IMDb > Focus (2001/I)
Focus
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Focus (2001) -- In the waning months of World War II, a man and his wife are mistakenly identified as Jews by their anti-Semitic Brooklyn neighbors...
Focus (2001) -- Open-ended Trailer from Paramount Classics
Focus (2001) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   1,949 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Arthur Miller (novel)
Kendrew Lascelles (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Focus on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 May 2002 (Australia) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Everything Is About To Become Very Clear
Plot:
In the waning months of World War II, a man and his wife are mistakenly identified as Jews by their anti-Semitic Brooklyn neighbors... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
2 wins & 3 nominations more
User Comments:
What a difference a pair of eyeglasses make... more (48 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

William H. Macy ... Lawrence 'Larry' Newman

Laura Dern ... Gertrude 'Gert' Hart

David Paymer ... Mr. Finkelstein

Meat Loaf ... Fred (as Meat Loaf Aday)
Kay Hawtrey ... Mrs. Newman
Michael Copeman ... Carlson
Kenneth Welsh ... Father Crighton
Joseph Ziegler ... Mr. Gargan
Arlene Meadows ... Mrs. Dewitt

Peter Oldring ... Willy Doyle
Robert McCarrol ... Meeting Hall Man (as Robert Mccarrol)
Shaun Austin-Olsen ... Sullivan
Kevin Jubinville ... Mr. Cole Stevens
B.J. McQueen ... Mel
Conrad Bergschneider ... Tough's Leader
more
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for thematic material, violence and some sexual content.
Runtime:
106 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Neal Slavin claimed to have wanted to make this film since college. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: About halfway through the movie, Larry and Gert are in an automobile. There is a vinyl "Sport Grip Steering Wheel Cover" laced around the steering wheel of the car. It is noticeable due to its distinctive pattern of perforations and cushioning. This item was not in existence in 1944, the year the movie is set in. more
Quotes:
Finkelstein: They are a gang of devils and they want this country! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Shanghai Kiss (2007) more
Soundtrack:
My First Love more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
20 out of 23 people found the following comment useful.
What a difference a pair of eyeglasses make..., 1 December 2001
10/10
Author: jotix100 from New York

Most people attending this film will have no idea of the great novel by Arthur Miller that is the basis of it. It's a novel that should be read by more people to see how prejudice affects and alters peoples lives.

At the beginning, Lawrence Newman is an ordinary man. The eyeglasses his boss makes him get change everything he has worked for and his whole world collapses around him, little by little. There couldn't have been an actor better suited to bring this intelligent performance to the screen than William H. Macy. Not only is he a talented stage and screen actor, but he projects honesty behind every character he plays. He is an everyday man caught in his own insecurities. His anxiety intensifies when he takes a stand and walks out of his job. Suddenly, he has to confront the issues he has tried to avoid all his middle class existence in the Brooklyn of the 40s. Is he Jewish, is he not? The cinematography in this brilliant and atmospheric film, directed with sure hand by Neil Slavin, kept reminding me of some Edward Hopper's paintings, especially a sequence at the beginning of the film when Newman steps outside a building and the night shot when he and his wife are being followed with long black shadows behind the couple, menacing and anticipating the confrontation with the bullies. Laura Dern, David Paymer, and especially Meat Loaf, who infuses incredible depth to the bully-next-door, are excellent, but they all pale in comparison with the stellar turn of William H. Macy (H must stand for HONEST..) If you haven't read the book, I would sincerely recommend it because no one has written more truly and convincingly than Arthur Miller has.

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FOCUS dedicated to Freida Olive Burkhart stephanlinsenhoff
possible spoilers oswaldo7777
I REMEMBER jamesmorrison91
Was Gerty In Fact Jewish? LorNic
Very good movie... MaxQuant
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