The Bad and the Beautiful

Now Playing

1h 58m

Drama

List

80%

49 Reviews

Tomatometer

86%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Unscrupulous movie producer Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas) is a child of Hollywood who ruthlessly toils his way to the top of the studio system, discarding movie star Georgia (Lana Turner), director Fred Amiel (Barry Sullivan) and writer James Lee Bartlow (Dick Powell) along the way. Although Shields manipulates them and leaves each in despair, they find success in Hollywood, thanks in part to Shields, and must decide whether or not to repay him when he offers them a collaborative project.

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Critics Consensus

Melodrama at its most confident, The Bad and the Beautiful is an ode to moviemaking that offers unblinking insight into the ugly egos that have shaped Hollywood history.

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acsdoug D

I'm not a fan of movies about making movies. This one isn't too bad though.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/02/24

Full Review

kevin o

...when you read critics dumping on this film its a perfect example of someone trying to sound smart and coming off just silly. This is a perfect film from start to finish.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Nizar N

The reviews of this movie are mixed, and there is a reason behind this. On the one hand it counts as one of the greats that were made about Hollywood and moviemaking, such as Sunset Boulevard, All About Eve, Paris When It Sizzles, and others. On the other hand, it seems too dry and formal. The plot is hollow that 90 minutes would suffice, but with the slow pacing the movie extends to a little less than 2 hours, rendering it tedious. The only thing that would compensate is the cast, but even that falls short to a childish dialogue and acting that looks staged. What Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas) says in The Bad and the Beautiful applies to the movie itself: "You're acting now, playing the doomed daughter of the great man. Well, let me tell you something. The acting isn't good enough."

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Russ G

Pure drivel. There are only two reasons to watch this: Lana Turner and Gloria Grahame. Is the acting that bad, or is it the script?

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

09/06/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Such a good movie with solid acting performances. It is definitely worth watching, especially as part of a double feature with Two Weeks in Another Town (1962).

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great movie one of my favorites

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/07/21

Full Review

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Vincente Minnelli

Director

Lana Turner

Georgia Lorrison

Kirk Douglas

Jonathan Shields

Walter Pidgeon

Harry Pebbel

Dick Powell

James Lee Bartlow

Barry Sullivan

Fred Amiel

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

60%

51%

The Actress

75%

49%

The Cobweb

89%

62%

Two Weeks in Another Town

70%

49%

The Last Time I Saw Paris

40%

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James Morgan

Sight & Sound

Brilliant as the film undoubtedly is, ingeniously shaped and textured, it remains, with its lack of a developing centre, too insubstantial.

Aug 31, 2020

Full Review

Times (UK) Staff

Times (UK)

Instead of satire there is false sentiment.

Aug 31, 2020

Full Review

TIME Staff

TIME Magazine

Though some of the characters may be bad and others beautiful, few are either real or believable.

Aug 31, 2020

Full Review

Dave Giannini

InSession Film

This world goes on without us, and a mostly anti-Hollywood film can be read in more than one way, which is wildly more interesting than anyone more specific ending.

Feb 27, 2024

Full Review

Joshua Brunsting

The CriterionCast

Bad proves Minnelli to be one of the most assured and powerful names in the world of cinematic melodrama, and his ability to bring to the genre the sense of tension found more often in noir pictures, really makes this film a singular and esoteric entrant.

Sep 1, 2020

Full Review

Jane Corby

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The Bad and the Beautiful is a lot of film, and seems always on the verge of getting somewhere. But it never does.

Aug 31, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Unscrupulous movie producer Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas) is a child of Hollywood who ruthlessly toils his way to the top of the studio system, discarding movie star Georgia (Lana Turner), director Fred Amiel (Barry Sullivan) and writer James Lee Bartlow (Dick Powell) along the way. Although Shields manipulates them and leaves each in despair, they find success in Hollywood, thanks in part to Shields, and must decide whether or not to repay him when he offers them a collaborative project.

Director: Vincente Minnelli
Screenwriter: George Bradshaw, Charles Schnee
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Loew's Inc.
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 15, 1953, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2008
Runtime: 1h 58m
Sound Mix: Mono, Stereo

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