquer the difficult subject matter, offering fascinating commentary on racial mores and relationship issues. [More]

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Gary Sinese, Ed Harris

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Gary Sinese, Ed Harris, Wentworth Miller, Jacinda Barrett

Director: Robert Benton

Director: Robert Benton
Screenwriter: Nick Meyers
Producer: Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Scott Steindorff
Composer: Rachel Portman
Studio: Miramax Films

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Reviews for The Human Stain

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
04/09/04
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It is a well-dressed, good-looking wax dummy of a film.

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
03/02/04
Xan Brooks
Xan Brooks
Sight and Sound

With all the legs flailing, earnest speechifying, hot-headed outbursts, and mild abuse of crockery, Robert Benton's adaptation feels more like a fat Greek wedding than an Ancient Greek tragedy.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
12/23/03
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
11/01/03
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

This is such a good story, and such a gifted cast and crew, that watching the film go off the rails is a real tragedy.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
10/27/03
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/09/03
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Eclipse Magazine | comment Comment
10/18/08
Michelle Alexandria
Michelle Alexandria
Eclipse Magazine
N/R

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Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
11/01/07
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek

Casting a stain.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
09/18/07
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

Both Nicole Kidman and Anthony Hopkins are vastly miscast in Robert Benton's poor adaptation of Philip Roth's poignant novel, one of the few works about contempo academic battlefields.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
08/02/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The acting is phenomenal (especially Harris), and the film will be a nice challenge for those in search of one.

Full Review Source: FromTheBalcony | comment Comment
06/20/05
Bill Clark
Bill Clark
FromTheBalcony

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
03/05/05
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic

One of the most underrated pictures of 2003.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
12/17/04
Forrest Hartman
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal

The film's frame groans in its attempt to contain such a complex story, and its actors ask us to accept implausible things... but it's ultimately rewarding.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
12/06/04
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

A tricky adaptation of an unlikely novel that nevertheless goes almost as wrong as possible...prey to the most amateur varieties of structural and tonal errors.

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
08/28/04
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks
N/R

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Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
08/07/04
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
 
 
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