Catherine Keener, Clifton Collins Jr., Mark Pellegrino

On assignment to write an article for 'The New Yorker,' Truman Capote traveled to a small Kansas town, where he began to investigate and report on the gruesome murder of a local family. At first leery...( read more  read more... ) of the writer, the townsfolk come to trust Capote and allow him into their lives, giving him his story.

Flixster Users

72% liked it

95,935 ratings

Critics

90% liked it

178 critics

R, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Bennett Miller

Release Date: September 30, 2005

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DVD Release Date: March 14, 2006

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Stats: 6,349 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (6,349)


  • November 21, 2009
    Pretty slow, but an interesting piece of history. Good acting and all that jazz.
  • October 2, 2009
    PSH is great, no doubt there, but the film feels a bit uneven in it's focus.
  • September 14, 2009
    Hoffman deserved his Oscar, and Keener was great as always. It's funny how two films about Truman Capote came out in close concession, I haven?t seen the other one but it will have to be good to beat this one!
  • July 30, 2009
    Capote delivers on its biggest promise: an outstanding (Oscar-recognized) performance by the one and only PSH. Slow-paced but impossible to turn away from, it's a sort of "biopic by numbers" that is nevertheless compelling thanks to the hero's double-bind: he is stuck between nee...( read more)ding to let his subject die and wanting to save him, and the drama comes from the conflict inside the man and its effect on him as a writer.

    A related knock against biopics as a whole: is anyone else tired of the "this will really change [hero's metier] forever" line in this kind of movie? I know, I know, it's filmic hindsight, some kind of dramatic irony that allows the audience to say "hey, that's right, it _did_ change...", but can you actually imagine sitting in a room with Truman Capote (or Ray Charles, or Johnny Cash, or Muhammad Ali, etc.) and actually talking about how great he is? It seems like the most pompous conversation in the world... anyway, my rant, Capote is good for a biopic.
  • July 14, 2009
    Creepy movie. Truman Capote wasn't a saint, and the movie portrays it in a scary way, how he took advantage of the killers (specially Perry Smith, beautifully played by Clifton Collins, Jr.), how he didn't care about what happened to them. Everything has been said about Hoffman's...( read more) performance and I think no one has realized how extraordinary the cinematography in this movie is, seriously: by far, one of the most amazing cinematography achievements of the decade.
  • November 17, 2009
    Phillip Seymour Hoffman has got to be one of the most talented people in Hollywood. Everything he is in, he brings something truly great to it. He even made Along Came Polly good. As for the actual movie, it was really great. The story is really moving and makes you think about c...( read more)ertain aspects of our justice system and how wrong it can be at times.
  • November 17, 2009
    Spellbinding biopic, accomplished via clever and quick craftsmanship, weaving together a hauntingly realistic representation made up of pieces from the obsessive quest in the writer's life, which come together to form a deeply intimate psychological portrait of Truman Capote the ...( read more)man. Philip Seymour Hoffman's real performance the perfect fit.
  • November 13, 2009
    Well done film. Philip Seymour Hoffman IS Capote.
  • November 10, 2009
    heartbreaking and good
    one of the best biopics
  • November 8, 2009
    very interesting move...

Critic Reviews


February 7, 2006
Kurt Loder, MTV

The picture is filled with unusually fine performances, but the one at its center (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is the most serenely astonishing performance of the year. full review

October 21, 2005
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

The great strength of Miller's film -- aside from Hoffman's brilliant portrayal -- is that it both tells the story behind Capote's masterpiece, the true-crime tale In Cold Blood, and serves as an homa... full review

October 21, 2005
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Capote is a film of uncommon strength and insight. full review

October 15, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Redeemed by Hoffman, who magnificently captures the shrill, needy egotism of the legendary author. full review

September 30, 2005
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

The movie is both ruthlessly critical of its subject and unabashedly affectionate toward him, and Hoffman hits every note so it rings true. full review

September 30, 2005
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Hoffman delivers a thrilling and profound Oscar-caliber performance that will haunt viewers well after the movie is over. full review

September 29, 2005
David Edelstein, Slate

Hoffman goes beyond the surface mannerisms and diction. He disappears into Capote. full review

September 27, 2005
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Bennett Miller's film is a fascinating and fine-grained reconstruction of the period in which Truman Capote wrote In Cold Blood.

September 22, 2005
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Hoffman's unmissable and unforgettable performance as Truman Capote should make him the front-runner for every Best Actor prize in the book. full review

View more Capote reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • stef911
    June 13, 2006
    Brilliant-when you come out the cinema it's a feeling you can't explain-both funny and tearjerking-Hoffman plays Capote brilliantly as does his actress side-kick.It made me want to read 'In Cold Blood' and 'To kill a Mockingbird'.

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Capote Trivia


  • Which actor was in Capote, Mission Impossible 3, and Red Dragon  Answer »
  • Phillip Seymore Hoffman won an Oscar for his role in capote ?  Answer »
  • Who plays Harper Lee, famous author of To Kill a Mockingbird and longtime friend of Truman Capote, in the film Capote? (Hint: She was also in The 40-Year-Old Virgin.)  Answer »
  • Philip Seymore Hoffman won an Oscar for his role in what film ?   Answer »

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