As its name suggests, this movie is all about Dalton Trumbo. The elite Hollywood screenwriter whose active membership in the US Communist Party resulted in being blacklisted along with many others in his profession. The trials and tribulations of Trumbo are showcased here in realistic yet almost operatic terms, and at each new conflict we an imagine the man collapsing, ending the real-life horrors of the time. Yet through perseverance, friendship, hard work, and the passing of time, eventually the blacklist was ended, the House Un-American Activities Committee was dissolved, and Trumbo received (even posthumously) due recognition for his work during the '50s and '60s, including his Oscar for Roman Holiday. It's not always an easy movie to watch, as financial difficulty and social unrest lead to bankruptcy, ostracism, even suicide, but by the end we appreciate the sacrifices made and the trauma inflicted on those who stood firm in their beliefs or suffered for compromising them.
When I consider the last year or so of celebrities and performers declaring political alliances and sympathies, this movie was distinctly prescient. While there is, as yet, not much of a witch hunt to compare with Trumbo's time, the seeds have been sown. We see celebrities alternately lauded and demonized for their political opinions and support, media straddling lines between "fake news" and defending against attack, a president whose own dalliances with show business were only occasionally popular with a particular audience, and people's careers subjected to the whims of polarized commentary. Some may decry this movie as sympathizing with Communism, but in doing so they paint themselves to be the same color as those involved in the Red Scare and subsequent hunt; that is to say, the same as the "villains" of this movie. Consider, for example, our current president who repeatedly touted the "liar" "Crooked Hillary" and almost daily chastises "fake news" while concurrently exaggerating, lying, and using "alternative facts" to explain his administration. It's the same political miasma then and now, which makes the film all the more troubling to watch.
And, apart from these timely plot points and themes, Trumbo is a damn fine movie. Yet another winner from Bleecker Street, this flick delves deep into the mythic power structure of old Hollywood in a manner seemingly calculated to entrap those of us who love movies about movies. That is to say, while certain aspects -- Helen Mirren's flamboyant costumes and John Goodman's mania -- are meant to appeal to audiences at large, a dense script and layered references to '50s sociopolitical climate and pop culture feature clear attempts to garner critical acclaim. What sets this movie apart, however, is that it is successful in its endeavors.
Trumbo's pleasures are manifold, and its cast supplies most of them. While Mirren and Goodman, as already mentioned, provide sparkling focal points, the movie belongs squarely to Bryan Cranston. He disappears into the role, smoking and typing away in his tub between emphatic monologues of great drama. From behind thick eyeglasses, his eyes sparkle with wit and insight we can only imagine might compare with the real man's. Everyone follows his lead, though, and each performance matches with nuance and truth, especially those portraying iconic actors John Wayne and Kirk Douglas (David James Elliott and Dean O'Gorman, respectively), who don't allow the real people's "isms" to make caricatures of their delivery.
My only real concern with the movie is that it takes the mystery out of the man. Even now, the literature about him (and that he wrote) is a little in love with the ambiguity and shady atmosphere around Trumbo. While it certainly serves the film to open up his life and give him the star billing he long deserved, I find myself wishing his own smoke would cloud around again. That's just personal preference, though: I find a man of mystery far more beguiling than a man whose life has been laid bare on the silver screen. Then again, it's only by broadly sharing stories like his that the damaging prejudices against Communism may finally begin to wane.
IMDb: Trumbo
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