Milk
84
metacriticBased on 39 Critics
76
Based on 333 Users

Release Date: November 26th, 2008

DVD Release Date: March 10th, 2009

R |2 hr 8 min

Plot Summary

In 1972, Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) and his then-lover Scott Smith leave New York for San Francisco, with Milk determined to accomplish something meaningful in his life. Settling in the Castro District, he opens a camera shop and helps transform the area into a mecca for gays and lesbians. In 1977 he becomes the nation's first openly gay man elected to a notable public office when he wins a seat on the Board of Supervisors. The following year, Dan White (Josh Brolin) kills Milk in cold blood.

Cast: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco, Alison Pill, Victor Garber, Denis O'Hare

Director: Gus Van Sant

Genres: Biography , Drama

Production Co: Jinks/Cohen Company, Groundswell Productions

Keywords: Emotional , Transformation , Police officer , 1970s , Moving , New York City , Deception , Rise , Engaging

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Ratings & Reviews

  • 80
    Joe MorgensternWall Street Journal

    More than acting, though, Penn's performance is a marvelous act of empathy in a movie that, for all its surprisingly conventional style, measures up to its stirring subject. show more

  • 90
    Kirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood Reporter

    The film is superbly crafted, covering huge amounts of time, people and the zeitgeist without a moment of lapsed energy or inattention to detail. show more

  • 75
    Carrie RickeyPhiladelphia Inquirer

    For its mesmerizing first two-thirds, Van Sant keeps the film tightly focused on his subject, superbly played by Penn and intimately shot, home-movie style, by Harris Savides. But when the director pulls back to detail Harvey Milk's fight against gay backlash, Milk gets derailed. And - dare I say it? - didactic. show more

See all critic reviews on metacritic.com

Awards

Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009)
Nominated Music (Original Score)
Oscars Academy Awards (2008)
Nominated Film Editing
Oscars Academy Awards (2008)
Nominated Make Up and Hair
British Academy of Film & Television Arts (2009)
Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009)
Winner Actor in a Leading Role
Oscars Academy Awards (2008)
Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009)
Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009)
Nominated Directing
Oscars Academy Awards (2008)
Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009)
Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009)
Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009)
Winner Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009)
Nominated Leading Actor
British Academy of Film & Television Arts (2009)
Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009)
Nominated Best Performance By an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Golden Globes (2009)
Winner Writing (Original Screenplay)
Oscars Academy Awards (2008)
Nominated Original Screenplay
British Academy of Film & Television Arts (2009)
Nominated Film
British Academy of Film & Television Arts (2009)
Nominated Costume Design
Oscars Academy Awards (2008)
Nominated Best Picture
Oscars Academy Awards (2008)