Focus

PG-13

Released Oct 19, 2001

1 hr. 46 min.

Drama

List

56%

81 Reviews

Tomatometer

62%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Lawrence Newman (William H. Macy) is an ordinary man who doesn't want to stand out in a dangerous world. Then, unassuming Newman and his sexy, outspoken newlywed wife (Laura Dern) become caught up in a case of mistaken identity. Suddenly the unwitting focus of his neighbors' prejudice, Newman is faced with a choice - to go down as a coward or take a long shot at becoming the unlikeliest of heroes - and tell the truth.

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Critics Consensus

Though full of good intentions, Focus somehow feels dated, and pounds away its points with a heavy hand.

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Audience Member

Excellent film for today's viewers! given our current political climate of 2017

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I finall y understood why my grandmother said, "We got a good name" meaning it was not a Jewish name..I finally understood how my grandfather. was intimidated into closing his store in Queens in the '40's, why my parents searched for a neighborhood with Jewish names on the plat and without restrictive covenants in the deeds and how people even in the 50's and 60's were fired if their boss found out they were Jewish.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"Focus" tells of a bland and nonconfrontational man (Macy) who buys a pair of eye glasses which make him look Jewish after which be becomes the object of antisemitic hostility, etc, blaa, blaa. A kind of lame attempt at revealing antisemitism in America during WWII, the film features solid performances by Macy and Dern though no chemistry exists between them...or anywhere else in the film. Generic, staged, and pale in comparison to many better films about hatred in American, "Focus" is marginal entertainment at best and a very meager history lesson. Passable stuff.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Buenas actuaciones , pero muy lenta , me aburrió.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

I was mesmerized by this movie - the acting, the directing the photography - all shed a light on that 1940's era and brought it home as a powerful montage of our behavior when under duress and scrutiny. William Macy was superb along with Laura Dern who is always a marvel. Meatloaf portrayed the large mouthed bigot effortlessly. Anti Semitism is one of the worst kinds of bigotry - since the reasoning behind it is always obscure without basis. "You people have all the money". "You people cheat in business" You people have all the big businesses" - I cried during this movie, especially during the fight scene with the baseball bats - two men swinging bats to defend themselves against brainless thugs. See that movie and look for that which is not obvious - Andi

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

There is a lot to like and even chew on in this racial period piece set around a street in Brooklyn during world war 2. The fact that the jewish are terrorised from within a country who are meant to be standing up for the attrocities going on in europe and the classic case of mistaken identity being torn apart or abused because of their appearance makes them look Jewish. The cast is superb as well, William H Macy makes a strong lead with the material he has and Laura Dern, as always, is hypnotizing. Even Meat Loaf comes across perfectly realized as the suspicious racial neighbour. The problem lies within the directing, the scripting (In places) and the cinematography. The scripts length is shorter than it needs to be to get all of these themes across, to a pace where they grow and unsettle you, dont get me wrong, seeing the abuse go on is hurtful but with so many avenues to explore we're left rushing through it. The director also cant seem to lock into a style, one minute its all sound of music, next were thrust into a coen brothers movie, before momentary lapses of obscurity break through, its unfocused and just jerks at the whole experience. The camera work also, it tries to aim for a voyueristic approach, which is the right approach, but deals with it with a horrible amount of zoom shots into zoom shots that it just looks unprofessional and lazy. Which is a shame because as you sit watching this film you cant help but feel, if this was in the right creative hands we could have something a lot stronger, a lot more focused and enthralling. Instead were left with good looking sets and locations with good actors doing the best they can with a script and director that just cant seem to lock their vision in. Its a shame really because there is a lot to like here. I would urge you to watch it for the themes and performances but thats all the meat of this product.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

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Neal Slavin

Director

William H. Macy

Larry Newman

Laura Dern

Gertrude Hart

David Paymer

FInkelstein

Meat Loaf

Fred

Kay Hawtrey

Mrs. Newman

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Jeff Strickler

Minneapolis Star Tribune

It serves as a forceful reminder of how small a difference there can be between unity and bigotry.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 6, 2002

Full Review

Roger Moore

Orlando Sentinel

No actor in the movies could have played this part better than Macy.

Jan 4, 2002

Full Review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Performances, the story's historical origins, and the inherent goodness and contemporaneity of its storyline make Focus a movie worth viewing.

Rated: 2.5/5

Dec 9, 2001

Full Review

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Rated: 2/5

Dec 6, 2005

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Cinema em Cena

Escrita em 1945, a histria concebida por Arthur Miller continua tragicamente atual. Felizmente, o diretor estreante Neal Slavin consegue capturar toda a complexidade e inteligncia do livro em um filme engrandecido por timas atuaes.

Rated: 5/5

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Rated: 2/5

Dec 8, 2002

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Synopsis

Lawrence Newman (William H. Macy) is an ordinary man who doesn't want to stand out in a dangerous world. Then, unassuming Newman and his sexy, outspoken newlywed wife (Laura Dern) become caught up in a case of mistaken identity. Suddenly the unwitting focus of his neighbors' prejudice, Newman is faced with a choice - to go down as a coward or take a long shot at becoming the unlikeliest of heroes - and tell the truth.

Director: Neal Slavin
Executive Producer: Michael Bloomberg
Screenwriter: Kendrew Lascelles, Arthur Miller
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Carros Pictures, Focus Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Material|Some Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 19, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $719.8K
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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