Prick Up Your Ears

R

1987

1 hr. 48 min.

Biography

LGBTQ+

List

95%

38 Reviews

Tomatometer

79%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

The life and tragic death of British playwright Joe Orton (Gary Oldman) is chronicled in this biographical film. When the young, attractive Orton meets the older, more introverted Kenneth Halliwell (Alfred Molina) at drama school, he befriends the kindred spirit and they start an affair. As Orton becomes more comfortable with his sexuality and starts to find success with his writing, Halliwell becomes increasingly alienated and jealous, ultimately tapping into a dangerous rage.

Read More

Read Less

Shioka O

Excellent performance by the two leads, and good casting. Off-beat biopic and it was fairly easy to get into it though I didn't know about the person. I think the score is a bit overplayed.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/16/22

Full Review

steve d

The acting is fantastic.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Amazing film, worth watching

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Superb dialogue. This as a film about a gay couple and the 'ears' in the title is an anagram of arse. Just brilliant.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

jeff h

One of the best gay movies ever.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is a great movie and Gary oldman totally immersed himself into this character..great bio-pic

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Stephen Frears

Director

Gary Oldman

Joe Orton

Alfred Molina

Kenneth Halliwell

Vanessa Redgrave

Peggy Ramsay

Wallace Shawn

John Lahr

Julie Walters

Elsie Orton

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

72%

73%

Wilde

96%

83%

Gods and Monsters

50%

29%

Nijinsky

90%

87%

Boys Don't Cry

TRAILER

for Boys Don't Cry

98%

92%

My Left Foot

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Gary Oldman’s 10 Best Movies

Gary Oldman’s Best-Reviewed Movies

View more photos

Henry Sheehan

Chicago Reader

To reconstruct private lives when documentation gives out is an act of imagination, and that is what the film Prick Up Your Ears is all about.

Rated: 3/4

May 9, 2022

Full Review

Harper Barnes

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

You don't get much sense of what the artist's work is all about. But Prick Up Your Ears has the energy mostly to overcome this flaw.

Apr 21, 2022

Full Review

Catherine Drake

Little White Lies

Molina is superb as Halliwell, managing to not only depict a man gradually unravelling from intelligent and dignified to frenzied and paranoid but to cast him in a sympathetic light.

Jan 15, 2019

Full Review

Michael Bronski

Gay Community News (Boston)

Prick Up Your Ears feels not like a treat, but a solid, fulfilling experience that comes to audiences very infrequently.

Sep 19, 2022

Full Review

Jas Keimig

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

What fascinated me about the film was its portrayal of the deep and unnerving intimacy between the men.

Jan 5, 2022

Full Review

Hilary Mantel

The Spectator

Alan Bennett's script is Ortonesque, but without the theatrical extravagance; it suits the cinema, in other words, and it is witty, acute and economical.

Apr 10, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

The life and tragic death of British playwright Joe Orton (Gary Oldman) is chronicled in this biographical film. When the young, attractive Orton meets the older, more introverted Kenneth Halliwell (Alfred Molina) at drama school, he befriends the kindred spirit and they start an affair. As Orton becomes more comfortable with his sexuality and starts to find success with his writing, Halliwell becomes increasingly alienated and jealous, ultimately tapping into a dangerous rage.

Director: Stephen Frears
Screenwriter: Alan Bennett, John Lahr
Production Co: Zenith Productions, Civilland
Rating: R
Genre: Biography, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 2, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.6M
Sound Mix: Mono