Trumbo

I had the foresight to pick up a copy of Bruce Cook's biography Dalton Trumbo back in September, but lacked the motivation to read it. Somebody who did read it was screenwriter John McNamara, who used it as the basis for the biopic Trumbo.

In 1947, Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) is one of Hollywood's top screenwriters. He's also a member of the Communist Party, which gets him subpoenaed to HUAC. Trumbo gets thrown in Prison when he refuses to answer the Politically-Biased committee. The Hollywood Studios subsequently blacklist him and his friends for their beliefs.

But this doesn't stop Trumbo and co. from getting work. They subvert the system by using fronts and aliases on their future screenplays. Frank King (John Goodman), proud producer of Z-Movies, is Trumbo's chief employer. Two of Trumbo's screen stories, Roman Holiday and The Brave One, both win Academy Awards. His secret business puts a strain on his relationships, especially with his wife, Cleo (Diane Lane), and daughter Nikola (Elle Fanning). Gossip Maven Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren) threatens to expose him. Trumbo's secret is just the answer to smash the blacklist.

The film doesn't really demonize HUAC and its cooperators. Those that renounce their friends, like Edward G. Robinson (Michael Stuhlbarg), do so under extreme duress, which earns them audience sympathy. John Wayne (David James Elliot), All-American he is, won't doubt Robinson's motives for testifying when Hopper does. They believe they're doing the right thing but are just stubborn about it. Hopper, the most underhanded of them all, is dumbstruck when the blacklist crumbles.

The screenplay's biggest problem is that it speeds through obstacles. The Motion Picture Alliance threatens boycotts and citizens show contempt for Trumbo and his fellow commies. But they don't do much other than rattle sabers. Trumbo and co. just profit by ignoring their threats. They're never in danger of even almost getting exposed.

Trumbo's greatest strength is its cast. Bryan Cranston as Trumbo makes for a likable rogue; his Communist beliefs are well-intentioned rather than malicious. His supporting cast includes great emotional support from Lane and Fanning, as well as Louis C.K. as a fellow blacklisted writer. Goodman also stands out as Frank King; his best scene was him chasing out one of Hopper's cronies with a bat. Helen Mirren makes for a fine villain as Hopper.

 Dean O'Gorman and Christian Berkel also stand out as Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger, whose hiring of Trumbo for their epic films Spartacus and Exodus, helped kill the blacklist. Berkel, in particular, turns the infamously authoritarian Preminger into awesome comic relief.

Trumbo is a well-meaning portrait of a film legend. Its script isn't perfect but the cast sure is. The look into a screenwriter's life makes this a fascinating watch for aspiring writers everywhere. It at least shows how much a screen credit means for people.