The Human Stain

Name: The Human Stain
Genre: Thriller, Romance
Released: October 31, 2003
Duration: 106 min
Rating: 57
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise, Nicole Kidman

2003

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 39 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 51 Ratings

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8.5	User Score Universal acclaim based on 51 Ratings

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The Human Stain

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Movie Details & Credits

Miramax Films | Release Date: October 31, 2003 | R

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise, Nicole Kidman

Summary: The story of Coleman Silk (Hopkins), a distinguished professor at a prestigious New England college whose professional life is shattered by allegations of racism and whose personal life is infected with cancer of a lie he has been living with for fifty years. (Miramax)

Director: Robert Benton

Genre(s): Thriller, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 106 min

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Critic Reviews

Michael Wilmington

The Human Stain has those qualities we often want but rarely see in our films: intelligence and ambition, decency and humanity, poetry and pity, fire and ice. Watch it and weep. Read full review

Dallas Observer Bill Gallo

Hopkins' beautifully detailed, deeply felt acting remains a joy to watch...But an even greater pleasure, at least for my money, is Kidman's dark turn as Faunia Farley. Read full review

William Arnold

The best thing the movie has going for it is Kidman's performance. Read full review

David Ansen

For all its shortcomings, The Human Stain is an honorable, sometimes moving attempt, better at evoking the poignancy of Silk's autumnal affair than exploring the moral ambiguities of his deception. Read full review

Anthony Lane

All we are left with, in essence, is an unlikely love affair, performed by two actors so remorselessly skilled that, by the end, you can't see the love for the skill. [3 November 2003, p. 104]

David Sterritt

The movie is a disappointment -- not a stain on Benton's career as a serious and literate director, but only half the powerful drama it might have been. Read full review

Stephen Hunter

All in all, it's like a bachelor's apartment: a complete mess. Read full review

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User Reviews

FrankO

Mar 25, 2009

This movie had surprising depth that I was not prepared for. Although the casting did seem out of place, I enjoyed the storyline, especially Silk's dilemma regarding his family and passing as white. It was a surprise twist in the film and well worth the wait.

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JoeS.

Apr 27, 2006

Kidman and especially Ed Harris deliver world-class acting. Wanna see true acting skill? Watch Harris in this movie. The cinematography almost pulls your heart out of your chest. The music -- especially at the end -- is very effective. Somehow this movie really has an emotional effect, even Kidman and especially Ed Harris deliver world-class acting. Wanna see true acting skill? Watch Harris in this movie. The cinematography almost pulls your heart out of your chest. The music -- especially at the end -- is very effective. Somehow this movie really has an emotional effect, even though the story itself is not that engaging.… Expand

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TonyB.

Dec 11, 2005

This is an interesting story told in a more than satisfactory way. Its structure, especially its use of flashbacks, is very effective. There are a number of solid ideas here that are developed in a way that assumes the audience watching the film has the intelligence to appreciate them. The This is an interesting story told in a more than satisfactory way. Its structure, especially its use of flashbacks, is very effective. There are a number of solid ideas here that are developed in a way that assumes the audience watching the film has the intelligence to appreciate them. The acting is first rate, as expected with this cast, but it's hard to believe that the Anthony Hopkins character is not Caucasian.… Expand

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Broyax

Jun 30, 2017

S'il y a un intérêt quelconque à dénicher dans ce film mou du genou qui plonge à pic dans le pathos de la problématique raciale, c'est les comédiens, tous très appréciés et très appréciables : Hopkins qu'on ne présente plus et bien évidemment la merveilleuse Kidman, d'autant plusS'il y a un intérêt quelconque à dénicher dans ce film mou du genou qui plonge à pic dans le pathos de la problématique raciale, c'est les comédiens, tous très appréciés et très appréciables : Hopkins qu'on ne présente plus et bien évidemment la merveilleuse Kidman, d'autant plus merveilleuse qu'elle ne s'était pas encore botoxée la tronche ! ravissante et sexy en diable, même dans son rôle de névropathe.

Sinise joue un petit rôle également, ainsi que Miller, le roi de l'évasion et même ce bon vieux Harris, tous donnent le meilleur d'eux-mêmes. C'est uniquement pour ça qu'on tient jusqu'au bout à dire vrai, car on somnole les trois quarts du temps, tout ce temps où le film veut nous faire prendre des vessies pour des lanternes, à savoir que Hopkins et Miller sont des Noirs !... en fait.

Je regrette, mais des Blancs ne peuvent pas jouer des Noirs, fussent-ils des mulâtres ou des "Obama", et vice et versa comme on dit. Tout ça pour nous ressasser les vieux clichés sur l'intégration, l'identité et le racisme. Le film a au moins le mérite de dénoncer la dictature paranoïaque du politiquement correct du vivre ensemble, du style "on se croirait en Afrique" ou "où sont passés ces zombis" = haro, procès et hystérie collective, sus aux sales "racistes" ! (car "zombi" est un mot africain, paraît-il).

En tout cas, les lenteurs et la maladresse du propos demeurent, outre les incohérences sus-mentionnées et font de La Couleur du mensonge un énième film abrutissant et superfétatoire.… Expand

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