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Hoffman

Play trailer Poster for Hoffman PG 1970 1h 56m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 4 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Lonely, desperate businessman Benjamin Hoffman (Peter Sellers) coerces his callow secretary, Janet Smith (Sinead Cusack), to spend a romantic holiday with him by threatening to turn her fiancé in to the cops for a crime he committed. Smith agrees to go away with Hoffman and so he promises to destroy the information he has on her fiancé. Smith's revulsion for the man eventually turns to sympathy, however, when she gets a glimpse of how truly disturbed he is underneath his icy demeanor.

Critics Reviews

View All (4) Critics Reviews
Ben Aldis Starburst Despite Sellers’ best efforts at a nuanced performance, Hoffman doesn’t eventually become the tragic hero the filmmakers want him to be. Rated: 3/5 Feb 2, 2022 Full Review Penelope Houston The Spectator It has lost an essential claustrophobic quality in its transition from compact TV play to almost two-hour film. Jul 18, 2018 Full Review Mark Bourne DVDJournal.com Miss Smith's emotional transformation, which we're presumably expected to mirror, is hard to swallow and comes across more as a discomfiting Stockholm Syndrome breakdown than a tender opening of her eyes and heart. Apr 6, 2006 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Nov 2, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Dont get me wrong. This is not a typical sellers film. It is however a one off opportunity to see a portrayal of the real sellers. The film is quirky and strangely watchable with some of the weirdest script " I want to lick your knees". A must for sellers fans Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Peter Sellers is perfectly cast as Mr Hoffman Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member I've decided that I want to watch a lot more films by Peter Sellers, he is one of my favorite actors of all time but I feel I haven't watched enough of his more serious roles. This then was a starting point toward appreciating the great mans works. What to say about Hoffman? Well it's not a film I had heard about before so I had no preconceptions. it was actually pretty good considering the subject matter is hardly prime time. The film takes a while to get going but when it does the entertainment is fine. Performances from sellers is good and it's a good plot and interesting to follow, although the ending is a bit off key which is why I only gave it three point five stars. The story is about a man who blackmails a young women to come and live with him for a week after an event in which her boyfriend tries to do something nefarious is uncovered by Hoffman. He loves her and she thinks he is a creep but eventually softens her approach to him after she sees his nicer side. Favourite scene is when he wakes up next to her naked in her bed and lifts up the covers to check out her body.... Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Most of "Hoffman" takes place between four walls and with two characters. And it works marvelously thanks to the interesting premise, convincing performances, suitable music and, perhaps most importantly, the solid characterization, very good dialogues and equally potent subtext. It might not be the most subversive film ever but it's quite a fascinating portrayal of sexual and emotional frustration. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member Ca fait longtemps que j'avais pas eut un tel coup de coeur ! C'est beau, sensible avec un cynisme déchirant de pudeur. Plus qu'un art, le cinéma c'est la magie de jouer à l'équilibriste avec les émotions. Loin de ses rôles de gaffeurs, Peter Sellers est ici bouleversant. Quand à Sinéad Cusack, la fragilité de son regard est inoubliable. Encore une fois, ils font chi... Studio canal à jamais sortir tous ces joyaux anglais chez nous ( au moins, il pourrait mettre des sous-titres anglais sur les DVDs UK ). Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Amazing Peter Sellers, amazing movie, can't understand why this movie it's so understimated! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Hoffman

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Lonely, desperate businessman Benjamin Hoffman (Peter Sellers) coerces his callow secretary, Janet Smith (Sinead Cusack), to spend a romantic holiday with him by threatening to turn her fiancé in to the cops for a crime he committed. Smith agrees to go away with Hoffman and so he promises to destroy the information he has on her fiancé. Smith's revulsion for the man eventually turns to sympathy, however, when she gets a glimpse of how truly disturbed he is underneath his icy demeanor.
Director
Alvin Rakoff
Producer
Ben Arbeid
Screenwriter
Ernest Gebler
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 56m