Scott-101 This film depicts the true story of a communist play staged by Orson Welles and Jon Houseman (anyone familiar with the Mercury Theater, Citizen Kane, or the Oscar-winning Paper Chase performance will know of these two historic figures) that ran afoul of the government for its Communist leanings. Stories about Diego Rivera's controversial mural at New York's Rockefeller Center (home of Saturday Night Live/The Today Show) and a ventriloquist played by Bill Murray are juxtaposed alongside the main storyline though they don't exactly intersect. It's kind of curious.The film's main accomplishments are it's frenetic pace and it's juggling of multiple story lines. There's a lot of energy from scene to scene even as the focus jumps. As (what I presume is) a homage to Orson Welles himself, Robbins introduces characters with long and graceful tracking shots and never lets the camera get bored. His film covers a wide tapestry of struggling artists in the Great Depression (even moving history a little to allow Rivera and Welles/Houseman to collide) and shines a light on the forces that drive them. Some are hungry to make a statement, some are hungry to be creative, some are hungry for social standing and many are literally hungry.The film boasts a great number of top-name actors including the Tenacious (Kyle Gass and Jack Black) before they were famous, both Cusack siblings, great character actors Philip Baker Hall and Paul Giamatti, Susan Sarandon, Bill Murray, Hank Azaria, Cary Elwes and Emily Watson.Emily Watson, in particular, is a diamond in the rough here. Oozing pathos and emotion, she's a modern-day Ruby Keillor in 42nd Street. She's at the center of the movie's most impressive tracking shot: A woman in poverty who squats in a movie theater wakes up in the morning as the newsreel runs through a projecter and runs out of the theater before she gets in trouble. Similar, Hank Azaria as the songwriter behind the play displays a lot of nuance. Bill Murray does a typical deadpan Bill Murray but it feels oddly appropriate. If anything, Tim Robbis deserves credit for catering to his star's strengths.

jlthornb51 A fascinating, highly entertaining historical epic that borders on the brilliant. Tim Robbins directs with flair and imagination from an absolutely fantastic script that brings characters that are part of the very fabric of America to life in wonderful ways. The cast is just great but one standout is Emily Watson in the role of a homeless, jobless young woman during the Depression who longs for stardom. It is simply a superb performance and Watson will break your heart while inspiring you at the same time. Her simple beauty and gentle singing voice are perfect for this film and the image of her rising from sleeping behind a theater movie screen will haunt audiences with its power. After watching work her magic in this film, it becomes quite obvious why Emily Watson is considered the greatest actress of our time.

evanston_dad "Cradle Will Rock" got no love at the time of its release. I can only hope people discover it all these years later on home video, because it's a triumphant ode to the power art has to enact change and unite people in a common cause.Set in the world of Depression-era protest theatre, it brings together a collection of narrative threads that explore the collision between art and commerce. The robust cast is full of terrific actors, all doing terrific work, but Cherry Jones and Vanessa Redgrave are standouts.This film has an energy and irresistible narrative drive that get me excited every time I see it.Grade: A+

star-lists-1 This is one of the best films I've ever seen. It has the idealism of Casablanca mixed with a much needed capitalist critique, among many other things.If you're a political activist--or just a citizen who is worried about the direction the world is going in--this movie is a must-see. You may agree or disagree with the political perspective, but you must see it anyway. Try to look upon the characters as allegorical. People who criticize them as 'cardboard figures' are missing the point, I think. Robbins is trying to distill reality into a 2 hour film. In my opinion, it is not far from the truth to say that there is a battle in the world between people who love wealth and power and people who love truth and justice.It's one of the rare cases of a film that is strongly critical of the establishment. Indeed, it surprises me that Tim Robbins is able to get any work at all after doing a film like this. But maybe Hollywood, since it is sort of a bastion of liberalism, is willing to put up with Tim's 'cute politics'.But it's not just a political film, it also has artistic depth and the acting is quite good. You'll laugh. You'll cry. Etc. ;) Suspend your disbelief and your joy will know no bounds...