Featured Audience Ratings

• Josh L

  
  Hitchcock is a nicely done semi-biography of the life of Alfred Hitchcock during the making of Psycho, his most successful film. For fans of Hitchcock, and especially Psycho, it's a welcome treat. Anthony Hopkins plays Hitchcock incredibly well with some good makeup work. You… More
  Hitchcock is a nicely done semi-biography of the life of Alfred Hitchcock during the making of Psycho, his most successful film. For fans of Hitchcock, and especially Psycho, it's a welcome treat. Anthony Hopkins plays Hitchcock incredibly well with some good makeup work. You never see Hopkins, just Hitchcock. I do think the best performance goes to Helen Mirren, though. She plays Hitchcock's wife Alma and gives the film the emotional pull it needs to work. The supporting cast is full of big names sporting smaller roles and they all do fine, but nothing great, with the exception of James D'Arcy as Anthony Perkins. He plays him eerily similar to Perkins to the point that I wished he had more screen time. The film itself is very entertaining and doubles as a story about older couples reconnecting after letting the sparks fly away. Alma was much more important to the filmmaking process of Hitchcock's films that I thought and this film does a good job of showing that. Hitchcock has a slightly uneven tone at times, but the passion Hitchcock had for films shines through. It's nothing truly spectacular, but for fans Hitchcock is an entertaining film with a little bit of insight you may not have known about.

• Manu G

  
  Behind every Psycho is a great woman. Very good movie! The movie is entitled "Hitchcock" and is based on the making of "Psycho", but in fact, it's more the story of Alma and her husband. While there is nothing wrong with that story ... in fact, it is quite… More
  Behind every Psycho is a great woman. Very good movie! The movie is entitled "Hitchcock" and is based on the making of "Psycho", but in fact, it's more the story of Alma and her husband. While there is nothing wrong with that story ... in fact, it is quite interesting and entertaining ... it's just kind of false advertising. "Hitchcock" is a mix between a Hitchcock thriller, a comedy, a biopic, and a romantic drama. And I'm pretty sure that explains the negative reactions to the film. I agree that it's a strange mix but it works with what they are going for. Wanting to focus on the marriage between Alma Reville and Alfred Hitchcock, a romantic biopic can be dry, so staying true to the spirit of the legendary director, the film throws in some wry humour and frames it all with the tone of a thriller. The film's main purpose appears to just be entertaining. Which is all good, but the rather poor reception is because it could have used some depth into the interesting inner-workings of Hitchcock. At times it comes off as a superficial caricature but the man was a legend because there was so much more to him. Anthony Hopkins appeared to be exactly like Hitchcock both physically and linguistically. He got his sly and comedic mannerisms and phrasing perfect. Which fits the entertaining and humorous frame for the picture. Go see it! In 1959, Alfred Hitchcock and his wife, Alma, are at the top of their creative game as filmmakers amid disquieting insinuations about it being time to retire. To recapture his youth's artistic daring, Alfred decides his next film will adapt the lurid horror novel, Psycho, over everyone's misgivings. Unfortunately, as Alfred self-finances and labors on this film, Alma finally loses patience with his roving eye and controlling habits with his actresses. When an ambitious friend lures her to collaborate on a work of their own, the resulting marital tension colors Alfred's work even as the novel's inspiration haunts his dreams.

• Carlos M

  
  Even if bearing no resemblance to the real Hitchcock, Hopkins does a decent job in a biopic that is more involving when showing the production of Psycho than when focusing on his personal life - where conjugal conflicts and an imaginary Ed Gein feel sadly contrived.

• c0up  

  
  'Hitchcock'. The chemistry between, and performances of Mirren and Hopkins are delightful. A pleasure to learn more about the legend.

• Liam G

  
  An unfortunate mess.

