In Dubious Battle (film)
4 /10 1 Votes
Genre Drama Story by John Steinbeck Language English | Director James Franco Initial release 2015 Country United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Based on In Dubious Battle
by John Steinbeck Writer Matt Rager (adaptation), Matt Rager, John Steinbeck (novel) Production Rabbit Bandini Productions Cast Vincent D'Onofrio (Al Anderson), James Franco (Mac McLeod), Selena Gomez (Lisa London), Bryan Cranston (Xerife), Nat Wolff (Jim Nolan), Josh Hutcherson (Vinnie) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In dubious battle trailer 1 2017 movieclips trailers
In Dubious Battle is a 2016 drama film directed by and produced by James Franco, based on John Steinbeck's novel of the same name, with a screenplay by Matt Rager. The film features an ensemble cast, consisting of Franco, Nat Wolff, Josh Hutcherson, Selena Gomez, Vincent D'Onofrio, Analeigh Tipton, Zach Braff, Bryan Cranston, Ed Harris, and Robert Duvall. The film gets caught up in the labor movement for fruit workers in California during the 1930s. The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 3, 2016.
Contents
- In dubious battle trailer 1 2017 movieclips trailers
- Plot
- Casting
- Filming
- Release
- Marketing
- Critical response
- References
Plot
The story, set in 1933, focuses on young Jim Nolan (Wolff), the latest recruit of a small political party who’s taken under his wing by the smooth-talking and more experienced Mac McLeod (Franco). Their approach to fighting for workers’ rights is to infiltrate a group of apple pickers in California who have been told by the local landowner, Bolton (Duvall), that their pay won’t be $3 a day but actually just $1 a day because “times are tough”.
Casting
On January 30, 2015, it was announced that James Franco would not only direct the film but star in it too. Also cast was Vincent D'Onofrio, Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, Bryan Cranston, Selena Gomez, and Danny McBride has joined the production.
On March 16, 2015, Nat Wolff was cast in the lead role of Jim Nolan, the organizer of the strike by apple pickers in California. In the next two days, Josh Hutcherson, Zach Braff, Analeigh Tipton, John Savage, Ashley Greene, and Ahna O'Reilly would join the currently film production. Several days later on March 24, 2015, it was announced that Scott Haze has been cast as Frank.
Filming
Principal photography began on March 19, 2015 in Atlanta including Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Georgia, filming also took place in Bostwick, Georgia, and Cowiche, Washington. Production on the film ended in September 2015.
Release
In Dubious Battle had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 3, 2016. The film was released in theaters in the United States on February 17, 2017.
Marketing
A full trailer was released on January 28, 2017.
Critical response
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 29% approval rating, based on reviews from 8 critics, with an average score of 5.2/10.
The film gained mixed reviews at its world premiere, with Owen Gleiberman of Variety noting that Franco "has acquired skills that are beginning to fuse with the best of his instincts." Gleiberman also says that "In Dubious Battle isn’t a totally clear-cut good movie, but it’s a scrupulous and watchable one. And it makes me think, for the first time, that James Franco has a good movie in him."
Boyd van Hoeij of The Hollywood Reporter simply called the film and Franco as "uneven" but also states that "if In Dubious Battle remains watchable, it’s because Wolff really sells his character’s doubts, growth and sobering reality checks".
References
In Dubious Battle (film) WikipediaIn Dubious Battle (film) IMDb In Dubious Battle (film) themoviedb.org