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      The Front

      PG Released Sep 17, 1976 1 hr. 33 min. Comedy Drama List
      69% 26 Reviews Tomatometer 74% 2,500+ Ratings Audience Score In the 1950s, restaurant cashier Howard Prince (Woody Allen) is apathetic toward the politics around him. When a blacklisted screenwriter (Michael Murphy) asks Howard to sell a script under his own name, Howard sees an opportunity to make a profit and becomes a "front" for several blacklisted writers. But after he witnesses the social destruction of a comedian (Zero Mostel), Howard sees the corruption of McCarthyism and decides to do something to make a difference. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Sep 15 Buy Now

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      The Front

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      Audience Reviews

      View All (173) audience reviews
      Mark B The Front shows the devastation of American Art by HAUC, McCarthy and incidentally, Catholics. Don't believe me. Watch the film. All the bad guys have uber Irish Catholic names. Woody Allen, Zero Mostel, and Herschel Bernardi give great performances, while the bad guys are all straw men. Still, this is a film worth watching, even though, like many Ritt films, this is a fantasy. NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY said what Woody Allen says to the HUAC. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/28/23 Full Review Shioka O Woody Allen's character is somewhat the only slightly likeable in this film. This is lousier than Allen's own film, there are some laughs but I felt he could make this better with smart dialogs. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 12/21/22 Full Review Russ G Hard to believe I saw this nearly half a century ago! Given what we know of Woody Allen's later life, it's hard to remember that he rattled off a string of good movies. This was a film that had to be made while many of the McCarthy era's victims were still alive. Today's Lefties need to see this, because turnabout is NOT fair play! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/31/22 Full Review david f A funny comedy about the Hollywood Blacklist and a man who fronts for blacklisted writers. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Sebastian B My pick for best movie starring Woody which he did not direct! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/28/22 Full Review Audience Member WA does a great job playing a silly and self-important "writer". The film does a good job combining humor and activism. It's a different sort of Woody Allen film, and that's great. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (26) Critics Reviews
      Pauline Kael New Yorker Damned if the subject didn't get the better of Berstein. He didn't develop the comic potential of his idea; instead, almost as if by reflex, he has written one of those scripts about how the common man must become involved, must learn what he stands for. Dec 2, 2023 Full Review Time Out An empty monument to the senility of American liberalism. Jan 26, 2006 Full Review Vincent Canby New York Times It recreates the awful noise of ignorance that can still be heard. Rated: 3.5/5 May 9, 2005 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...an effective (and affecting) endeavor. Rated: 3/4 Apr 2, 2021 Full Review Michael Mascioli Philadelphia Gay News The Front lacks a good script and seems to have trouble convincing us whether or not all this really happened. May 28, 2020 Full Review Donald McLean Bay Area Reporter Funny as only Allen can be, the script by Walter Bernstein and the direction by Martin Ritt delve far deeper and give us a penetrating look via black comedy at a time of mass hysteria. May 21, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis In the 1950s, restaurant cashier Howard Prince (Woody Allen) is apathetic toward the politics around him. When a blacklisted screenwriter (Michael Murphy) asks Howard to sell a script under his own name, Howard sees an opportunity to make a profit and becomes a "front" for several blacklisted writers. But after he witnesses the social destruction of a comedian (Zero Mostel), Howard sees the corruption of McCarthyism and decides to do something to make a difference.
      Director
      Martin Ritt
      Executive Producer
      Charles H. Joffe, Jack Rollins
      Screenwriter
      Walter Bernstein
      Distributor
      Columbia Pictures
      Production Co
      Rollins-Joffe Productions, Persky-Bright Productions, Columbia Pictures Corporation
      Rating
      PG
      Genre
      Comedy, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Sep 17, 1976, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 16, 2012
      Sound Mix
      Mono
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