• Everett J

  
  "Hitchcock" is an odd movie that I'm honestly not sure if I liked or not. On one hand it's very interesting as it shows what went on behind the scenes of "Psycho". But on the other hand, the acting is kind of bad(except Helen Mirren), it feels more like… More
  "Hitchcock" is an odd movie that I'm honestly not sure if I liked or not. On one hand it's very interesting as it shows what went on behind the scenes of "Psycho". But on the other hand, the acting is kind of bad(except Helen Mirren), it feels more like a bad comedy than anything, and Alfred Hitchcock really comes off bad. He might have been this weird in real life, I don't know, but sitting around talking to his imaginary Ed Gein is a bit much. Anthony Hopkins plays Hitchcock and it's a very strange performance. It's captivating, over the top, and just overall kind of unsettling. I don't know what it was, but it's very different. Mirren plays his wife Alma, and she does a great job(when doesn't she?). There is one scene where she yells at Hitchcock after being accused of an affair and it's one of the best scenes I've seen from an actress in a while. Also not sure of the actors name who played Anthony Perkins, but he looks exactly like Perkins. That casting director deserves a raise for that one. This is an odd movie and it's hard to tell if most is real or fabricated(I'd bet the latter). I can see how over time I will like this more, or just forget it. Worth a watch, especially if you like to learn about history in cinema or want to see a unique take on Alfred Hitchcock.

• Jim H

  
  Alfred Hitchcock labors to complete Psycho with the steadfast assistance from his wife. Anthony Hopkins, buried somewhere underneath pounds of plastic and makeup, turns Alfred Hitchcock into a caricature. Yes, there are a few moments when it seems like a human being breathes out from… More
  Alfred Hitchcock labors to complete Psycho with the steadfast assistance from his wife. Anthony Hopkins, buried somewhere underneath pounds of plastic and makeup, turns Alfred Hitchcock into a caricature. Yes, there are a few moments when it seems like a human being breathes out from under the mire, but mostly Hitch is a stolid mound of plastic flesh that wields a knife, and by the end of the film, there's no real insight as to how he became the genius filmmaker that he is or what is extraordinary about his execution of his craft. The script allows Helen Mirren to shine, giving her the one moment of true conflict in the film, a resounding monologue, but the effect fades like an echo. Scarlett Johansson is there, and that's about all one can say. Yes, I think a review of this film is best expressed when one boils it down to the performances because there isn't much of a plot. Sure, there are circuitous strings of stories: we're supposed to suspect that Alma is having an affair (Will she or won't she? Come on, she won't.) and apparently Hitch's past leading ladies found themselves ... stars or ... like Grace Kelly ... I don't know. But these storylines go nowhere, or at least they go nowhere interesting. When I compare this to other films about filmmaking, specifically Ed Wood, Hitchcock is a sore disappointment because whereas Ed Wood captured the thrill of filmmaking and the delight in the artistic life no matter the results, nothing is capture in Hitchcock except for a decent impression of the master by Hopkins. Overall, as biopics go, this is not at all interesting.

• Jeff "

  
  Hitchcock is one of the most surprising films of 2012. This is a well made biopic with a very good cast of talented actors. Hitchcock is set during the making of Alfred Hitchcock's most famous work, Psycho. Anthony Hopkins brings the legendary director life brilliantly on-screen,… More
  Hitchcock is one of the most surprising films of 2012. This is a well made biopic with a very good cast of talented actors. Hitchcock is set during the making of Alfred Hitchcock's most famous work, Psycho. Anthony Hopkins brings the legendary director life brilliantly on-screen, and he proves yet again that he is able to capture the viewer's interest with a powerful performance. The film is not perfect, but nonetheless is very engaging and doesn't deserve all the flack it has received. There things here that could have been improved on such as going deeper into Hitchcock's struggle to create his classic film. I felt that the film was a tad too short considering that Hitchcock himself was such a tremendous cinematic genius, and he crafted some truly masterful pictures. The film's shortcomings are overcome by Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren who make this a good biopic despite it being a bit simple in content. Although far from perfect, this is a worthwhile film that is underrated and worth watching Director Sacha Gervasi second feature as a director relies more on its acting to really tell its story, and considering that it chronicles Hitchcock when he was making Psycho, it could have been a bit more developed in terms of truly compelling story. As it stands, the film is interesting, but there could have been a bit detail added to its story to make it truly a memorable picture. Hitchcock is good filmmaking, but it could have been a bit better too. Underrated, yes, there's still a good film here that should appeal to film fans, but considering Alfred Hitchcock is one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of cinema, it's a little light in content as well. Anthony Hopkins is what keeps you hooked to this film from start to finish, and he yet again delivers something unique as an actor.

