The Front

Not exactly subtle, but it is pretty funny and an engaging film. Woody adds a lot to it and the last line is absolutely perfect. "Fellas, I don't recognize the right of this committee to ask me these kind of questions. And furthermore, you can all go fuck yourselves."

Absolutely wonderful movie that grabs me in every way; so funny, and so moving, and so smart. I wouldn't change a thing about it.

A strong and entertaining drama. Which Mostel completely steals. What an impressive performance!

Has aged extremely well. The romance is a little bit generic, but the more prominent McCarthyism and TV writing stories are compelling and interesting stuff, with a great performance by Woody Allen and one of the best final lines in just about any movie ever.

"It's nice when nice happens to somebody nice" Zero Mostel is awesome. Martin Ritt has come off a little showy in my past experiences, but in this he blends an economic approach with a style still aesthetically pleasing. I love the bookends of this.

A comedy/drama about Communist blacklisting in the entertainment industry. It's not going to win any awards for subtlety, and I don't think I can be blamed for expecting more laughs from a movie with Woody Allen and Zero Mostel in it, but it's okay. The script is tight, if somewhat predictable. Some of the music is pretty bad, real heartstring-tugging stuff. Mostel is terrific.

A little schmaltzy but still a fine film.

Boo-hoo dull-ing about the communist black list. Indeed, not funny or incisive enough. Seeing Allen trying to actually act was, also, a little perplexing.

The romance subplot is unnecessary but this is otherwise thoroughly engaging. One of Allen's best performances and Zero Mostel's tragicomic performance is magic.

Maybe I'm naturally expecting a comedy when it stars Allen and Mostel, but this film give off an air of comedy, despite there not a whole lot of jokes -- sometimes there appears to be a set-up for a gag or at least a punch-line, but it ends up falling flat due to some draft-ey writing that needed some work. As for the story, it's important and commendable (I'm a sucker for films about screenwriters), but as Howard himself says "it's a bit flat. The keyword here is 'substance'."

A decent comedy reflecting USA's Cold War anti-communist propoganda.

Well directed by Ritt, with a fine performance by Woody Allen and a great performance from Zero Mostel.

The final conversation is the perfect climax to the film. Also, Zero Mostel is fantastic.

Truly a classic which I don't think gets the praise it deserves. It doesn't hammer the serious themes down your throat, but it definitely makes you think about them, makes you annoyed. The Hecky Brown and Freedom Information characters are the serious bit, Woody Allen's storyline is the 'story' part. We're watching a very interesting story, with its funny moments, but I certainly never forgot the hardship which the blacklist caused whil... http://www.criticker.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=3633

Allen flips heroic on his weaselly/heroic axis, faces ruination.

Has a decent plot and some pretty moments to laugh at. But, let's face it, Woody is not that type of guy who could have changed the course of history.

I liked it more than Antz. You can all go fuck yourselves.

Seems a little unsure of what it wishes to be but a good film nonetheless. The ending is perfect.

I'm good for a comedy, but this only has a few chuckles. Okay, I like me some drama too, but this is too light in tone to be taken seriously or to be a scathing commentary on McCarthyism. So what the hell am I watching here? I'm starting to hate when a film can't decide on a genre. I wouldn't call it forgettable, though, thanks mostly to Allen. He doesn't get enough credit for his acting - likely because he does the same thing every time, but he does it exceptionally well.

a witty and well written satire of mccarthyism poking fun at how disturbingly irrational the time was. allen pulls off his role well and this movie benefited immensely from being made by a whole slew of people who were blacklisted. plus those last couple minutes were priceless.

I was hoping for a funnier movie than I got but this is still a decent little drama. I enjoy just about any movie with Allen as an actor.

Neat little movie. I especially like the end.

Rather bland satire on the communist witch hunts of the 50s; interesting, but neither funny nor incisive enough.

Pretty decent commentary on the McCarthy era.

Zero and the Woodman! Who'd have thunk it. First time I ever heard of a "beard," years before Tom Cruise popularized the term.

Even if you hate Commies, this is great. One of the best "quiet" movies ever