Broadly enjoyable pop art bio pic.

Sacha Gervasi's "Hitchcock" title comes off a bit misleading, suggesting that the film to be a definitive biopic; an extensive, in-depth look into the life and career of the of one of the finest directors ever. However, the movie is really just a dramatization of the making of Hitchcock's "Psycho," where in historical facts are accompanied by embellishments and simplifications that serve to add humor and conflict. "Hitchcock" centers on the relationship between director Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren) during the making of Psycho, a controversial horror film that subsequently became one of the most acclaimed and influential works in the filmmaker's career.
Anthony Hopkins is superb the title role, fitted with impeccable makeup and prosthetics, and Mirren is equally as impressive. This makes for a reasonably enjoyable watch for the audience, but viewers are unlikely to learn anything new of consequence about the Master of Suspense. I wouldn't suggest that you spend $10 on a ticket for this one, but a fine film to rent in a couple of months.… Collapse

It's a decent film, but there's just not a whole lot to it. If you're a fan of Psycho, specifically, it gives you a nice window into the financial making of the film. But the movie feels like it just scratches the surface of the truly interesting aspects of the filmmaker's life and career. Mirren is solid, as usual, but it feels like the range of her talents are a bit wasted. Hopkins (with his make-up artist) truly transforms himself (the actor) into larger than life director. It seems to me like the script could have been a touch more ambitious.… Expand

**** stars Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johannson and Danny Huston in what basically is the story of the making of the movie

Anthony Hopkins puts on a fat suit and lots of makeup to play the famous director, while Helen Mirren just wears glasses in the role of his wife. The story starts as he comes off the success of "North by Northwest" and is searching for a new project to inspire him and prove that he's still got it. That project is "Psycho" and the challenges of making it and the relationship with his wife take up the rest of the film. As any fan knows, **** dry, dark humor was his most enjoyable asset and this film gives us plenty to laugh about. His obsessions are also explored, but never too darkly. As expected, the performances are solid. The costumes and art direction recreate the period attractively. While the film has a glossy, surface feel, it's still enjoyable entertainment.… Expand

has great cinematography, a great sense of humour and spot on acting from the cast. Though my only problems with the film were that at times it felt tonally confused and there could have been more about Psycho presented in the film, also some parts felt a bit rushed and they could have shown more of them. In the end, is a fun, though flawed, biopic.

Hopkins is great and he is the only reason why this film is worth watching. The rest of the cast is ok. The plot isn't that satisfying and is rather uneventful, It simply fails to suck you in like I thought the movie would have.

Above all this is a polite movie. After the closing lines I had a feeling that everything was left on the surface, like that the director was afraid or too well mannered to dig beneath, I'm referring, among other things, to the fight between **** and Alma which lacks emotions. And I was not convinced at all about H. fascination with his leading ladies. This is mentioned throughout the movie, but I was not convinced (that is the movie did not convince me, the real life and true H. is something else). The cast is superb, as one can only expect from Mirren and Hopkins.… Expand

Anyone who can resist Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren at the top of their form is a better man than I. There are subplots during which the film tends to lose impact and focus, but it's not long before Hopkins and Mirren resume their master class in screen acting. Their eyes convey more than speech.

As fine an actor as Anthony Hopkins is he gets wiped off the screen, as everyone else does, when Helen Mirren appears in the new film **** There is a 2 minute scene near the latter part of the film when Mirren, (as Alma Reville, **** wife) that is mesmerizing and screams Oscar. Right now the two best actresses in the cinema world are Judi Dench and Helen Mirren and they are both on movie screens for the holiday with Dench in … Expand

I just saw this film and it was quite a lightweight. Anthony Hopkins, donning a lot of makeup that makes him look nothing like Alfred Hitch, reads his way through a weak script that attempts to chronicle the master filmmaker's struggle in making his classic film, Psycho. This movie isn't short on simplicity, but its definitely short on depth. It narrows this mystic, yet legendary filmmaker, down to a caricature and presents all his genuine human and creative struggles in a farcical manner. I was not a fan of that approach and the movie's tonal inconsistencies were also a bothersome thing of note, that's sure to give audiences a puzzling viewing experience. I wouldn't consider this film offensive to Hitch by any means, I just felt it lacked some incite. We didn't truly learn much about the man, by the film's end. While James D'Arcy and Scarlett Johansson excel in their respective roles, those were only small things to appreciate in this relatively poor film.… Expand