• KJ P

  
  This overly simplistic tale of the legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock is both heartbreaking and celebratory. As he is about to embark on what will become his greatest achievement of his career, he loses his house and everything he has in order to fund the film himself. The portrayal… More
  This overly simplistic tale of the legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock is both heartbreaking and celebratory. As he is about to embark on what will become his greatest achievement of his career, he loses his house and everything he has in order to fund the film himself. The portrayal of Hitchcock by the wonderful Anthony Hopkins is some of the best acting I've seen in a while, but that is the strongest part of the film. Without any prior knowledge of Hitchcock, the average moviegoer would probably not get very many of the references that the film makes, which is why it is clear that this film was made strictly for fans. "Hitchcock" doesn't bring anything new to the table, but there was a fair bit of thought that went into the making of this backstory, and it shows. I highly enjoyed it, but I wanted so much more!

• danny d

  
  incredibly simple and light hearted, i feel like there is a much more penetrating hitchcock film to be made, more revealing and engaging more of the relationships he had over the years with his many frequent collaborators, but for the most part i really enjoyed this film. the actors… More
  incredibly simple and light hearted, i feel like there is a much more penetrating hitchcock film to be made, more revealing and engaging more of the relationships he had over the years with his many frequent collaborators, but for the most part i really enjoyed this film. the actors were solid and the story engaging, a fun and interesting look at a portion of the career of one of my favorite directors.

