This was a very entertaining film about a very dark time in Hollywood and America, in general. Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) is a successful screenwriter and a member of the U.S. Communist Party. When the Cold War starts rolling, all communists are suddenly suspected of being spies for Russia. Trumbo and his friends find themselves called up for Congressional hearings and forced to either name other communists or be blacklisted in a drive led by legendary gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren). The Hollywood 10 chose to stand up for what they believed and not be snitches. Now unemployable, Trumbo strikes a deal with D-list studio owners Frank (John Goodman) and Hymie King (Stephen Root) to write a variety of scripts under dozens of aliases. The crushing workload and societal pressure combine to strain his family and friends to the breaking point.
This was incredibly well-acted. The entire cast was amazing, especially Michael Stuhlberg as Edward G. Robinson and Louis C.K. as Arlen Hird. Bryan Cranston is a phenomenal actor but everyone knew that from Breaking Bad so it's less of a surprise. It's shocking to see Helen Mirren being such a stone-cold bitch, though.
Fun fact: did you know that John Goodman has never been nominated for an Oscar? Not just never won, but never even been nominated? That man is an industry legend and he has never been recognized for it. Think about that the next time you forward some meme about how Leo DiCaprio "deserves" an Oscar.
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