The Humbling is a 2014 American comedy-drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Buck Henry and Michal Zebede, based on the 2009 novel by Philip Roth. The film stars Al Pacino, Greta Gerwig, Dianne Wiest, Nina Arianda, Dylan Baker, Charles Grodin, Dan Hedaya, Billy Porter, Kyra Sedgwick and Mary Louise Wilson.
It was screened in the "Special Presentations" section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival[2] 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.
Plot[edit] This article's plot summary needs to be improved. Please help do so. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. (January 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)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 in Hemingway style. When he embarks on an affair with an old friend's bisexual daughter, his world begins to fall apart. It ends on stage, with Axler's audience and fellow actors unsure of what is real and what is not.
Cast[edit] Al Pacino as Simon Axler Greta Gerwig as Pegeen Mike Stapleford Kyra Sedgwick as Louise Trenner Dan Hedaya as Asa Stapleford Dianne Wiest as Carol Stapleford Charles Grodin as Jerry Dylan Baker as Dr. Farr Nina Arianda as Sybil Billy Porter as Prince Mary Louise Wilson as Mrs. Rutledge Production[edit]After reading and connecting with the book, Pacino decided to option the book, and he asked Barry Levinson to direct it.[3] Levinson decided to make the movie as a dark comedy, noting, "If you want to talk about an older actor in decline, just to do it as some straight drama didn’t seem that intriguing to me", also citing that comedy "seemed to me inherent in the piece".[4] Although both Pacino and Levinson he denied that the character of Simon is autobiographical to Pacino's life,[4] Pacino noted that he related to the material, stating, "It's in, as they say, my wheelhouse".[3]
Although the film had ample funding in the beginning, the listed conditions became too much for Levinson, who rejected them and lost, by his estimate, "somewhere in the area of $6 million".[4] Subsequently, it was decided to shoot the film incrementally, with several breaks to accommodate Pacino's schedule. This was a new experience for Levinson, although he welcomed the change of pace, as "it added to the clarity".[4]
On February 4, 2014, it was announced that Millennium Films had acquired the worldwide rights to the film.[5]
Reception[edit]The Humbling received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 53%, based on 62 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."[6] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 59 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or erage" reviews.[7]
References[edit] ^ "The Humbling (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 17, 2021. ^ Punter, Jennifer (July 22, 2014). "Toronto Film Festival Lineup". Variety. ^ a b Hammond, Pete (December 1, 2014). "Al Pacino In-Depth: On 'The Humbling', Old Vs. New Hollywood And 'Scarface'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 17, 2021. ^ a b c d Guerrasio, Jason (February 3, 2015). "Barry Levinson on making little movies in a big age". The Dissolve. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2021. ^ McNary, De (February 4, 2014). "Al Pacino's 'The Humbling' Gets Distribution". Variety. ^ "The Humbling". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 29, 2025. ^ "The Humbling Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 17, 2021. External links[edit] The Humbling at IMDb Films directed by Barry Levinson Filmography Awards and nominations Unrealized projects Feature films Diner (1982) The Natural (1984) Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) Tin Men (1987) Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) Rain Man (1988) Avalon (1990) Bugsy (1991) Toys (1992) Jimmy Hollywood (1994) Disclosure (1994) Sleepers (1996) Wag the Dog (1997) Sphere (1998) Liberty Heights (1999) An Everlasting Piece (2000) Bandits (2001) Envy (2004) Man of the Year (2006) What Just Happened (2008) The Bay (2012) The Humbling (2014) Rock the Kasbah (2015) The Survivor (2021) The Alto Knights (2025) Documentary PoliWood (2009) Television Peeping Times (1978) You Don't Know Jack (2010) The Wizard of Lies (2017) Paterno (2018) vteFilms by Buck HenryAs director Heen Can Wait (1978) First Family (1980) As writer The Troublemaker (1964) The Graduate (1967) Candy (1968) Catch-22 (1970) The Owl and the Pussycat (1970) What's Up, Doc? (1972) The Day of the Dolphin (1973) Protocol (1984) To Die For (1995) Town & Country (2001) The Humbling (2014) vteWorks by Philip RothFiction Goodbye, Columbus (1959) Letting Go (1962) When She Was Good (1967) Portnoy's Complaint (1969) Our Gang (1971) The Great American Novel (1973) My Life as a Man (1974) Sabbath's Theater (1995) Kepesh novels The Breast (1972) The Professor of Desire (1977) The Dying Animal (2001) Roth books The Facts (1988) Deception (1990) Patrimony (1991) Operation Shylock (1993) The Plot Against America (2004) Zuckerman novels Zuckerman Bound The Ghost Writer (1979) Zuckerman Unbound (1981) The Anatomy Lesson (1983) The Prague Orgy (1985) The Counterlife (1986) American Pastoral (1997) I Married a Communist (1998) The Human Stain (2000) Exit Ghost (2007) Nemeses: Short Novels Everyman (2006) Indignation (2008) The Humbling (2009) Nemesis (2010) Collections Reading Myself and Others (1976) A Philip Roth Reader (1980, revised edition 1993) Shop Talk (2001) Library of America collection (2005–17) Film and TV adaptations Goodbye, Columbus (1969) Portnoy's Complaint (1972) The Human Stain (2003) Elegy (2008) The Humbling (2014) Indignation (2016) American Pastoral (2016) The Plot Against America (2020) Deception (2021) RelatedPhilip Roth: The Biography