• Nate Z

  
  I think Alfred Hitchcock would be amused at his continued notoriety, not just from the quality of his films but also from the magnitude of his own presence. 2012 offers not one but two different movies about the master of suspense, both of which are oddly close in time period.… More
  I think Alfred Hitchcock would be amused at his continued notoriety, not just from the quality of his films but also from the magnitude of his own presence. 2012 offers not one but two different movies about the master of suspense, both of which are oddly close in time period. HBO's The Girl explored Tippi Hedren's account of what it was like to film The Birds, with Hitchcock being a provocateur. The more straight-forwardly named Hitchcock looks at Alfred's trials to make one of his seminal films, 1960's Psycho. I only wish that the movie spent more time on Psycho and less time on the Hitchcock marriage. Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) is starting to feel like he's being left behind in Hollywood. He's looking for his new project, something to rekindle his creative fervor, get those juices flowing once more. Then he comes across the book Psycho, based upon the murders of Ed Gein, a man who thought his dead mother was telling him to kill and make skin suits of his victims (Gein is also the inspiration for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs; truly the gift that keeps on giving for horror). Murder, cross-dressing, incest. You can understand the hesitation from studio heads to bankroll the picture, even with the great Hitchcock name attached. With the sturdy support of his unflappable wife, Alma (Helen Mirren), Hitchcock puts his own money and clout on the line to see Psycho through. As the pressure mounts, Alfred is worried that his wife is spending a bit too much of her time with a certain screenwriter who wishes to woo her efforts away. Sir Alfred was a blunt individual so I will follow suit and mince no words - this movie is terrible. How could it possibly be? It has tremendous acting talent and the rich angle of looking at the making of one of Hollywood's most controversial and famous movies of all time the groundbreaking Psycho. Alas, it's when the movie takes its many sidesteps away from the behind-the-scenes action of Psycho is where it goes astray. First off, I find the narrative framing around the marriage of the Hitchcocks to be superficial and hamstrung. We're telling this vastly interesting story and grounding it in a very slight manner, gauging every creative struggle through the prism of whether or not Alfred and Alma will stick together. I assume it's supposed to provide an emotional entry point for the movie, but I just didn't care. I didn't care about the jealous spasms Alfred felt as his wife spent more and more time with a caddish screenwriter, and boy did that storyline get tiresome. I want to know more about Psycho and not this dumb portrayal of martial woes told with such graceless handling. The whole portrayal seems so minute and clumsy and such a poor framing device when the making of Psycho is a juicy enough story. I didn't need the focus to be on whether the Hitchcock marriage will persevere. Oh, and the resolution for this feels completely pulled from thin air, without any groundwork laid to explain the about-face into compassion in those final minutes. Then there's the portrayal of Alfred Hitchcock himself, which is so dubiously shallow when it comes to psychology. Oh, he's obsessed with blonde leading ladies? Oh he's a bit of a control freak? Oh he can be overbearing and demanding and standoffish? Wow, what powerful insights into arguably the most famous director in movie history. The movie, adapted by John J. McLaughlin (Black Swan), feels like it was made by someone who did the bare minimum of research on the man. There are no new insights or even mildly interesting ones to be found. It's the standard boilerplate repeated with different actors. And then there are the nails-on-a-chalkboard scenes where Hitchcock imagines himself talking confessionally to none other than Ed Gein (Michael Wincott). Excuse me? Oh my goodness do these tacky sequences just grate. I don't even understand their inclusion. Is this a manifestation of Hitchcock's own sense of madness when it comes to moviemaking? Does he feel some connection to the horrible disturbed man who inspired his newest