Cradle Will Rock

An ambitious political drama with a star-studded cast. Too bad it's an utter mess. Judging by the furious pace and the often over-the-top performances, you would think it's supposed to be a comedy. Nope. It's just plain bad. The lightheartedness adds nothing to the serious subject-matter. The rapid-fire dialogue is bland and hollow. The ideas put forth are fuzzy and uninsightful. Even the music is bloody awful. A waste of 2:15 hours' worth of celluloid.

Has the energy equivalent to a birthday party filled with 13 year old girls, but that, like this, just leads to a huge mess and a shitload of loud talking. Important story, but Robbins tried to do a little too much.

Love the cast, but this movie was entirely forgettable.

Great music, exhilarating story, a beautiful mosaic of the Great Depression, and the first Bill Murray's performance that I've enjoyed. However, Robbins seems to fall in love with his own story, and load it up with schmalz.

An evidently uneven but worthwhile film. The star-studded cast (Vanessa Redgrave is a goddess!) and the interesting plot keep you going despite the tribulations courtesy of a flawed script and unfocused direction.

I wanted to like it more, since the story of this Houseman and Welles' production is fascinating, but all the parts, interesting in themselves, didn't hang together (I'm still not sure what Bill Murray and the dummy were doing in this.) It has a great ensemble cast, and the pleasures of the film are many for anybody who appreciates good acting. But Robbins tried to say too many things at the same time, and the results are not coherent.

Good multicharacter story, even though it has yet another posthumous eye-poke for Orson Welles. Not great, but rich and rewarding

A really great story, and a cast full of some of the most interesting and charismatic actors working in movies ought to add up to something great, but...not even close. It's a mess, but worse--almost completely forgettable.

A very unusual movie with high political edge. No doubt this will not appeal to many. Still, where Topsy Turvy failed, this succeeds and maintains interest. A little long.

Brilliant. Brilliant! A love-song to everything that is theatre and those who love it. With the exception of a mis-cast Susan Sarandon, the cast is spot-on, and the directing deft, sure, and true. Brilliant!

Good times, good music, good themes, good movie.

this ensemble rocks...the actors flourish and the script carries them on a journey to the heart of american corruption and paranoia...