A Screenwriter and More Take on Hollywood’s Witch Hunt

Helen Mirren and Bryan Cranston in "Trumbo"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

With the film industry being a majestic entity in show business, it’s always compelling to see films that tell stories about what goes on in those studio lots.  Some examples include 2012’s “Hitchcock,” 2011’s “The Artist,” and 1994’s “Ed Wood.”  There is an abundance of history that has built up in a century of the art and business of moviemaking, and the movies that depict that history are often as educational as they are entertaining.

The latest film that deals with a piece of Hollywood’s history is director Jay Roach’s “Trumbo,” which tells the story of famed screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo.  Although the movie is an averagely made biopic for the most part, the film is saved by its performances and details of the blacklisting that occurred in Hollywood in the mid-twentieth century.

Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) is one of the most respected screenwriters in Hollywood.  But, after the United States enters the Cold War with the Soviet Union, Trumbo’s involvement in the Community Party of the U.S.A. eventually leads him to being blacklisted.  With some cunning and help from other blacklisted screenwriters, Trumbo will do what he can to write more screenplays and support his family.

Being one of the finest actors working today, Bryan Cranston’s performance is the main reason to give this movie a watch.  He exhibits the determination and work ethic Trumbo needed to stand up to Hollywood’s blacklisting.  As the film progresses, Cranston displays the stress and agitation that came with trying to maintain a living by having to do the work he loves in secret, and he ultimately shows what it means to stick to your convictions, even when many threaten to turn against you.

Not many of the supporting performances particularly stand out, but I have to give praise to Helen Mirren’s fun portrayal of gossip columnist Hedda Hopper and John Goodman’s latest comical turn as King Brothers Productions co-founder, Frank King.

The screenplay by John McNamara, which is based on Bruce Cook’s biography, “Dalton Trumbo,” offers an entertaining look at the effects of McCarthyism in Hollywood.  Throughout the film, we are given plenty of details that invest us in this fascinating, yet troubling period of Hollywood’s history.  McNamara shows the harm inflicted by the crackdown imposed by the film industry, which allows the story to display how difficult it was for people in show business to choose between defending their friends and complying with the tight grip of Hollywood.

Given how interesting the subject matter is, there should have been a little more directorial flair from Jay Roach.  He does a serviceable job with the material, but his direction is rather by-the-numbers, and a big-screen drama such as this should have some stylistic direction to compliment the intrigue of the true story that’s depicted.

Although “Trumbo” should have had a better treatment from its director, the performances and story are enough to compensate for this fault, and you’ll learn quite a bit as you watch Trumbo’s genius at work. 

Final grade: B