film? Does Hitchcock only feel like he can communicate to a figment of his own imagination? Whatever the reason, I wanted to smack myself in the head every time hitch and Gein had a heart-to-heart. I should have known I'd be in for a bump ride when, in the movie's opening minutes, a news reporter asks Hitchcock, after the premier of 1959's North by Northwest, why he doesn't just hang it up? Did this idiot even see North by Northwest? ask Would youSpielberg if he should retire after viewing Saving Private Ryan or Kubrick after A Clockwork Orange? Then there's the matter of Hopkins as Hitchcock. It never feels like the right fit. Turkey jowls aside, the man doesn't look too similar to Hitchcock nor does he adopt a demeanor that proves convincing. Sure he goes for that highly imitable voice and cadence that Hitch is well remembered for, particularly his openings on his own TV show. You never feel like Hopkins has a real strong bead on the character, and surely the fault lies with the weak characterization relying on the collective knowledge of Hitchcock's outsized public persona. Likewise, Mirren (The Debt) is fine but gets to play another of her steely strong-willed matriarchs. Mirren won't let you done when it comes to performance but, given the lack of strong characterization, she goes on autopilot. The best actor in the movie is surprisingly Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers) who has a striking similarity to Janet Leigh, and not just in what you're thinking. She's instantly likeable and takes the Hitchcock peculiarities in stride, putting up a strong front but voicing her concerns when appropriate. Director Sacha Gervasi (Anvil! The Story of Anvil!) gooses up his story with all sorts of horror genre techniques, including editing fake outs and violent edits. I'm also unsure why so many liberties needed to be taken with the retelling of this story. I'm not going to be a person decrying the use of fictionalized elements in a true-life story for dramatic effect (I loved Argo), but you have to do so in a way that tells a better story without getting too far away from the essential truth of the matter. Hitchcock, in raising the talents of Alma, attributes many of Psycho's development achievements to her keen womanly insights when they came from others. That's fine, except that the movie portrays her in such a rarefied state of genius that she quickly becomes the movie's surefire narrative cheat. Having problem with the last act? Let's have Alma fix it. Having problems with the editing? Let's have Alma fix that. It's not compelling of a story for one character to chiefly have all the answers instinctively and without any sense of struggle. I understand that Alma did a lot of unaccredited work on Hitchcock's movies, though it wasn't uncommon for women to be screenwriters at that time and you'd think the pull of being a Mrs. Hitchcock would get her well-deserved credit. Regardless, I wish that Gervasi and McLaughlin had given Alma more depth than being put upon wife/secret savant collaborator. It's a shame because there's a genuinely interesting movie to be had somewhere in here. The making of Psycho was fraught with difficulties and the studios just didn't get it. Watching Hitchcock work through that process and persevere would be far more interesting. I enjoyed the multitude of famous cameos, like Michael Stuhlbarg as Lew Wasserman, Hitchcock's agent and eventual head of Universal Studios, and even Ralph Macchio as Psycho screenwriter Joseph Stefano. I suppose the ins and outs concerning one of the most famous movies of all time could be considered, erroneously I feel, to be too "inside baseball." That's why I think the filmmakers expanded the romantic drama angle and had it consume the majority of the running time. Often the stupid perils of the will-they-or-won't-they romantic squabbles feel so petty and cheap considering the magnitude of the work going on. Hitchcock feels like a movie that found the least interesting and essential angle to tell the story of the making of Psycho. Diehard movie fans might find some fun to be had with the minutia of Hollywood and Hitchcock's life, but I cannot fathom how anyone could view this portrayal as effective. It's not insightful, it's not challenging, it's not relevant, and it's certainly not entertaining. This movie is not deserving of the name it bears. Nate's Grade: C

