Quite simply, Milk is an unmissable film about a man who energised a movement.
Milk (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:215
Fresh:201
Rotten:14
Average Rating:8/10
Consensus: Anchored by Sean Penn's powerhouse performance, Milk is a triumphant account of America's first openly gay man elected to public office.
Australian Rating: MA15+ [See Full Rating] Mature themes, coarse language and sexual references
Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins
Genre: Dramas
Australian Theatrical Release:
Jan 29, 2009 Wide
US Box Office: $31,716,847
Synopsis: In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay... In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay rights; he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Harvey Milk changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights and became, before his untimely death in 1978, a hero for all Americans. Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk under the direction of Gus Van Sant in Milk, filmed on location in San Francisco from an original screenplay by Dustin Lance Black, and produced by Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen. Milk charts the last eight years of Harvey Milk’s life. While living in New York City, he turns 40. Looking for more purpose, Milk and his lover Scott Smith (James Franco) relocate to San Francisco, where they found a small business, Castro Camera, in the heart of a working-class neighborhood. With his beloved Castro neighborhood and beautiful city empowering him, Milk surprises Scott and himself by becoming an outspoken agent for change. With vitalizing support from Scott and from new friends like young activist Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch), Milk plunges headfirst into the choppy waters of politics. Bolstering his public profile with humor, Milk’s actions speak even louder than his gift-of-gab words. When Milk is elected supervisor for the newly zoned District 5, he tries to coordinate his efforts with those of another newly elected supervisor, Dan White (Josh Brolin). But as White and Milk’s political agendas increasingly diverge, their personal destinies tragically converge. Milk’s platform was and is one of hope – a hero’s legacy that resonates in the here and now. --© Focus Features [More]
Starring: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna
Starring: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco
Director: Gus Van Sant
Director: Gus Van Sant
Screenwriter: Dustin Lance Black
Producer: Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen
Composer: Danny Elfman
Studio: Focus Features
Reviews for Milk
Penn is a revelation as Milk. He's always been a no-holds-barred actor, but this is another departure: his energy drives the story.
The film is dedicated to Milk's memory, but it's Penn that most of us will remember.
The film itself can be taken as an act of testimony, mingling archival footage with re-enactments and immediacy with nostalgia.
Sean Penn's stunning performance as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man voted into US public office is the first reason to see this potent and involving film
The film belongs to Sean Penn -- he inhabits Harvey’s sweetness, his astuteness, his courage and determination.
Milk is the full-cream deal; an artery-testing tale of love, politics, human rights and heartbreak.
Penn is electrifying as the effeminate, tragic Milk and worthy of an Oscar nomination.
Harvey Milk was an intriguing, inspiring figure. And Milk is a marvel.
Just as Tom Hanks put a face to AIDS in 1993's Philadelphia, Sean Penn has now put a face to gay rights as Harvey Milk in the new Gus Van Sant true-story film Milk.
Whether you are heterosexual, homosexual or somewhere in between, Milk is such an inspiring and powerful movie that you should drop everything you are doing right now and instantly head to the theaters.
Milk is a fairly straightforward biopic distinguished by judicious use of contemporary newsreel, a tone at once impassioned and restrained – until the last few scenes, the film never resorts to emotional button-pushing.
It's a powerful story, but while Van Sant's reversion to the easy-to-love mainstream appeal of Good Will Hunting makes sense given his subject's inclusive "I want to recruit you" message, it's not especially invigorating.
Somehow, Milk implants hope in those who’ve lost it. Somehow, Penn plays him as a feisty charmer so winning and lifelike that you’ll regard him as a friend before it’s over.
Penn and director Gus Van Sant play Milk's sexual orientation with candor that never dips into cartoonishness -- it's refreshing and true and manly
I don't know that this is Penn's best performance, overall -- let's have that debate some other time -- but as far as the mannered, immersive impersonations of his later career go, Harvey Milk takes the cake.
[Later] you realize that [Penn] doesn't innately look that much like Milk -- which is a sign of how terrific his performance is. Josh Brolin is no less perfect as White...
Once in a while, a movie arrives at such a perfect moment, its message and meaning so finely tuned to the current zeitgeist, that it seems less a cinematic event than a cosmic convergence, willed into being by a once-in-a-lifetime alignment of the stars.
As a public figure Van Sant does him full justice; as a private individual, tormented by a needy Latino lover (Diego Luna) the film is much vaguer.
Latest News for Milk
March 09, 2009:
RT on DVD: Rachel Getting Married, Milk Lead Super Fresh New Releases
Home video enthusiasts, prepare yourself for what may be the best week ever! This week you'll have to choose between Academy Award flicks Rachel Getting Married (Best Actress... More...
February 24, 2009:
Backstage at the Oscars: My First Time
In the movie world there is no event greater, no red carpet glitzier, no awards show more meaningful, than that of the Academy Awards. While millions watch the biggest night... More...
February 01, 2009:
Slumdog's Danny Boyle Wins DGA Award
Danny Boyle takes home another win for Best Director from the Director's Guild of America -- could Oscar gold be just around the corner? See who else was nominated this year in... More...
January 27, 2009:
Milk Among GLAAD Nominees ![]()
"Milk" has been a favorite on the awards circuit this year, and its hot streak has been extended courtesy of the GLAAD Media Awards, where it will compete in the Outstanding... More...
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