**** is a decent film. Sometimes good, but sometimes not really interesting. When the film focuses on the casting for psycho or the problems in the set, Sasha Gervasi's film is entertaining, but halfway through the film, it goes in another direction, the movie starts to follow ****'s wife, Alma, and goes to a silly place. Also, there are so many good misused actors, like Jessica Biel (what was the point of her character?) and James Darcy. At the end, **** is worth seeing for Anthony Hopkins's performance. Wait for the dvd.… Expand

Ever since first hearing that there was going to be an Alfred **** movie, I had been waiting in suspense (like every other critic). So, I must admit, when I took my seat and the opening credits began to roll, my expectations where rather high. I mean, what I was about to see was a movie that had already garnered tons of Oscar buzz, was about arguably one of the greatest directors of all time and also the making of … Expand

What a wonderful movie! It may be rewriting history but it does it in such a beautiful way. If I was A.H. then I would have a thing for blondes too...

The legacy of Alfred **** lives on in his wide assortment of suspense films, some of which took their time to become classics, and others that became instant hits upon release. Psycho was one of his films that received mixed reviews critically, yet was adored by audiences, becoming a box office success for **** and ultimately maintaining itself as the highest grossing film of his career. The production on the film has been noteworthy for several reasons, such as the lack of studio support from Paramount, a change of style for ****, and battles with the Motion Picture Production Code. In ****, all of this is addressed and then this biopic of the master of suspense becomes a film trying to walk the line between fact and fiction. The world is introduced to a peeping tom, always watching everything, obsessed with blondes, worried about how his film is received, and married to Alma Reville (Helen Mirren) who acts more as a mother figure than anything else. Acting aside, the movie has but a few mere moments of entertainment before it slouches back into its attempt to craft a fictional life behind one of the greatest directors of all time, in an extremely boring fashion. Check out the rest of the review at http://independentcinema.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/****-was-apparently-a-perverted-worrisome-mamas-boy/… Expand

Comparisons with 'The Girl' are inevitable, but whilst this isn't as good, it certainly paints in a rather better light. On the whole this is an entertaining and fairly lightweight concoction, performed to perfection. Anthony Hopkins is much better in the role of the famous director than I had been led to believe and Helen Mirren turns in her usual high calibre performance as his wife Alma Reville, the backbone behind the man. The main fun with the film is watching well known actors play other well known personalities. Aside from the two leads, Scarlett Johannson registers well as Janet Leigh, and in a very small role James D'arcy absolutely nails Anthony Perkins displaying all that actors nervous tics and hesitancy. His is a performance I would like to have seen more of. Recreations of the making of Psycho are great and the film generally entertains without displaying any of the heavy drama that made 'The Girl' so compelling. There are merits to each film and both present in a slightly different way. The truth is probably somewhere in between.… Expand

**** is easily one of the best films of the year. Hopkins and Mirren's performances were superb. If you pay any attention to the trailer you will know what it is about. A must see film of the year.

A good bio that doesn't bore the hell out of you, not it is funny and keeps you interesting the whole watch and it is appropriate for all ages to get to know one of the greatest directors of all time.

As he used to say- murder has come home, where it belongs" Alfred's Psycho was one of the best movies ever made and This movie tells us how Alfred actually made the movie. Now Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren were great in this film, Scarlet was good and others were nice too. The main thing I liked about this movie is that it has Details, details that good films need but they don't have! This Overall documentary is very good, not the fact that it has good cast and direction but the fact that its a meaningful movie!… Expand

Awesome performances by the cast overall. This is a decent movie just a tad shallow. Nothing new came from watching it, we all know Hitch was crazy, we all know he was weird with his leading ladies... so what? I didn't come away from the picture with any better understanding for Hitch the man. Honestly your time is probably better spent watching some great films.