The Humbling (film)

The Humbling
File:The Humbling film.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Barry Levinson
Produced by	Al Pacino Jason Sosnoff Monika Bacardi Ged Dickersin Kristina Dubin Andrea Iervolino Gisella Marengo
Written by	Buck Henry Michal Zebede
Based on	The Humbling by Philip Roth
Starring	Al Pacino Greta Gerwig Dianne Wiest Charles Grodin Kyra Sedgwick
Music by	Marcelo Zarvos
Cinematography	Adam Jandrup
Edited by	Aaron Yanes
Production company	Ambi Pictures Hammerton Productions
Distributed by	Millennium Films
Release dates	August 30, 2014 (2014-08-30) (VIFF) January 23, 2015 (2015-01-23) (United States)
Running time	107 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$2 million

The Humbling is a 2014 erotic comedy film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Buck Henry and Michal Zebede, based on the 2009 novel, The Humbling, written by Philip Roth. The film stars Al Pacino, Greta Gerwig, Dianne Wiest, Charles Grodin and Kyra Sedgwick. It was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and in the Out of Competition section of the 71st Venice International Film Festival. The film was released on January 23, 2015, by Millennium Films.

Synopsis

Simon Axler is an aging actor who suffers from bouts of dementia. He is institutionalized after an incident during a Broadway play, then returns home, where he contemplates suicide. When he embarks upon an affair with a friend's amoral lesbian daughter, his world starts to fall apart. It ends on stage, with even Axler's audience and fellow actors unsure what's real and what's not.

Cast

• Al Pacino as Simon Axler
• Greta Gerwig as Pegeen Mike Stapleford
• Kyra Sedgwick as Louise Trenner
• Dan Hedaya as Asa
• Dianne Wiest as Pegeen's Mother
• Charles Grodin as Jerry
• Dylan Baker as Dr. Farr

Production

On February 4, 2014, it was announced that Millennium Films had acquired the worldwide rights to the film.

Reception

The Humbling received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 52%, based on 50 reviews, with a rating of 5.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Humbling is an inarguable highlight of Al Pacino's late-period filmography, but that's an admittedly low bar that it doesn't always clear by a very wide margin." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 59 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

External links

• The Humbling at IMDb