• William D

  
  "Hitchcock" isn't deep or complex, but it's a delightful and interesting exploration of the making of "Psycho" and Alfred Hitchcock's relationship with his wife. If the film is to be believed, Mrs. Hitchcock had a major role in the making of the… More
  "Hitchcock" isn't deep or complex, but it's a delightful and interesting exploration of the making of "Psycho" and Alfred Hitchcock's relationship with his wife. If the film is to be believed, Mrs. Hitchcock had a major role in the making of the Hitchcock legend. I was glued to my seat from the first minute to the last.

• Markus R

  
  Ever since first hearing that there was going to be an Alfred Hitchcock movie, I had been waiting in suspense (like every other critic). So, I must admit, when I took my seat and the opening credits began to roll, my expectations where rather high. I mean, what I was about to see… More
  Ever since first hearing that there was going to be an Alfred Hitchcock movie, I had been waiting in suspense (like every other critic). So, I must admit, when I took my seat and the opening credits began to roll, my expectations where rather high. I mean, what I was about to see was a movie that had already garnered tons of Oscar buzz, was about arguably one of the greatest directors of all time and also the making of "Psycho". How could it not be great...right? Well, I am a bit disappointed to report that "Hitchcock" is only an average film (accentuated by two or three stand-out performances) that while enjoyable enough, contain nothing in the way of story or direction impressive enough to resemble an Oscar worthy film depiction of the Master of Suspense. Bookended in a very tongue and cheek fashion, with an intro and outro mimicking an old Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode, "Hitchcock" tells the story of an aging (well you guessed it) Alfred Hitchcock, as he attempts to create his masterpiece "Psycho". There is also a subplot which focuses on Hitchcock's wife (Alma Reville) and another man, which is far more compelling, but shockingly underutilized. That's not to say that the main focus, the "Hitchcock on-set" scenes, aren't riddled with a few interesting insights into the man's particular and peculiar methods of filmmaking, but the portions that keep the story moving are all during the more personal moments between Alfred Hitchcock and his wife (where we get to see a more humanized Hitch). In fact, for much of the rather well written script, writer John J. McLaughlin (Black Swan) paints Hitchcock as more of a witty, morbidly jolly and boyishly perverted caricature than a real person. And, while one can make an argument that this is the Hitchcock everyone came to see, that doesn't take away from the other large pitfalls "Hitchcock" falls into time and again, involving both its barely there direction and it's tonally awkward navigation, highlighted by many subconscious conversations between Hitchcock and Ed Gien, which don't work, yet keep happening. The man responsible for these actions, director Sacha Gervasi, whose previous directorial claim to fame was directing that overrated documentary "Anvil: The Story of Anvil", shoots a pretty straightforward film; meaning one that lacks heart for the larger than life character. And even the few times he attempts to be visually clever (the opening and closing scenes and a few high angled shots) quickly become repetitive, as his directorial arsenal comes off as pretty limp. I would go so far as to say that the decision to allow Gervasi to direct this movie may be the poorest directorial choice of 2012. OK, so what was I really expecting? Gervasi to direct this in Hitchcockian fashion? Well, no. But it would have been nice if he would have given audiences something interesting to look at, or put a new visual twist on a straightforward story that many are already familiar with. The Acting: Starring Helen Mirren, as Reville, who gives an alluring performance (per her usual) and Anthony Hopkins, as the title character, this veteran duo and the chemistry they have together throughout, is pretty much the only real reason to pay 11 dollars to see this movie. And focusing on Hopkins for a second, he is sure to get a Best Actor nomination in a performance that audiences will gladly lose themselves in (be you Hitchcock fan or otherwise). It's just a shame that Daniel Day-Lewis had to play Lincoln, and in one fell swoop, absolutely ruin any other lead actor's chances this award season. Side Note: I must add in, that James D'Arcy playing Anthony Perkins was a stroke of genius; just for the record. Final Thought: Don't get me wrong, what this film does well, when discussing the story itself, is that it focuses almost exclusively on Hitchcock's life during a finite period of time; unlike "My Week with Marilyn" and "Julie and Julia" (both terribly misguided films) which use the main attractions as side characters. In short, "Hitchcock" is not a bait and switch. You get to see the performance you paid for. But, in saying that, much like "J. Edgar", the "Hitchcock" story undersells its product. Meaning, while the characters are interesting, the story isn't as captivating as it should be. Oh, and there is one more thing to keep in mind here. If you are a novice of this great director's work (as many today may be) or heaven forbid have never seen one of his films, then "Hitchcock" may come off as a shrug inducing experience; with a few laughs here and there. In fact, to truly enjoy this movie (again, aside from watching the two masterful lead performances) one must be a fan of Alfred Hitchcock, the man, and be familiar with the significance that "Psycho" had in American cinema in its day. So, unless I just described you, then (and I can't believe I'm going to say this) you should probably skip "Hitchcock". Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Nicole I. Ashland Follow me on Twitter @moviesmarkus

• Mark H

  
  Hitchcock is a simple but satisfying watch. Its window inside creating one of the cinema's greatest horror flicks, is well crafted. When the narrative focuses on moviemaking, it's transcendent. As an observation of his creative process, its value is immeasurable. The scorn… More
  Hitchcock is a simple but satisfying watch. Its window inside creating one of the cinema's greatest horror flicks, is well crafted. When the narrative focuses on moviemaking, it's transcendent. As an observation of his creative process, its value is immeasurable. The scorn he received for choosing this subject, his decision to self-finance, fighting with the censors, and the marketing of a difficult film, are all fascinating scenes depicted. The relationship with his wife detailing the rough spots in their marriage, provides a fuller, though not deeper, portrait. As a biography of the man, it's less successful. It never seems to delve deeply into what truly made this man tick. I could have done without the distracting facial prosthetics. The makeup is obvious. His features look fake. Nevertheless, the assemblage of acting talents, including the superior supporting cast, is first rate. These actors make the material enjoyable. Parts of Hitchcock had me spellbound. I confess I had a nagging suspicion it would fall short as biography. However, as a movie about the making of Psycho, it's notoriously entertaining beyond a shadow of a doubt. fastfilmreviews.wordpress.com

