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Hemingway & Gellhorn
By S. Jhoanna Robledo,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Acclaimed writers don't ring true in mature HBO biopic.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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What's the Story?
Martha Gellhorn (Nicole Kidman), soon to be a famed war correspondent, stumbles into a drunken Ernest Hemingway (Clive Owen) in a Key West bar, and soon they're both covering the Spanish Civil War, falling in love as bombs fall all around them. The two writers receive accolades for their work and make good partners in the field, in this biopic that's told from Gellhorn's point of view and shows the last act in Hemingway's career. The film includes plenty of well-known supporting characters, including John Dos Passos, Robert Capa and Max Eastman
Is It Any Good?
HEMINGWAY & GELLHORN is about two famous writers who lived big, exciting lives during important times, but the movie doesn't feel true to life. The Hemingway here is a character, larger than life at all times, even when it's just him and the woman for whom he's falling. He's never small, never off. Owen makes him seem adventurous and fun, but he doesn't seem real. Gellhorn, who serves as the narrator, is the secondary character here, and it sometimes seems like her job in this story is to explain what's happening to Hemingway, who she eventually married. She's there, but she's not the star of her own life.
Part of the problem is the script, which is packed with lines that look great on a page but sound terrible coming from an actor. We get it -- they were great writers -- but they probably didn't speak the same way they wrote. And of course, Hemingway gets the best lines.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the character of Ernest Hemingway. Does this film portray him as a good person? A good husband?
How can you find out more about Ernest Hemingway? What are his most famous books? What else was he famous for? Why haven't you heard the name Martha Gellhorn before?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: April 2, 2013
- Cast: Clive Owen , Nicole Kidman
- Director: Philip Kaufman
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: HBO
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Adventures
- Run time: 155 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: October 8, 2022
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