Customer Reviews

James Dean: An Invited Life (Full Screen)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

James Dean, the TNT movie which premiered on August 5, 2001, is a worthy piece of fiction. Most notable for the remarkable performance of James Franco, any resemblence to James Dean's real life is purely coincidental. While I am happy that a movie about James Dean's life was made because it introduces this remarkable actor to a whole new generation of people, anyone well-versed in Dean's REAL life has to come away from this TNT REEL version of it, disappointed. Dean's short life was dramatic enough without additions or embelishments. This movie takes gigantic liberties with the truth which are unneccesary and jarring. At the same time, it is an affecting drama and James Franco's performance is worthy of the Golden Globe and Critics' Choice awards he won for his portrayal of Dean. I hope that TNT's effort will inspire people to seek out and watch the original performances of one of the most gifted and unique performers in movie history--James Dean.

This wonderful biopic of Hollywood icon James Dean begins with his unexplained estrangement from his father, continues with his early struggles in New York, and ends with his three starring movie roles. Along the way, he falls in love and finally learns the reason for his father's coldness.

James Franco gives the performance of his career as Dean. The physical resemblance is so strong, it's hard to remember that it isn't Dean on the screen. Franco has mastered Dean's speech, movement, and mannerisms perfectly and if you're a Dean fan, you'll feel like you're watching the man himself. I only wish this made-for-TV film had been shown on the big screen; its powerful emotion deserved a bigger showcase.

The story focuses on Dean's loneliness and conflicted feelings about his distant father (well-played by Michael Moriarity) and has many heart-breaking scenes. James Franco's fine performance makes this one of the very best TV movies I've ever seen.

I first saw this movie when it aired on TNT a few years ago and I was very impressed. I had never been a James Dean fanatic, but I wasn't indifferent either. I was born 15 months after Dean's fatal car crash and as I grew up I had heard about James Dean and saw his movies. I remember being especially moved by Dean in "East of Eden," (and falling for "Cal" alittle) when I first saw it in the 1970s. I had been told that James Dean had died in a car crash right after he finished making "Giant."

I recently bought this movie after seeing a group of Dean's friends talking about him on a special "Larry King Live." I am also reading a book about him.

James Franco does as good a job of portraying James Dean as anyone could. He did a great job of capturing mannerisms and postures, and the mumbling speech. This is a very well made movie, and a very sympathetic one. Its such a shame we didn't get to see Dean in more movie roles.

great movie and its a tv movie and i enjoyed it beacause I love James Dean. Franco is really the person to do the job ro retell how his life went and how it suddenly left after the tradgic car crash. thought the movie at the end said the guessed on some of the parts and it doesnt bother me. the actors really doa good job portraying who Dean worked with. a gem of a movie. a must have in anyones collection or if anyone is a fan of Dean

James Franco does an amazing job portraying James Dean. He portrayed all of the sadness and pain in Dean's life with such accuracy that it is no wonder he won an award for his performance. This biography wasn't dry or uninteresting. In fact, it captures your attention from start to finish. Anyone who wants to learn more about James Dean or simply watch an interesting bio should definitely see this movie!

I've read a number of biographies on James Dean. This movie touches on many of the well known events in Jimmy's short life, giving the viewer a front row seat all the way to his last moments. Having seen this version and the version starring Casper, which had me channel surfing within the first 15 minutes, this is the DVD to buy.

James Franco was superb and awsome in the role of James Dean. Usually television movies provide poor acting and story line. But this was different. It has great acting by James Franco, and so much happens in Deans life that the script can't be that poor. The only bad part is the running time, because a lot of things happen so fast, I guesse it would need to since it only runs for 95min not including commercials, it shouls have been extended by about fifteen minutes, then it would have been a perfect film. The film was awsome although it needed some changes a little, since some parts were educated guesses. But other than that, the film was awsome.

Judging from the other reviews, James Franco seems to be getting significant praise for his role...and I would have to agree. This movie was made before Spider-man, so Franco was still a pretty obscure actor (He played the Green Goblin's son in the Spider-man movie, in case any of you are wondering). He does an incredible job as James Dean, capturing perfectly the mannerisms and essence of Dean himself. It is truly a shame Franco did not receive more widespread acclaim for his role. Playing James Dean would be such a complicated and difficult role...and I can't think of an actor who could have done it better.

As for the movie itself, it does a good job of portraying the overall view of Dean's life. Of course, there are some aspects that are skimmed over (such as Dean's ambiguous sexual orientation). However, such themes would have made for a more controversial movie. So, if you want the juicy details such as those, read a biography. The movie only spends a few brief moments on Dean's high school days in Fairmount, Indiana, and his untimely death in California, choosing instead to focus on his rise to stardom circa the making of East of Eden. The movie does a perfect job of capturing the essence of New York in the 1950s, and my hat goes off to the costume designer and the casting director.
If you want to get picky, there are definite factual flaws in the movie . However, such will always be the case when doing a biographical motion picture. The acting in the movie is superb and the picture itself will leave you informed and satisfied. This movie is worthy of its title, the James Dean movie, and with Dean's unparalleled legendary status, the talent and star-power associated with him, and his millions of fans around the world, that is truly saying something.

James Franco does a fabulous job in portryaing the life of the now mythical and immortalized James Dean. One must do a double take to ensure that Dean is not actually on screen; Franco has his look down to a tee. Franco captures Deans mannerisms and, is himself, on the road to stardom. The film is true to the life of Dean, which is a big plus. James Dean will surely live on in this bio.

All great actors have a role that they were born to play and this biopic is James Franco's chance to shine. What a talent! He doesn't trade on the fact that he resembles James Dean by giving less in other areas. On the contrary, he has obviously taken great pains to study Dean's voice and mannerisms. The results are fantastic and even weird--much like James Dean himself. Don't miss this movie. It is fascinating to see James Franco recreate an American icon.