• Josh M

  
  Hitchcock is a frothy, witty, and proudly superficial take on the character of the great director and his long suffering and equally talented, unsung wife Alma. The film revels in the fun factor, and should be judged on its own terms rather than against a more substantial Hitchcock… More
  Hitchcock is a frothy, witty, and proudly superficial take on the character of the great director and his long suffering and equally talented, unsung wife Alma. The film revels in the fun factor, and should be judged on its own terms rather than against a more substantial Hitchcock movie itself. The film is worth a look for the scenery chewing, emotional and delightful performances by Mirren and Hopkins alone. The terrific Toni Collette gets milage out of being Hitch's loyal and funny secretary Scarlett Johannsen aquits herself in a surprisingly interesting way as star Janet Leigh, less so Jessica Biel as the put upon Vera Miles. Still the story subplots, particularly one about Alma flirting with an extramartial affair and another about Vera Miles getting the cold shoulder from Hitch by refusing to be his puppet, add virtually nothing and are not convincing. A series of dream sequences where Hitch is haunted by and 'mentored' by mass murderer Ed Gein (the real life death row inspiration for the character of Normal Bates) to my mind don't work AT ALL. They made me impatient and I didn't quite see the point. More satisfying is Hitch and Alma's struggle to get this off the wall, one of a kind film made, and Hollywood's hypocracy of rejecting the idea until it starts to spin money. Thematically, the film conveys the peaks and valleys of a long, successful marriage in a surprisingly engaging way. This is more through the amazing Mirren/Hopkins acting chops than contained in the actual script, First time drama feature director Gervasi does a fine job evoking atmosphere and getting maximum dramatic juice out of the long standing complex married relationship. He also references many Hitchcock flms through a number of homage shots, which Hitchcock geeks like me will love to spot. However, Gervasi should have put the flawed script through at least one more rewrite. I'm not sure that this movie has broad appeal for fans that are not already in love with the Hitchcock canon.

• Aaron N

  
  Alfred Hitchcock: All of us harbor dark recesses of violence and horror. I'm just a man hiding in a corner with a camera, watching. Among the people that I would offhand list as my favorite directors, Alfred Hitchcock would be one of them. The movie I regard as my favorite… More
  Alfred Hitchcock: All of us harbor dark recesses of violence and horror. I'm just a man hiding in a corner with a camera, watching. Among the people that I would offhand list as my favorite directors, Alfred Hitchcock would be one of them. The movie I regard as my favorite horror movie (let alone a favorite movie of mine in general) is Psycho. The idea of a movie revolving around the making of Psycho is certainly an intriguing one, made better by the fantastic cast that is involved, with a wonderful looking Anthony Hopkins in the guise of the Master of Suspense. That is not exactly what I got, but what I liked about this movie, is how it chose to be a fun, romanticized story about a man continuing to challenge himself, as well as a relationship drama involving his wife. It could have been a stodgy drama that follows recorded details to the letter, but the film is much more energized than that, which is impressive, given the corpulence of Alfred Hitchcock. read the whole review at thecodeiszeek.com

• Jonathan H

  
  A glossy, broadly drawn depiction of a man who deserves to be treated with much more complexity. For most, it's a sweet crowd-pleaser; for Hitch aficionados, it's nothing more than a fluff piece.

