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Dumbstruck

Play trailer Poster for Dumbstruck PG Released Apr 22, 2011 1h 25m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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71% Tomatometer 28 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Five ventriloquists discuss their emotional attachments to their dummies.
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Dumbstruck

Dumbstruck

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Critics Consensus

Dumbstruck stands as the definitive -- and, not coincidentally, the only -- documentary about ventriloquists.

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Critics Reviews

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Betsy Sharkey Los Angeles Times Quirky, if uneven. Jul 6, 2011 Full Review Amy Biancolli San Francisco Chronicle Rated: 3/4 Jun 3, 2011 Full Review Chuck Bowen Slant Magazine Dumbstruck actually pays more convincing tribute to those willing to honor their interior calling regardless of the hardship. Rated: 3/4 Apr 25, 2011 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com The kind of heart and humor-centered documentary that audiences will love and indie film fans will deeply appreciate. Rated: 3.5/4.0 Sep 7, 2020 Full Review Fr. Chris Carpenter Movie Dearest While the filmmakers do a good job showcasing their subjects' talents, I found the movie a bit lacking in exploring their personal lives and motivations. Rated: B- May 27, 2011 Full Review Chris Hewitt St. Paul Pioneer Press I imagine there is an audience that's dying to find out where the next great ventriloquist is coming from, but "Dumbstruck" does not have much appeal for folks who aren't already fascinated by this topic. Rated: 1.5/4 May 20, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (11) audience reviews
Audience Member Awesome movie!!!! Didn't want it to end. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Great show and interesting to watch Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Another wedge of American culture is tilled in this documentary, which starts at the VentHaven Convention of Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky, an annual meeting place for the film's five subjects. The film certainly hinges on their individual stories, each aptly tragic. At the crux is 2007 winner of America's Got Talent Terry Fator, who quickly rises from obscurity to become one of Forbes top ten best paid comedians. His talent and specific skill for singing hauntingly beautiful odes to Etta James, Louis Armstrong, and Guns n' Roses makes him the most interesting and watchable of the motley crew. We're also given introspective looks into lesser known ventriloquists such as cruise ship hopper Dan Horn, obviously the best manipulator in the business, with realistic facial expressions and mannerisms. The quirkiest is former Miss. Ohio pageant winner Kim Yeager, who is not as talented as her counterparts, always trying to get a job on the lucrative cruise ship circuit, or leave it all behind and finally settle down in Cincinnati. Quick flashes of a thirteen year old boy with a black dummy, which doesn't fit in any discernible way, and a woman who resembles a bird and speaks like a lost alien being are thrown in as filler throughout. Nothing is truly revealed or discovered about the art of ventriloquism, though they sometimes say encouraging things to one another about their skills. We do see inside the dummies, the vast props and things they must buy to accommodate them, and the affects of a life that revolves around playing with dolls. Yes, the characters all have their own obstacles to overcome, but none of their emotions are mined. We never see the depth of the father-son relationship concerning the thirteen year old and his masculine inclined father, or the desperation behind the fading beauty queen's lackluster act. It's not boring, but it could have been much better and culturally informative. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member Hilarious and interesting documentary. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member Well I like seeing Ventriloquism so it was neat to see people who are starting out and some that are the top enteranters of right now and it wasn't a long movie but it seem to drag out a little bit but not saying it was bad it was good Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member A warm and whole heartedly film, sure to make you fall in love with all the characters in this movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Dumbstruck

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Movie Info

Synopsis Five ventriloquists discuss their emotional attachments to their dummies.
Director
Mark Goffman
Producer
Lindsay Goffman
Distributor
Truly Indie
Production Co
David O. Sacks Productions
Rating
PG (Brief Suggestive Humor)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 22, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 19, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$15.0K
Runtime
1h 25m
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