The Humbling (film)

The Humbling

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Barry Levinson
Produced by Al Pacino
Jason Sosnoff
Monika Bacardi
Ged Dickersin
Kristina Dubin
Andrea Iervolino
Gisella Marengo
Written by Buck Henry
Michal Zebede
Based on The Humbling 
by Philip Roth
Starring Al Pacino
Greta Gerwig
Dianne Wiest
Charles Grodin
Kyra Sedgwick
Music by Marcelo Zarvos
Cinematography Adam Jandrup
Edited by Aaron Yanes
Production
company
Ambi Pictures
Hammerton Productions
Distributed by Millennium Films
Release dates
  • August 30, 2014 (VIFF)
  • January 23, 2015 (United States)
Running time
112 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English

The Humbling is a 2014 erotic comedy film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Buck Henry and Michal Zebede, based on the 2009 novel, The Humbling, written by Philip Roth. The film stars Al Pacino, Greta Gerwig, Dianne Wiest, Charles Grodin and Kyra Sedgwick. It was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival[2] and in the Out of Competition section of the 71st Venice International Film Festival. The film was released on January 23, 2015, by Millennium Films.

Synopsis

Simon Axler is an aging actor with bouts of dementia and related issues. He is institutionalized after an incident during a Broadway play, then returns home, where he contemplates suicide. When he embarks upon an affair with a friend's amoral lesbian daughter, his world starts to fall apart. It ends on stage, with even Axler's audience and fellow actors unsure what's real and what's not.

Cast

Production

On February 4, 2014, it was announced that Millennium Films had acquired the worldwide rights to the film.[3]

Reception

The Humbling received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 51%, based on 49 reviews, with a rating of 5.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Humbling is an inarguable highlight of Al Pacino's late-period filmography, but that's an admittedly low bar that it doesn't always clear by a very wide margin."[4] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 59 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[5]

References

  1. Scott Foundas (2014-08-29). "‘The Humbling’ Review: Barry Levinson Takes on Philip Roth". Variety. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  2. "Toronto Film Festival Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  3. McNary, Dave (4 February 2014). "Al Pacino’s ‘The Humbling’ Gets Distribution". variety.com. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  4. "The Humbling". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  5. "The Humbling Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2015-04-24.

External links