The Public

Name: The Public
Genre: Drama
Released: April 5, 2019
Duration: 119 min
Rating: 46
Cast: Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater, Derek Polen, Emilio Estevez, Gabrielle Union

2019

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 16 Critics

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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6.3

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6.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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The Public

Movie Details & Credits

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE) | Release Date: April 5, 2019

Starring: Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater, Derek Polen, Emilio Estevez, Gabrielle Union, Jacob Vargas, Jeffrey Wright, Jena Malone, John Newsom, Ki Hong Lee, Michael Kenneth Williams, Richard T. Jones, Spencer Garrett, Susanna Thompson, Taylor Schilling

Summary: In The Public, an unusually bitter Arctic blast has made its way to downtown Cincinnati and the front doors of the public library where the action of the film takes place. The story revolves around the library patrons, many of whom are homeless, mentally ill and marginalized, as well as an exhausted and overwhelmed staff of librarians whoIn The Public, an unusually bitter Arctic blast has made its way to downtown Cincinnati and the front doors of the public library where the action of the film takes place. The story revolves around the library patrons, many of whom are homeless, mentally ill and marginalized, as well as an exhausted and overwhelmed staff of librarians who often act as "de-facto social workers" and care for those regular patrons. At odds with library officials over how to handle the extreme weather event, the patrons turn the building into a homeless shelter for the night by staging an "Occupy" sit in. What begins as an act of civil disobedience becomes a stand-off with police and a rush-to-judgment media constantly speculating about what's really happening inside the building.… Expand

Director: Emilio Estevez

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 119 min

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Awards & Rankings

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Original-Cin - Kim Hughes

Apr 23, 2019

The Public, which played at TIFF last fall, is the kind of movie you want to like and that probably needs to get made and seen. But needing to see something and wanting to see it are different things. Read full review

RogerEbert.com - Nell Minow

Apr 5, 2019

The film is often entertaining, with some nice touches and compelling moments. Read full review

Rolling Stone - Peter Travers

Apr 5, 2019

Estevez leans toward sacrificing dramatic power for blatant crowdpleasing. Still, his intent is refreshingly uncynical. Clearly, the quadruple threat doesn’t think audiences will sit still for his message without sugarcoating and a feelgood ending. At worst, you can dismiss him as a naïve do-gooder. At best, you can commend him for actually believing a movie might raise public consciousness and maybe even change things. Your call. Read full review

TheWrap - Tricia Olszewski

Apr 3, 2019

The film is a clunky and at times ridiculous affair, taking a situation that might reasonably happen and turning it into something melodramatic and ultimately unbelievable. Read full review

The New York Times - Ben Kenigsberg

Apr 5, 2019

Most egregiously, Gabrielle Union plays a TV news reporter determined to portray the protest as a hostage situation. At the film’s nadir, Stuart, on the phone with her during a broadcast, stops making his case and begins quoting from “The Grapes of Wrath.” Read full review

Arizona Republic - Kerry Lengel

Apr 4, 2019

[Estevez] still hasn't progressed beyond the film-school basics, but somehow he managed to recruit an all-star cast of (presumably) like-minded activists for The Public. Read full review

Slant Magazine - Keith Watson

Apr 1, 2019

The film is a clunky, overwritten attempt to pack as many tortured subplots and pre-chewed sociological insights as can possibly fit into a two-hour runtime. Read full review

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Jun 1, 2019

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