Milk (2008)
90%RT Audience Score: 89%
Awards & Nominations: Won 2 Oscars
66 wins & 145 nominations total
Anchored by Sean Penn’s powerhouse performance, Milk is a triumphant account of America’s first openly gay man elected to public office.
Milk” is a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and feel all the emotions in between. Sean Penn’s performance is so good, you’ll forget he’s acting and start to believe he’s actually Harvey Milk. The supporting cast is just as impressive, with Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna, and James Franco all bringing their A-game. This movie is a must-see for anyone who wants to learn about the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and the incredible man who led the charge. Plus, it’s just a damn good movie.
Production Company(ies)
Lucasfilm,
Distributor
Focus Features
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Duboce Park, San Francisco, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief violence
Year of Release
2009
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 8m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 26, 2008 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2009
Genre(s)
Biography/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco, Alison Pill, directed by Gus Van Sant, written by Dustin Lance Black, biography, drama, LGBTQ+, box office, budget, reviewed by Namrata Joshi, Nathan Lee, David Ansen, Nell Minow, Melissa Anderson, Cole Haddon, Candace Moore, Mike Massie, Richard Propes, Joanne Laurier, Debbie Lynn Elias, Nikki Baughan, R rating, Harvey Milk, San Francisco, Castro District, camera shop, Board of Supervisors, Dan White, Sean Penn’s performance, ensemble cast, civil rights, American history, streaming, rental, subscription, Tomatometer, audience score, critic reviews, audience reviews, horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV premiere dates, Fandango
Worldwide gross: $54,589,558
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $75,448,813
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,152
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 8,227,788
US/Canada gross: $31,841,299
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $44,008,201
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,131
US/Canada opening weekend: $1,453,844
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $2,009,373
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,205
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $20,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $27,642,214
Production budget ranking: 1,192
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $14,885,332
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $32,921,267
ROI to date (est.): 77%
ROI ranking: 1,021
Emile Hirsch – Cleve Jones
Josh Brolin – Dan White
Diego Luna – Jack Lira
James Franco – Scott Smith
Alison Pill – Anne Kronenberg
Director(s)
Gus Van Sant
Writer(s)
Dustin Lance Black
Producer(s)
Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
66 wins & 145 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Writing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (245) | Top Critics (70) | Fresh (227) | Rotten (18)
Penn is so well-tuned that not for a minute does his Milk lapse into a caricature.
January 31, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Namrata Joshi
Outlook
TOP CRITIC
Milk is fortuitously, if inevitably, a movie of its moment.
March 20, 2018
Nathan Lee
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Penn may be the main attraction, but this is very much an ensemble piece. Emile Hirsch, as cheeky street kid turned activist Cleve Jones, Diego Luna as Milk’s annoyingly needy, unstable second lover and James Franco’s Scott, add to the communal spirit.
February 6, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
February 18, 2012 | Rating: A-
Nell Minow
Movie Mom
TOP CRITIC
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Melissa Anderson
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
At the moment, it’s my favorite movie of the year.
May 6, 2011 | Rating: A
Cole Haddon
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
Every queer person worth her salt should see this film at least once.
May 24, 2022
Candace Moore
Curve
A commanding and persuasive biopic that is easily the best thing to come from the hit-or-miss director in a very long time.
November 28, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
The best film of 2008.
September 16, 2020 | Rating: 4.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
The artistic consequence of all this is a distinct unevenness…
September 2, 2020
Joanne Laurier
World Socialist Web Site
With Milk, Harvey’s legacy and voice live on and he still does give us hope. A film for our time. A film that is timely. A film not to be missed.
November 13, 2019
Debbie Lynn Elias
Behind The Lens
Milk is very much an accessible journey driven by a remarkably charismatic performance from Sean Penn.
October 30, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Nikki Baughan
Roll Credits…
Plot
Using flashbacks from a statement recorded late in life and archival footage for atmosphere, this film traces Harvey Milk’s career from his 40th birthday to his death. He leaves the closet and New York, opens a camera shop that becomes the salon for San Francisco’s growing gay community, and organizes gays’ purchasing power to build political alliances. He runs for office with lover Scott Smith as his campaign manager. Victory finally comes on the same day Dan White wins in the city’s conservative district. The rest of the film sketches Milk’s relationship with White and the 1978 fight against a statewide initiative to bar gays and their supporters from public school jobs.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Sean Penn delivers a “powerhouse performance” in Milk, according to Fresh Kernels.
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