Trumbo – movie review

The name Dalton Trumbo is little known outside of those with an interest in Hollywood history, but this hugely successful (as in Oscar winning) writer is the subject of Jay Roach’s detailled and compelling biopic, Trumbo.

For a little background, Trumbo was a prolific and celebrated screenwriter during the “Golden Age” of Hollywood. His many credits (IMDB lists 69 – though not all are confirmed, for reasons explained in the film) included Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944), Roman Holiday (1953), Spartacus (1960) and Papillon (1973). But his writing work is arguably overshadowed by the fact he was one of the so-called Hollywood Ten – a group of ten screenwriters blacklisted by the film industry after being accused of Communist sympathies by the House Un-American Activities Committee (which would bring Senator Joe McCarthy to prominence and prompt Arthur Miller to write The Crucible). As an aside, scores of other filmmakers besides the Hollywood Ten were blacklisted in the 1940s and ’50s through HUAC’s activities, and you can take a deep dive into the story of the blacklist with You Must Remember This, an excellent podcast from film writer Karina Longworth.

In Trumbo the eponymous writer is played by Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad). When the film opens, just after World War II, Trumbo has just become the highest paid writer in Hollywood. However, the “Red Menace” has engendered a powerful and growing hysteria – something that endangers Trumbo and fellow writers who are or were members of the American Communist Party. Despite the support of fellow filmmakers, once Trumbo and the others came to the attention of HUAC (and went to jail for a time), their careers are basically over. Urged on by the cajoling and even threats of prominent Hollywood figures like Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren) and John Wayne (David James Elliott), the major studios wouldn’t touch these writers for fear of a public backlash. But Trumbo devises an ingenious workaround. With the support of his devoted wife Cleo (Diane Lane), Trumbo begins writing – uncredited of course – for schlock producer Frank King (John Goodman) who is thrilled to have a major talent working on his C-grade pictures. As the amount of work from King piles up, Trumbo is able to include his fellow blacklisters in the scheme, freeing him up to do some clandestine work on major pictures. By the time Roman Holiday – “fronted” by non-blacklisted writer Ian McLellan Hunter (Alan Tudyk) – won the screenwriting Oscar, it had become an open secret that Trumbo was back in the game.

Perhaps because of my personal interest in old Hollywood, I found Trumbo fascinating. Quite apart from the name-dropping (everyone from Edward G. Robinson to Kirk Douglas turns up at some point during the film), its depiction of this complex character and his myriad struggles is engrossing. The film does tend to assume its audience has at least a working knowledge of films and prominent figures from the period, but it’s not essential to appreciating the story.

That said, perhaps ironically, the script (by John McNamara) has some issues, particularly a rather flabby middle third. It also tends to “drop” characters into the story without introduction, which left me scratching my head a couple of times trying to work out who they actually were – and often times they disappear just as quickly, making it all the more confusing.

Director Jay Roach is better known for his comedies, notably the Austin Powers and Meet the Parents franchises, and his direction here is more workmanlike than spectacular. He keeps everything chugging along for the most part, but can’t resist indulging in some of the more tired tropes of the biopic genre. He does however manage to provide a punchy ending to the film, particularly with the sequence that runs alongside the end titles featuring archival footage.

Bryan Cranston continues his rise as a leading man with a virtuoso performance as the enigmatic title character. The script and Cranston’s reading of it are undoubtedly sympathetic to Trumbo (as you’d expect), but Cranston still brings out many of the foibles and contradictions that make Trumbo such a fascinating subject. Diane Lane (Man of Steel) offers solid, if under-written, support as the long-suffering Cleo; and the same can be said for Elle Fanning (Maleficent) as Trumbo’s beloved eldest daughter Niki. Helen Mirren (Woman in Gold) just about steals every scene as the catty Hedda Hopper, although she does have to wear, and compete with, a series of increasingly spectacular hats. The remainder of the cast are probably more recognisable from television than the movies, but special mention should go to Michael Stuhlbarg (Steve Jobs) who bears a remarkable physical likeness in the role of Edward G. Robinson, and actor-comedian Louis C.K. (American Hustle) in a decidedly not-funny role as blacklister Arlen Hird.

Although Trumbo is likely to appeal to a fairly select audience, it’s a film worth catching. Its key point – that we need to learn from history to avoid repeating it – is both well made and relevant. While it could have used some tightening up and a dash more originality, this is nonetheless a decent dramatic effort from Jay Roach, and a fine canvas for Bryan Cranston to display his craft.

Director: Jay Roach
Cast: Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, Diane Lane, Elle Fanning, John Goodman
Release Date: 18 February 2016
Rating: M – Coarse language

David Edwards