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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
    "I am not a candidate, I am part of a movement. The movement is the candidate."
    "Milk" sees Gus Van Sant return to the mainstream after nearly a decade of divisive 'arthouse' films, a spell he might have felt was necessary after directing "Psycho" and "Finding Forrester" back to back. The stunning, beautiful "Gerry" is still his greatest film in my estimation, but Van Sant's return to near-unanimous mainstream acclaim and some level of box-office success in "Milk" actually isn't too far off as far as Van Sant's filmography goes. Some may express disappointment that "Milk" is a 'conventional' biopic, but it really isn't conventional at all. True, this could have been the sort of melancholy meditation Van Sant has been going for in recent years, but the best argument against that is that Harvey Milk is not that figure. He's not going to sit quietly and contemplate life. Perhaps he might have before we meet him on the eve of his fortieth birthday, but from that point onwards Harvey Milk was a man of action, of words, a man with the powerful ability to rally people for a cause, and not only gay people. He had a rare sort of energy, and an energetic film was needed to tell his story. Most impressive perhaps about Van Sant's direction and Dustin Lance Black's screenplay is that there are just as many of those melancholic, meditative moments as needed, just enough to make this a compelling character study and not a truly conventional biopic with a hero rather than a main character. The photography here is also simply gorgeous, and the camera work is outstanding, particularly the hand-held work during the rally scenes. It really succeeds in transporting you to 1970's San Francisco. Sean Penn has frequently annoyed me. I respect his abilities, but reserve the right to express my subjective annoyance at what I perceive as sometimes hilarious over-acting. When I found out that he was going to play Harvey Milk I was nervous, since I have admired Harvey Milk ever since I was first exposed to him through the Rob Epstein documentary "The Times of Harvey Milk", which is still the best movie made about Harvey Milk, with "Milk" running a close second, and I doubt Bryan Singer's "Mayor of Castro Street" will be a serious contender. I had no reason to be nervous. Penn's performance is one of the most vibrant, fascinating, brilliant performances in years, and one of the most convincing and human. It's not a Harvey Milk impression, it's more than just that, but he truly does capture the 'essence' of Milk, if you will. It is pointless to make a political statement in the body of this review, so take this as one only if you have to: it is disgusting that in 2008 gay rights still a matter of political debate. This film is a powerful, beautiful tribute to the rights movement. It's not a Democrats vs. Republicans film. In fact, it makes it clear that Harvey Milk was once a Republican, and sneaks in footage of Reagan in strong opposition of Proposition 6. Those short scenes should provoke some thought and discussion. They certainly did for me and the people I saw the film with. Ultimately however the film is not about an 'issue'. Harvey Milk says to Dan White that it's not about jobs or rights, that it's their lives that they were and still are fighting for. Ultimately this film is about people, not about issues, not about policy. It's about people who were told they were sick, who were told they were wrong, who were told they would corrupt society, who were accused of being pedophiles and attempting to 'recruit' children to homosexuality. The film is about Harvey Milk, a mere human being who did more for freedom and tolerance than he probably ever understood. "I am not a candidate, I am part of a movement. The movement is the candidate." Unfortunately, the fight against the rampant discrimination against and hatred of homosexuals is still not over. Milk's movement lives on, and grows stronger every day. He would be proud of that, and devastated that our society has not truly progressed, but only learned to mask its intolerance and hatred.
    helpful•131
    49
    • ametaphysicalshark
    • Dec 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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