Steal This Movie!

Not to be confused with Steal This Film.
Steal This Movie!

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Robert Greenwald
Produced by Jon Avnet
Ken Christmas
Vincent D'Onofrio
Written by Marty Jezer
Bruce Graham
Starring Vincent D'Onofrio
Janeane Garofalo
Jeanne Tripplehorn
Kevin Corrigan
Donal Logue
Panou
Music by Mader
Cinematography Denis Lenoir
Edited by Kimberly Ray
Production
company
Ardent Films
Greenlight Productions
Lakeshore International
Robert Greenwald Productions
Distributed by Lions Gate Films
Release dates
 2000 (2000)
Running time
 107 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Steal This Movie! is a 2000 American biographical film of 1960s radical figure Abbie Hoffman starring Vincent D'Onofrio and Janeane Garofalo, and directed by Robert Greenwald. The screenplay was written by Bruce Graham, based on a number of books, including To America with Love: Letters From the Underground by Anita and Abbie Hoffman and Abbie Hoffman: American Rebel by Marty Jezer. The supporting cast features Jeanne Tripplehorn and Kevin Pollak.

The film follows Abbie Hoffman's (Vincent D'Onofrio) relationship with his second wife Anita (Janeane Garofalo) and their 'awakening' and subsequent conversion to an activist life. The title of the film is a play on Hoffman's 1970 counter-culture guidebook titled Steal This Book.

Cast

Reception

Some criticism of the film is that it is hagiographic of Abbie Hoffman and fails to give proper credit to other activists of the era like Paul Krassner, who co-founded the Yippies with Hoffman and his wife. Other critics disliked the film's editing, which frequently relied upon the use of documentary footage, voiceovers, and subtitles to help advance the plot. However, nearly all film reviewers agreed that the strong acting performance of Vincent D'Onofrio as Hoffman overcame the film's otherwise minor flaws and modest budget.

In September 2000, america Hoffman, son of Abbie and Anita, filed suit against Lions Gate Films in an attempt to block further distribution of the film, accusing the filmmakers of invasion of privacy and presenting an "unauthorized, false and uncomplimentary portrayal" of him as a child. In the suit, america protested his portrayal in the film as "a wimpy, quiet, sulking and effeminate 'mama's boy,'" and accused filmmakers of implying america "may be a homosexual."[1] america later dropped the suit and retracted his claims against the filmmakers, stating "I understand that the filmmaker's characterization of me and my relationship to my father was made in good faith and with honorable intentions."[2]

References

  1. ↑ Movie & TV News @ IMDb.com - Studio Briefing - 4 September 2000
  2. ↑ "Hoffman's Son Settles Movie Suit" - Associated Press, January 9, 2001

External links

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