Capote

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2:06

Capote

R

Released Sep 30, 2005

1h 55m

Biography

History

Drama

Crime

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

194 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Reading of the murder of a Kansas family, New York City novelist Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) decides to cover the story himself, and travels to the small town with his childhood friend, aspiring novelist Harper Lee (Catherine Keener). When Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.) and Dick Hickock (Mark Pellegrino) are arrested and charged, Capote forms an emotional bond with Smith during his jailhouse interviews despite the young criminal's apparent guilt.

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Critics Consensus

Philip Seymour Hoffman's riveting central performance guides a well-constructed retelling of the most sensational and significant period in author Truman Capote's life.

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Tim Robey

Sight & Sound

As Capote, Philip Seymour Hoffman is in complete control of his effects... No other actor has the ability to laugh at his own jokes and be so appallingly funny.

Aug 1, 2018

Full Review

Zadie Smith

Daily Telegraph (UK)

It's the acting that sings, especially when Hoffman duets with luminous Catherine Keener, the lady with the loveliest laugh in film. Hoffman's writer is a self-serving egoist; Keener's a restrained, wise soul.

Jan 16, 2018

Full Review

Victoria Segal

New Statesman

Unfortunately, by the end of it, Capote isn't the only one who wants to turn to drink.

Sep 26, 2017

Full Review

Fico Cangiano

CineXpress Podcast

Hoffman's Oscar-winning performance is the main reason to watch this biographical drama. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 4/5

Mar 28, 2025

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Hoffman goes beyond mimic to inhabit the contradictory soul under the fey, mannered skin of the social creature who is most at home holding court in New York cocktail parties.

Dec 17, 2022

Full Review

David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

Capote fails to treat the most pressing issues-above all, what is it about American life that produces this "senseless" homicidal violence?

Feb 15, 2021

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joe d

Good but Infamous is definitely better.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/29/25

Full Review

Johannes S

Seymour-Hoffman wows you with his depiction of Truman Capote. The movie has beautiful cinematography, yet, it is really slow and I can't help but despise Capote.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/25

Full Review

thiago s

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, o filme tem cenas mais ou menos, os personagens são fracos, e a história é fraca, o que salva o filme e a atuação do Philip seymour Hoffman, por que o resto do elenco não ajuda em quase nada no filme.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/05/25

Full Review

Audience Member

An absolutely stunning performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman!! It was brilliantly shot and edited. Wonderful attention to details. This movie is worthy of watching many times. A true Classic. Cheers!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/13/25

Full Review

Ian S

Based on a true story. Good performances especially by Phillip Seymour Hoffman also well written and directed.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/04/25

Full Review

Thom N

This film, like the harrowing and wonderfully constructed novel from which it takes its central story, is filled with an eerie sense of ennui, grief, and isolation that is visually represented by the empty wide open plains of Kansas and the prison cells and farmhouses in which the majority of this movies scenes take place. One of Philip Seymour Hoffman's best acting roles by far, right up there with his role as Brandt in the 1996 comedy whodunit film "The Big Lebowski". That's marvellous.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/19/24

Full Review

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Bennett Miller

Director

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Truman Capote

Catherine Keener

Nelle Harper Lee

Clifton Collins Jr.

Perry Smith

Chris Cooper

Alvin Dewey

Bruce Greenwood

Greenwood

Capote: Official Clip - This is My Work

1:51

Capote: Official Clip - I Want to Take Your Notebooks

1:59

Capote: Official Clip - Charming the Deweys

2:10

Capote: Official Clip - Paying for Compliments

1:39

Capote: Official Clip - Did You Fall in Love With Him?

1:55

Capote: Official Clip - The Way I Am

1:53

Capote: Official Clip - Remembering the Murder

1:58

Capote: Official Clip - What's the Name of Your Book?

2:06

Capote: Official Clip - They're Torturing Me

2:06

Capote: Official Clip - I Did Everything I Could

2:08

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Capote: Trailer 1

2:06

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Synopsis

Reading of the murder of a Kansas family, New York City novelist Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) decides to cover the story himself, and travels to the small town with his childhood friend, aspiring novelist Harper Lee (Catherine Keener). When Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.) and Dick Hickock (Mark Pellegrino) are arrested and charged, Capote forms an emotional bond with Smith during his jailhouse interviews despite the young criminal's apparent guilt.

Director: Bennett Miller
Producer: Caroline Baron, William Vince, Michael Ohoven
Screenwriter: Dan Futterman
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: United Artists
Rating: R (Violent Images|Brief Strong Language)
Genre: Biography, History, Drama, Crime
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 30, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.7M
Runtime: 1h 55m

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