Had I seen this film amongst the many other films I saw at TIFF festival it probably would have paled in comparison. It would have been a slightly amusing bio-pic with a good lead performance.

But situational watching makes up for a lot. Sure as a festival movie it would have been a disappointment, but as a film watched between 1 and 3 in the morning with my baby daughter on my lap as she stared around the room. Not crying, but wide awake, Trumbo was more interesting -- I'm a sucker for Classic Hollywood on film -- and more enjoyable than I thought it would be. It was a slightly amusing bio-pic with a good lead performance, but it kept me awake when it needed too. I can't say it would have done the same in my sleep-deprived film festival existence.