Howl
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Metascore
63 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 20 Ratings

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  • Summary: James Franco stars as the young Allen Ginsberg poet, counter-culture adventurer and chronicler of the Beat Generation. In his famously confessional, leave-nothing-out style, Ginsberg recounts the road trips, love affairs and search for personal liberation that led to the most timeless and electrifying work of his career, the poem HOWL. Meanwhile, in a San Francisco courtroom, Howl is on trial. Prosecutor Ralph McIntosh sets out to prove that the book should be banned, while suave defense attorney Jake Ehrlich argues fervently for freedom of speech and creative expression. The proceedings veer from the comically absurd to the passionate as a host of unusual witnesses pit generation against generation and art against fear in front of conservative Judge Clayton Horn. (Oscilloscope Laboratories)

    … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    80
    Not quite a biopic, not really a documentary and only loosely an adaptation, Howl does something that sounds simple until you consider how rarely it occurs in films of any kind. It takes a familiar, celebrated piece of writing and makes it come alive.
  2. Arizona Republic
    Reviewed by: Richard Nilsen
    Oct 21, 2010
    80
    This film is a wonderful act of imagination on its own.
  3. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    Oct 28, 2010
    75
    Howl mixes a number of story lines and aesthetic approaches: We get glimpses of Ginsberg's early days as a poet, including his relationships with Kerouac and Neal Cassady, as well as a depiction of the trial, where a parade of critics and professors pronounced Ginsberg's creation either a work of genius or irredeemable filth.
  4. Empire
    Reviewed by: Adam Smith
    Feb 21, 2011
    60
    With a frustrating format and poor animation, it's still worth it for Franco and the chance to engage with a key work of poetry.

See all 24 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. mediaman23
    10
    What a surprise - a thoughtful, creative and very enjoyable film that even a guy with a limited interest in poetry enjoyed. Yet another example of first-rate talent working outside "the system" and with limited funding yet delivering high quality film-making (Kids are Alright, I Love you Phillip Morris, Crazy Heart). One would never think of James Franco as Allen Ginsberg, talk about taking poetic license, but to me this all worked. The animation of poetry was a terrific plus. Try it!… Collapse
  2. AlexS
    10
    Powerfully acted and visually appealing.James Franco is spot on as Allen Ginsberg.An interesting way to convey the poem and the man.Howl feels like a documentary and has the soul of a very personal project.… Expand
  3. superman11
    10
    howls movie shows the poets life in intriguing mysteries makes you wonder where are all the poets now overall the movie was a bit lackey in some parts but the imagination in the animation makes realize there is life out there 7/10… Expand
  4. TVJerry
    4
    This is not a biopic about poet Alan Ginsberg, but a cinematic interpretation of the titular poem that caused a stir in the art and legal community. It unfolds in several scenarios: Ginsberg (James Franco) reads the poem to a coffee house crowd, the poem is illustrated through animation, he talks to Time magazine (an interview that was never published), there are highlights from the court case that tried the poem as obscenity and a few glimpses into his relationships. If you're not looking for a straight narrative and appreciate artistic cinema, you might like this.… Expand

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