Review by Doug Cooper
Stars James Franco, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Bob Balaban, Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker, Treat Williams, Alessandro Nivola, Sean Patrick Reilly, Allen Ginsberg
Written by Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman
Certification UK 15 | US R
Runtime 90 minutes
Directed by Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman
This one is being released now to capitalise on the heat surrounding James Franco, Oscar nominated for 127 Hours. Here though, as famed poet and writer Allen Ginsberg, it's a far less arduous role for him to play. He doesn't interact with anyone. He merely portrays Ginsberg being interviewed and discussing his life in a relaxed and believable fashion, and is also shown reading his poetry in a 1950s coffee bar replete with trendy arty types and cigarette smoke wafting everywhere. And what is the poem he is reciting? Why Howl of course, the controversial three part epic that caused a stir because of its strong language and sexual metaphors. So much so that the publisher was taken to court and the case made headlines.
So the movie is not a biopic but a treatise on the poem itself, coupled with some imaginative animation illustrating it. It also depicts the court case, using the original transcripts, with Strathairn as the right wing prosecutor and Hamm the articulate defender of the work. Balaban is the informed and intelligent judge while messrs Williams, Daniels, Parker and Nivola appear as witnesses and opinion makers of the work's merit.
So all in all, it's not a cohesive piece. We intercut between Franco's Ginsberg talking about his life, the freewheeling animation and the drama of the court case, this proving the movie's most satisfying element. Consequently it's never that compelling overall but certainly watchable and one must admire the film makers for adopting a pleasingly unusual and original tone in their expressionism.