• Richard B

  
  Your Cock Up, My Arse! I know it's crude, but so is this riduiculous film about making a film. Imagine. Alfred Hitchcock is not the genius we all thought he was (wasn't) but old horny Alma, his mousey wife. Yes, it was she who discovered and married him, she who helped… More
  Your Cock Up, My Arse! I know it's crude, but so is this riduiculous film about making a film. Imagine. Alfred Hitchcock is not the genius we all thought he was (wasn't) but old horny Alma, his mousey wife. Yes, it was she who discovered and married him, she who helped doctor scripts, etc. Yet these real snippets are transformed to re-write history. It's like saying, I don't know, Mussolini was the real brains behind Hitler, or some such rubbish. But we know what's really going on here, right? All men are useless, perverts, ego- fuelled dolts! I mean, the other Hitchcock movie about the Birds has Toby Runt as a class A lecher, groping Tippi Whatshername in the back seat of a Packard. This film'ssecond worse crime is boredom - it is an invented tale, over-hyped by bull and with an agenda I would call misandrist. Look it up, if you don't know what it means. And poor Danny Houston! What a waste of an actor. And Hopkins looks nothing like Hitch and Mirren even less like Alma. Only Scarlet catches the eye, like she was in all 90 something minutes of Psycho instead of the opening act.

• Dann M

  
  Good evening, Hitchcock is a disturbing and thrilling little tale of obsession gone awry. The film follows master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock as he searches for his next film project and runs across Psycho, but the experience takes its toll on Hitchcock and forces him to face his… More
  Good evening, Hitchcock is a disturbing and thrilling little tale of obsession gone awry. The film follows master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock as he searches for his next film project and runs across Psycho, but the experience takes its toll on Hitchcock and forces him to face his demons. While the story has been largely fictionalized, it's still captivating and provides a fascinating view of filmmaking. Anthony Hopkins delivers a brilliant performance as Hitchcock, and is backed by a strong supporting cast that includes Scarlett Johansson, Michael Wincott, and Helen Mirren. The writing is also quite good, and cleverly inserts some Hitchcockian element into the film. Though Hitchcock is by no means a definitive telling of the making of Psycho, it's a fantastic look at the culture of cinema.

• The Movie W

  
  Based loosely on Stephen Rebello's book 'Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho', Gervasi's film focuses on one chapter of Hitchcock's life: the struggle to bring that controversial film to the screen. With the studio execs reluctant to fund the project,… More
  Based loosely on Stephen Rebello's book 'Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho', Gervasi's film focuses on one chapter of Hitchcock's life: the struggle to bring that controversial film to the screen. With the studio execs reluctant to fund the project, Hitch (Hopkins) is forced to finance it out of his own pocket. Meanwhile, the film-maker's wife Alma (Mirren) is collaborating on a script with writer Whitfield Cook (Huston). Cook's intentions towards Alma are not entirely professional however, placing a strain on the relationship between Hitch and his wife. 'Hitchcock' gets off to a cracking start with the film-maker appearing on the scene of one of serial killer Ed Gein's murders, addressing the audience in the manner of his TV show 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents'. Gein, a Wisconsin maniac who made ornaments and masks from his victim's corpses, was the inspiration for 'Psycho' (and later 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre') and appears several times throughout the film in dream sequences, acting as an evil muse for Hitch. This witty opening suggests we're in for a fun filled celebration of a film-maker, much like Tim Burton gave us with 'Ed Wood'. Instead, and unfortunately, Gervasi insists on injecting a soap opera sub-plot based on the marital strife between Hitchcock and Alma, all of which is, of course, mere conjecture. This crass story-line seems to exist only for the purpose of those viewers who have no interest in Hitchcock or his work. Is Gervasi naive enough to believe anyone who doesn't care for Hitch is going to watch his biopic? While Mirren is brilliant in the role, physically she's horribly miscast, far too glamorous to embody Ms. Reville. Through no fault of Mirren's, her scenes ruin the movie from being a fun night out for Hitch fans. The film's best moments revolve around the film-making process: Hitch's run-ins with the censors, D'Arcy's jittery portrayal of Anthony Perkins, and a marvelous scene where Hitch dances in a cinema lobby to the sound of an audience screaming at his movie's famous shower scene. While he doesn't look or sound remotely like the Master of Suspense, Hopkins is riveting in the role and seems to be having as much fun as you will watching him. 'Hithcock' will likely only appeal to fans of the man so it's a shame Gervasi didn't make a movie more appealing to them.

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