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IMDbPro

Milk

  • 20082008
  • RR
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
172K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
5,226
22
Sean Penn in Milk (2008)
This is the theatrical trailer for Gus Van Sant's Milk.
Play trailer2:26
7 Videos
99+ Photos
BiographyCrimeDrama
The story of Harvey Milk and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official.The story of Harvey Milk and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official.The story of Harvey Milk and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
172K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
5,226
22
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Gus Van Sant
    • Writer
      • Dustin Lance Black
    • Stars
      • Sean Penn
      • Josh Brolin
      • Emile Hirsch
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Gus Van Sant
    • Writer
      • Dustin Lance Black
    • Stars
      • Sean Penn
      • Josh Brolin
      • Emile Hirsch
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 330User reviews
    • 250Critic reviews
    • 83Metascore
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 66 wins & 145 nominations total

    Videos7

    Milk: Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:26
    Milk: Theatrical Trailer
    A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Stories on Screen
    Clip 4:31
    A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Stories on Screen
    Milk: Rally Clip
    Clip 0:31
    Milk: Rally Clip
    Milk
    Featurette 0:30
    Milk
    Milk
    Interview 0:49
    Milk
    Milk
    Interview 0:47
    Milk
    Milk
    Interview 0:25
    Milk

    Photos260

    Boyd Holbrook in Milk (2008)
    Sean Penn in Milk (2008)
    Sean Penn in Milk (2008)
    Sean Penn in Milk (2008)
    Gus Van Sant in Milk (2008)
    Emile Hirsch and Alison Pill in Milk (2008)
    Sean Penn and Emile Hirsch in Milk (2008)
    James Franco in Milk (2008)
    Emile Hirsch in Milk (2008)
    Anne Kronenberg and Alison Pill in Milk (2008)
    Josh Brolin in Milk (2008)
    Sean Penn and Diego Luna in Milk (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sean Penn
    Sean Penn
    • Harvey Milk
    Josh Brolin
    Josh Brolin
    • Dan White
    Emile Hirsch
    Emile Hirsch
    • Cleve Jones
    Diego Luna
    Diego Luna
    • Jack Lira
    James Franco
    James Franco
    • Scott Smith
    Alison Pill
    Alison Pill
    • Anne Kronenberg
    Victor Garber
    Victor Garber
    • Mayor Moscone
    Denis O'Hare
    Denis O'Hare
    • John Briggs
    Joseph Cross
    Joseph Cross
    • Dick Pabich
    Stephen Spinella
    Stephen Spinella
    • Rick Stokes
    Lucas Grabeel
    Lucas Grabeel
    • Danny Nicoletta
    Brandon Boyce
    Brandon Boyce
    • Jim Rivaldo
    Howard Rosenman
    Howard Rosenman
    • David Goodstein
    • (as Zvi Howard Rosenman)
    Kelvin Yu
    Kelvin Yu
    • Michael Wong
    Jeff Koons
    Jeff Koons
    • Art Agnos
    Ted Jan Roberts
    Ted Jan Roberts
    • Dennis Peron
    Boyd Holbrook
    Boyd Holbrook
    • Denton Smith
    • (as Robert Boyd Holbrook)
    Frank M. Robinson
    • Frank Robinson
    • (as Frank Robinson)
    • Director
      • Gus Van Sant
    • Writer
      • Dustin Lance Black
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      During the filming of the scene in which Dan White's son Charles is christened, the real Charles White was on the set.
    • Goofs
      According to title cards at the end of the film, Dan White's lawyers argued that consumption of junk food caused a chemical imbalance in his brain. White's lawyers actually claimed that massive consumption of junk food was a symptom of his depression, not a cause. Psychologists employed by White's defense argued that he was clinically depressed, as evidenced by changes in behavior, including consumption of large quantities of junk food. One psychologist claimed that junk food may have contributed to White's mood swings.
    • Quotes

      Harvey Milk: [Voice Over, Last lines] I ask this... If there should be an assassination, I would hope that five, ten, one hundred, a thousand would rise. I would like to see every gay lawyer, every gay architect come out - - If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door... And that's all. I ask for the movement to continue. Because it's not about personal gain, not about ego, not about power... it's about the "us's" out there. Not only gays, but the Blacks, the Asians, the disabled, the seniors, the us's. Without hope, the us's give up - I know you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. So you, and you, and you... You gotta give em' hope... you gotta give em' hope.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Summer Special 2008/09 (2008)
    • Soundtracks
      Prelude No.7 in E Flat (The Well Tempered Clavier - Book 2 BWV 876)
      Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

      Arranged by Ward Swingle

      Performed by The Swingle Singers

      Courtesy of Universal International Music, B.V.

      Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

    User reviews330

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Moving and inspiring
    I saw this last night at the Portland premiere with Gus Van Sant and James Franco among others. This is a powerful work and, in my opinion, Gus Van Sant has taken a big step towards the mainstream in his artistic direction. To me, the person who is by no means a movie expert, it seems that this movie had a much faster, accessible pace than his other movies. There were no long-shots or minutes at a time without dialog, etc.

    I've really never thought much of Sean Penn before, but, with this role, I expect him to sweep up the awards. Everyone was great in their parts, but he did such an excellent job in portraying the Harvey Milk that I have seen before in clips and documentaries. They did not make out Milk to be a choir-boy, which was one thing I was afraid was going to happen. This story seems long overdue in it's telling, but so completely relevant to today's news.

    I expect, as the movie hits theaters, this will cause quite a stir, with both sides using it as fodder in their fight. I expect the ratings will reflect this as there are already people giving it 0's who obviously did not attend the premiere. I don't think it deserves a 10 either, but is much, much closer to that end. Looked at objectively, it is a sometimes tearful, sometimes funny movie that was put together masterfully
    helpful•94
    48
    • gatraylor
    • Nov 15, 2008

    FAQ11

    • What is 'Milk' about?
    • Is 'Milk' based on a book?
    • Who is/was Harvey Milk?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 30, 2009 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Untitled Harvey Milk Project
    • Filming locations
      • Duboce Park, San Francisco, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Focus Features
      • Axon Films
      • Groundswell Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $20,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $31,841,299
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,453,844
      • Nov 30, 2008
    • Gross worldwide
      • $54,589,558
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 8 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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