So here's the story in numbers: 6.2/10 IMDb, 29% Rotten Tomatoes, 2/4 Roger Ebert.
Those are not good numbers. And I suspect that the money numbers aren't any better, though I haven't been able to find any data on the box office take.
I did read a few reviews. It was very unpleasant business. I saw In Dubious Battle described as "monotonous," "dull," "dismal," and "heavy footed and stodgy."
And to that I say: fuck you, motherfuckers.
This was a really good movie. And I was (for the first time) really impressed with James Franco, who directed as well as starred in this film. I don't know why reviewers and audiences gave it (and him) so much shit, but I suspect it's because the motherfuckers are so jaded that the sincerity of this movie went right past them, and since there wasn't much shit blowing up, I guess it didn't hold their attention.
But it will hold yours. It's really good. And Redbox has it, so you can easily get it. (Amazon has it, too, but it costs a bit more there.)
And btw, along with James Franco, you also get some most excellent co-stars, including Selena Gomez, Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, Bryan Cranston, and one of my Major Heroes, the great Sam Shepard.
And it's based on a John Steinbeck novel.
What more could you want?
"People just want to know that their lives matter. That they matter."
P.S. Six years later...Budget $15,000,000, Box Office $213,982. Still a great movie, though!
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