The Bad and the Beautiful

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The Bad and the Beautiful

1953

1h 58m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Unscrupulous movie producer Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas) is a child of Hollywood who ruthlessly toils his way to the top of the studio system, discarding movie star Georgia (Lana Turner), director Fred Amiel (Barry Sullivan) and writer James Lee Bartlow (Dick Powell) along the way. Although Shields manipulates them and leaves each in despair, they find success in Hollywood, thanks in part to Shields, and must decide whether to repay him when he offers them a collaborative project.

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Critics Consensus

Melodrama at its most confident, The Bad and the Beautiful is an ode to moviemaking that offers unblinking insight into the ugly egos that have shaped Hollywood history.

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James Morgan

Sight & Sound

08/31/2020

Brilliant as the film undoubtedly is, ingeniously shaped and textured, it remains, with its lack of a developing centre, too insubstantial.

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Times (UK) Staff

The Times (UK)

08/31/2020

Instead of satire there is false sentiment.

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TIME Staff

TIME Magazine

08/31/2020

Though some of the characters may be bad and others beautiful, few are either real or believable.

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Joshua Brunsting

The CriterionCast

09/01/2020

Bad proves Minnelli to be one of the most assured and powerful names in the world of cinematic melodrama, and his ability to bring to the genre the sense of tension found more often in noir pictures, really makes this film a singular and esoteric entrant.

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Jane Corby

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

08/31/2020

The Bad and the Beautiful is a lot of film, and seems always on the verge of getting somewhere. But it never does.

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Courier Mail Staff

Courier Mail (Australia)

08/31/2020

MGM gathered together a galaxy of stars... and to my mind attempted to make another All About Eve. Instead, they just made another film with one of the most incoherent stories I've ever tried to decipher.

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Kyle M

@RT77296778 Oct 29

Whether factually speculated by behaviorally coded ethics, this exceptional outlook glimpsing Hollywood is firmly handled with attribute earnest and exquisitely engaging from the sharply performed cast, insightfully and empathetically analyzing the business depth in filmmaking. (B+)

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RICHARD S

@RT70538590 04/21/2025

This was even better than the last time I watched it. Excellent cast, excellently directed and produced. One of the best of its kind. (One blooper: Powell's character sees news headline about his wife's death before he arrives at scene to identify her freshly dead body at distant scene of accident!)

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acsdoug D

@acsdoug 04/02/2024

I'm not a fan of movies about making movies. This one isn't too bad though.

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kevin o

@RT14496334 03/30/2023

...when you read critics dumping on this film its a perfect example of someone trying to sound smart and coming off just silly. This is a perfect film from start to finish.

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Nizar N

@RT00283363 02/13/2023

The reviews of this movie are mixed, and there is a reason behind this. On the one hand it counts as one of the greats that were made about Hollywood and moviemaking, such as Sunset Boulevard, All About Eve, Paris When It Sizzles, and others. On the other hand, it seems too dry and formal. The plot is hollow that 90 minutes would suffice, but with the slow pacing the movie extends to a little less than 2 hours, rendering it tedious. The only thing that would compensate is the cast, but even that falls short to a childish dialogue and acting that looks staged. What Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas) says in The Bad and the Beautiful applies to the movie itself: "You're acting now, playing the doomed daughter of the great man. Well, let me tell you something. The acting isn't good enough."

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Russ G

@RT78760655 09/06/2022

Pure drivel. There are only two reasons to watch this: Lana Turner and Gloria Grahame. Is the acting that bad, or is it the script?

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Vincente Minnelli

Director

Lana Turner

Georgia Lorrison

Kirk Douglas

Jonathan Shields

Walter Pidgeon

Harry Pebbel

Dick Powell

James Lee Bartlow

Barry Sullivan

Fred Amiel

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Synopsis

Unscrupulous movie producer Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas) is a child of Hollywood who ruthlessly toils his way to the top of the studio system, discarding movie star Georgia (Lana Turner), director Fred Amiel (Barry Sullivan) and writer James Lee Bartlow (Dick Powell) along the way. Although Shields manipulates them and leaves each in despair, they find success in Hollywood, thanks in part to Shields, and must decide whether to repay him when he offers them a collaborative project.

Director: Vincente Minnelli
Producer: John Houseman
Screenwriter: George Bradshaw, Charles Schnee
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Loew's Inc., Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 15, 1953, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2008
Runtime: 1h 58m
Sound Mix: Mono, Stereo