The Public (film)

The Public
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Emilio Estevez
Written by	Emilio Estevez
Produced by	Lisa Niedenthal Emilio Estevez Alex Lebovici Steve Ponce
Starring	Alec Baldwin Emilio Estevez Jena Malone Taylor Schilling Christian Slater Che "Rhymefest" Smith Gabrielle Union Jacob Vargas Michael K. Williams Jeffrey Wright
Cinematography	Juan Miguel Azpiroz
Edited by	Richard Chew Yang-Hua Hu
Music by	Tyler Bates Joanne Higginbottom
Production companies	Hammerstone Studios Living the Dream Films E2 Films
Distributed by	Greenwich Entertainment
Release dates	September 8, 2018 (2018-09-08) (TIFF) April 5, 2019 (2019-04-05) (United States)
Running time	122 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$694,750[2]

The Public is a 2018 American drama film directed and written by Emilio Estevez, who also stars in the film alongside an ensemble cast including Alec Baldwin, Jena Malone, Christian Slater, Gabrielle Union, Taylor Schilling, Jacob Vargas, Michael Kenneth Williams, and Jeffrey Wright. The film had its world premiere on September 9, 2018, at the Toronto International Film Festival.^[3] It was theatrically released in the United States on April 5, 2019, by Greenwich Entertainment.

Plot

After learning that emergency shelters are at full capacity when a brutal Midwestern cold front makes its way to Cincinnati, a large group of homeless library patrons led by Jackson (Michael Kenneth Williams) refuse to leave the downtown public library at closing time. What begins as a nonviolent Occupy-style sit-in and ragtag act of civil disobedience quickly escalates into a standoff with local riot police, led by a no-nonsense crisis negotiator (Alec Baldwin) and a savvy district attorney (Christian Slater) with lofty political ambitions, all as two librarians (Emilio Estevez and Jena Malone) are caught in the middle.

Cast

• Emilio Estevez as Stuart Goodson, a librarian at the Cincinnati Public Library
• Alec Baldwin as Detective Bill Ramstead, a crisis negotiator for the Cincinnati Police Department
• Christian Slater as Josh Davis, the local district attorney for the City of Cincinnati
• Jena Malone as Myra, a librarian at the Cincinnati Public Library
• Taylor Schilling as Angela, Stuart's neighbor and love interest
• Michael K. Williams as Jackson, the homeless man who leads the Occupy sit-in at the library
• Jeffrey Wright as Mr. Anderson, the head librarian of the Cincinnati Public Library
• Gabrielle Union as Rebecca Parks, a local reporter
• Jacob Vargas as Ernesto, head of security for the library
• Richard T. Jones as Chief Edwards
• Bryant Bentley as Cactus Ray, the homeless man who helps Jackson in the sit-in at the library
• Ki Hong Lee as Chip
• Susanna Thompson as Marcy Ramstead, the wife of Detective Bill Ramstead
• Michael Douglas Hall as Smutts, homeless friend of Jackson's that sparks the idea of the sit-in
• Che "Rhymefest" Smith as Big George

Production

In December 2016, it was announced that Alec Baldwin, Jena Malone, Taylor Schilling and Rhymefest would be joining Emilio Estevez in the film.^[4] A few days later, it was announced that Gabrielle Union had been cast in the film.^[5] In January 2017, it was announced that Christian Slater, Jeffrey Wright and Michael Kenneth Williams had also joined the cast of the film.^[6]

Filming began in January 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio.^[7] Composers Tyler Bates and Joanne Higginbottom wrote the score for the film.^[8]

Release

The Public held its first screening as the opening night selection at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on January 31, 2018.^[9] It was screened multiple times at the June 2018 meeting of the American Library Association, followed by a Q&A with Emilio Estevez. Its official world premiere was later held on September 9, 2018, at the Toronto International Film Festival.^[10]

In January 2019, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Content Group acquired US distribution rights to The Public, with Greenwich Entertainment being assigned by Universal for the film's theatrical release.^[11] The film was released in the United States on April 5, 2019.^[12]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 66% approval rating from critics, based on 98 reviews, with an average score of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads, "Its intentions are sometimes easier to appreciate than its execution, but The Public remains an earnest and reasonably engaging social advocacy drama."^[13] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 46 out of 100, based on 18 critics.^[14] Noah Gittell of the Washington City Paper wrote, "Educating viewers about the utility of civil disobedience is absolutely vital, but the message was fated to be lost the minute Estevez decided to put his spotlight on the messenger instead of the message."^[15]

References

1. "The Public". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
2. "The Public (2018)". The Numbers. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
3. Orlova-Alvarez, Tamara; Alvarez, Joe (September 10, 2018). "The Public film premiere at the TIFF 2018". Ikon London Magazine. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
4. Lincoln, Ross (December 8, 2016). "Alec Baldwin, Taylor Schilling, Jena Malone and Che 'Rhymefest' Smith Join Emilio Estevez-Directed 'The Public'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
5. McNary, Dave (December 16, 2016). "Gabrielle Union Joins Emilio Estevez Movie 'The Public'". Variety. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
6. Busch, Anita (January 26, 2017). "Christian Slater, Jeffrey Wright & Michael Kenneth Williams Join Emilio Estevez's 'The Public'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
7. Lincoln, Ross (December 8, 2016). "Alec Baldwin, Taylor Schilling, Jena Malone and Che 'Rhymefest' Smith Join Emilio Estevez-Directed 'The Public'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
8. Burlingame, Jon (July 21, 2017). "Tyler Bates Balances Careers as Guitarist and In-Demand Film Composer". Variety. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
9. Haring, Bruce (December 6, 2017). "Santa Barbara Film Festival to open with Emilio Estevez's 'The Public'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
10. Lang, Brent (24 July 2018). "Toronto Film Festival Lineup Includes 'A Star Is Born,' 'Widows,' 'First Man'". Variety. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
11. Hipes, Patrick (22 January 2019). "Emilio Estevez's 'The Public' To Get Spring Release In Universal Content Group Deal". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
12. Bell, Jasmyne (March 1, 2019). "'The Public' Trailer: Emilio Estevez Gets Caught in Library Standoff". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
13. "The Public". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
14. The Public at Metacritic
15. "The Public Is a Noble Effort That Suffers From White Saviorism". Washington City Paper. 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2021-02-13.

External links

• Official website
• The Public at IMDb
• The Public at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Public at Metacritic