The Professor and the Madman

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The Professor and the Madman

Released May 10, 2019

2h 5m

History

Drama

Biography

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Popcornmeter

39%

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33 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Professor James Murray begins work on compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the mid-19th century.

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David Stratton

The Australian

If only The Professor and the Madman as a whole matched the central performances, but it falls short on a number of levels.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 25, 2020

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

The film is a bombastic dirge verging on the preposterous.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 19, 2020

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Elizabeth Kerr

The Hollywood Reporter

Ironically, for a movie about words, the dialogue only sparks to life on rare occasion.

May 25, 2019

Full Review

Nadine Whitney

Mr. Movie's Film Blog

The film is stuffy, sanctimonious, and so wholly riddled with self-indulgence that it has already been consigned to the dust bin of cinematic history as an abject failure.

Sep 17, 2023

Full Review

Martha K. Baker

KDHX (St. Louis)

Winchester's well-written book evolved into a mess of a movie.

Jan 5, 2021

Full Review

John Serba

Decider

Isn't the unwatchable mess we expected it to be. But it's not quite worth a recommendation either.

Dec 22, 2020

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Steven G

I invariably choose to watch movies by using a balance between critic and public reviews. I am happy the weight of the public reviews weighed in on my decision to watch this movie. It most certainly not light viewing it is intense in all ways and pulls on emotions from all directions. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and recommended it for someone who wants viewing that you will need to grasp onto, to chew hard to swallow. If you do then like me you may be amazed that this incredible story could be true history.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/20/25

Full Review

Alex S

Amazing film, put it off for a long time but very surprised how good it was.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/14/25

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neel w

As a lover of both academia and redemption stories, this movie moved me deeply. I think this is quite a niche film which explains the wide disparity of reactions to it. As many others have said, the performances by the three leads were stellar. As for the complaints that it’s a credibility stretch, I wasn’t bothered by that. If you’re able to suspend belief, let this movie take you on a quite alluring journey.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/25

Full Review

RC H

I don’t think the critics saw the same movie I did. An absolute master class in acting! Nuanced and thoughtful performances by Gibson, Dormer and in particular, Sean Penn. Immersive and brilliant!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/25

Full Review

Rachel C

Loved this and will watch again in the future. Brilliantly portrayed.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/01/25

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Gabrielle P

A beautifully shot movie telling an important histprial story.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/15/24

Full Review

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Farhad Safinia

Director

Mel Gibson

James Murray

Sean Penn

Dr. William Chester Minor

Natalie Dormer

Eliza Merrett

Jennifer Ehle

Ada Murray

Jeremy Irvine

Charles Hall

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The Professor and the Madman: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Professor James Murray begins work on compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the mid-19th century.

Director: Farhad Safinia
Producer: Nicolas Chartier, Bruce Davey
Screenwriter: John Boorman, Todd Komarnicki, Farhad Safinia
Distributor: Vertical Entertainment
Production Co: Fastnet Films, Voltage Pictures, Icon Entertainment International
Genre: History, Drama, Biography
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): May 10, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 10, 2019
Runtime: 2h 5m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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