The Laramie Project

TV-14

Released Jan 25, 2002

1 hr. 35 min.

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

92%

13 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

"The Laramie Project" is set in and around Laramie, Wyoming, in the aftermath of the murder of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard. To create the stage version of "The Laramie Project," the eight-member New York-based Tectonic Theatre Project traveled to Laramie, Wyoming, recording hours of interviews with the town's citizens over a two-year period. The film adaptation dramatizes the troupe's visit, using the actual words from the transcripts to create a portrait of a town forced to confront itself.

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Audience Member

HBO films presents an extensive cast doing a dramatization of a terrible tragedy that should happen to no one The true story recounting the beating of a gay college student Matthew Shepard in Wyoming from over 200 interviews in the city of Laramie Dozens of interviews of people played by Peter Fonda, Clea Duvall, Jeanine Garafalo, Laura Linney, Christina Ricci, Steve Buscemi, Dylan Baker, Joshua Jackson, Clancy Brown, and Margo Martindale Laramie is live and let live; many of its residents are strict Catholic and very homophobic Yet the film crew covering the story draw enough heat to get people on both sides of the issue The whole country watches with even having protesters calling for the attackers to answer for their crimes Matthew barely survived by remaining in a coma and his attackers were brought before the justice system yet one of the officers was sadly exposed to him being HIV positive after he bled profusely from his injuries His passing then shifted things entirely I like that this isn't an ordinary documentary film; it's pacing is brisk, the actors give it their all to portray real-life individuals dealing with the aftermath, the music is touching, and it has everybody not choosing a particular side about what's right or wrong In America you don't have the right to feel the fear that plagues every day, we never understand the magnitude of people's hatred, the hurt can still come for those gone that can't speak for themselves, maybe time can filter out some things, how can things change and what can come out of it that's concrete and lasting? It's sad that we learn the underlying fears gay people have to go through every day from pretending to be straight and avoiding persecution or physical violence if they're ever outed Director Moisés Kaufman amazingly handles this documentary drama with such care, no skimping on the important stuff, and saying something about a small town that feels strongly about hate, outrage, sadness, and hope This offers great insight of changing attitudes of America along with the swirling emotions Laramie goes through; it questions our basic humanity, and gives an accurate picture of the current state of affairs of tolerance in America's schizoid version of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness Sooner or later we have to confront ourselves

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/13/23

Full Review

Steve D

I don't like the monolog based approach but it is powerful and beautifully acted.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

jon c

HBO films presents an extensive cast doing a dramatization of a terrible tragedy that should happen to no one The true story recounting the beating of a gay college student Matthew Shepard in Wyoming from over 200 interviews in the city of Laramie Dozens of interviews of people played by Peter Fonda, Clea Duvall, Jeanine Garafalo, Laura Linney, Christina Ricci, Steve Buscemi, Dylan Baker, Joshua Jackson, Clancy Brown, and Margo Martindale Laramie is live and let live; many of its residents are strict Catholic and very homophobic Yet the film crew covering the story draw enough heat to get people on both sides of the issue The whole country watches with even having protesters calling for the attackers to answer for their crimes Matthew barely survived by remaining in a coma and his attackers were brought before the justice system yet one of the officers was sadly exposed to him being HIV positive after he bled profusely from his injuries His passing then shifted things entirely I like that this isn't an ordinary documentary film; it's pacing is brisk, the actors give it their all to portray real-life individuals dealing with the aftermath, the music is touching, and it has everybody not choosing a particular side about what's right or wrong In America you don't have the right to feel the fear that plagues every day, we never understand the magnitude of people's hatred, the hurt can still come for those gone that can't speak for themselves, maybe time can filter out some things, how can things change and what can come out of it that's concrete and lasting? It's sad that we learn the underlying fears gay people have to go through every day from pretending to be straight and avoiding persecution or physical violence if they're ever outed Director Moisés Kaufman amazingly handles this documentary drama with such care, no skimping on the important stuff, and saying something about a small town that feels strongly about hate, outrage, sadness, and hope This offers great insight of changing attitudes of America along with the swirling emotions Laramie goes through; it questions our basic humanity, and gives an accurate picture of the current state of affairs of tolerance in America's schizoid version of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness Sooner or later we have to confront ourselves

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of those films shot in documentary style where only a few actors can act with the intention of the documentary style and they look like real interviewees and where the others do over act it a bit. It still works very well and you really get that sense of a community coming divided and also coming together, and with the story of Matthew it becomes a heart rending film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I thought this was pretty good. Watched it a while ago and can't remember a ton, but I think it told the story well. It's good creativity to do something like this...not necessarily focus on the main event but the attitudes surrounding it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

Audience Member

91% For such an unbalanced looking semi-docudrama, the magnetic cast makes this dramatic reconstruction of one of America's most intimately devastating tragedies all the more worth it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

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Moisés Kaufman

Director

Dylan Baker

Rulon Stacey

Tom Bower

Father Roger Schmit

Clancy Brown

Rob Debree

Steve Buscemi

Doc O'Connor

Nestor Carbonell

Moisés Kaufman

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Kirk Honeycutt

Hollywood Reporter

The bottom line is the piece works brilliantly.

Apr 8, 2002

Full Review

Nick Davis

Nick's Flick Picks

The Laramie Project is not really about Matthew Shepard but about this question of identification with Matthew, and of identification with the larger community of Laramie that admitted, sustained, eliminated, grieved, and civilly avenged Matthew.

Rated: B

Feb 5, 2012

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

A fascinating chorus of outrage and sadness, hatred and hope.

Rated: A

Sep 24, 2007

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Though well-intentioned, dealing with the relevant issues of hate crimes and gay bashing, artisticaly speaking, Moises Kaufman's film, the opening night of 2001 Sundance Fest, is quite disappointing.

Rated: B-

Nov 15, 2006

Full Review

James Sanford

Kalamazoo Gazette

a potent, thought-provoking drama that offers insight not only into Shepard's case, but into the changing attitudes of Americans in general.

Dec 27, 2005

Full Review

Film Threat

Rated: 3.5/5

Dec 6, 2005

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

"The Laramie Project" is set in and around Laramie, Wyoming, in the aftermath of the murder of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard. To create the stage version of "The Laramie Project," the eight-member New York-based Tectonic Theatre Project traveled to Laramie, Wyoming, recording hours of interviews with the town's citizens over a two-year period. The film adaptation dramatizes the troupe's visit, using the actual words from the transcripts to create a portrait of a town forced to confront itself.

Director: Moisés Kaufman
Executive Producer: Ross Katz, Anne Carey, Ted Hope
Screenwriter: Stephen Belber, Stephen Belber, Amanda Gronich, Amanda Gronich, Moisés Kaufman, Moisés Kaufman, Jeffrey LaHoste, Jeffrey LaHoste, Kelli Simpkins, Kelli Simpkins, Greg Pieroti
Distributor: HBO
Production Co: Good Machine, Home Box Office (HBO)
Rating: TV-14
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 25, 2002, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 20, 2014
Sound Mix: Surround

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