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The Climb

Play trailer Poster for The Climb PG-13 Released May 15, 1998 1h 34m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 4 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
In the summer of 1959, 12-year-old Danny Himes (Gregory Smith) wants to prove his bravery by climbing a soon-to-be demolished radio tower. His competitors in the race to the top are bullies Andy (Seth Smith) and Tommy Sweeney (Oliver Hodges), who constantly mock Danny's father, Earl (David Strathairn), for not serving in World War II or Korea. After accidentally injuring his cranky neighbor, Chuck Langer (John Hurt), Danny begins to spend time with the old man, who helps him plan his climb.

Critics Reviews

View All (4) Critics Reviews
Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune John Hurt, the star of The Climb, is an actor with an often staggering capacity for conveying human suffering. Jun 4, 2007 Full Review Peter Stack San Francisco Chronicle [John] Hurt infuses the part with wicked humor, a mix of wisdom and despair. He creates a beautiful portrait of a man who can't wait to be done with life. Rated: 3/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Aug 21, 2005 Full Review G. Allen Johnson San Francisco Examiner It's properly nostalgic, beautifully made, and has a little something for everyone. Rated: 3.5/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (7) audience reviews
Linda I loved the movie. It was so funny, and I loved the sound track. I believe it is a must see! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/15/20 Full Review Terry Clever and enjoyable movie. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/20 Full Review Audience Member In "The Climb," a boy named Danny wants to climb a tower in order to prove to his father and the bullies that he's not a coward. He finds an old man that wants to commit suicide. Since Danny (Gregory Smith) won't get the gun for the old man, the man agrees to help him get to the top of the tower just as long as he thinks he can get back down. But there's one thing that goes wrong, Danny breaks his arm a few days before he plans to climb to the top of the tower. "The Climb" is a little slow getting started, so you probably won't get real interested in it until Danny and the old man actually go to the tower and start carrying out their plan. About the only thing that will keep you interested before then is the old man's performance, he does a great job and so does Danny. If you like drama movies, I would recommend seeing "The Climb." It is interesting and toward the end of the movie when the climb is taking place, it has some good suspense. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. I haven't seen this movie since, just the one time on TV....but I still remember a lot of it! That says a lot about a movie, must've made a great impression! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Hurt infuses the part with wicked humor, a mix of wisdom and despair. He creates a beautiful portrait of a man who can't wait to be done with life and makes an otherwise forgettable movie recommendable. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Wow...I believe I've only seen this once, years ago, but come to think about it, I remember a lot of scenes from this movie, which has to be a good sign. A boy wants to climb a tower in order to prove to his father and bullies that he's not a coward. He finds an old man that wants to commit suicide. The boy won't get the gun for him, so the old man agrees to help him get to the top of the tower. But one thing goes wrong: the boy breaks his arm a few days before the climb is supposed to take place. The movie was a little slow getting started if I recall correctly, but thankfully I'm not one of those people that will stop watching a movie of that type. The old man does a great job of acting and it's definitely worth sitting through....more than once. Great drama movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Its John Hurt. Its invalid John Hurt shunning everyone but a small boy with a spirit like his own. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Climb

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis In the summer of 1959, 12-year-old Danny Himes (Gregory Smith) wants to prove his bravery by climbing a soon-to-be demolished radio tower. His competitors in the race to the top are bullies Andy (Seth Smith) and Tommy Sweeney (Oliver Hodges), who constantly mock Danny's father, Earl (David Strathairn), for not serving in World War II or Korea. After accidentally injuring his cranky neighbor, Chuck Langer (John Hurt), Danny begins to spend time with the old man, who helps him plan his climb.
Director
Bob Swaim
Producer
Tom Parkinson, Mark McClafferty
Screenwriter
Vince McKewin
Distributor
Panorama Entertainment [us]
Production Co
Ellipse Programme, Isambard Productions Ltd.
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 15, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 22, 2017
Runtime
1h 34m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Digital