''In Dubious Battle'' is a 2016

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed and produced by

James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Ma ...

, loosely based on

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

's 1936 novel of the same name, with a screenplay by Matt Rager. The film features an ensemble cast, consisting of Franco,

Nat Wolff Nathaniel Marvin Wolff (born December 17, 1994) is an American actor and musician. He gained recognition for composing the music for ''The Naked Brothers Band (TV series), The Naked Brothers Band'' (2007–2009), a Nickelodeon television serie ...

Josh Hutcherson Joshua Ryan Hutcherson (born October 12, 1992) is an American actor and producer. Hutcherson began acting in the early 2000s and appeared in several commercials and minor film and television roles before landing his first major role in 2002 in ...

Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent Philip D'Onofrio (; born June 30, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his supporting and leading roles in both film and television. He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. His roles include Private Leonar ...

Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career spans more than seven decades and he is considered one of the greatest American actors of all time. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, four Gold ...

Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...

Keegan Allen Keegan Phillip Allen (born July 22, 1989) is an American actor, photographer, author and musician known for his main role as Toby Cavanaugh on the Freeform series ''Pretty Little Liars.'' Early life Allen was born and raised in California, t ...

and

Ed Harris Edward Allen Harris (born November 28, 1950) is an American actor and filmmaker. His performances in ''Apollo 13'' (1995), ''The Truman Show'' (1998), ''Pollock'' (2000), and '' The Hours'' (2002) earned him critical acclaim and Academy Award n ...

. The film had its world premiere at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

on September 3, 2016.

Plot

''In Dubious Battle'' is the story of the

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, striking against an increasingly cruel establishment in ways that would lead to the formation of workers' rights, including a

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...

. Two men form a

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

of workers after their wages are cut from $3 a day to $1 a day."

Cast

Production

Casting

On January 30, 2015, it was announced that

would not only direct the film but star in it too. Also cast was

Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor and director who is best known for portraying Walter White in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and Hal in the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2 ...

, and

Danny McBride Daniel Richard McBride (born December 29, 1976) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer. He starred in the HBO television series ''Eastbound & Down'', '' Vice Principals'', and ''The Righteous Gemstones'', also co-creating th ...

has joined the production. On March 16, 2015,

was cast in the lead role of Jim Nolan, the organizer of the strike by apple pickers in California. In the next two days,

Zach Braff Zachary Israel Braff'Scrubs' Star Zach Braff Wows ...

, Analeigh Tipton, John Savage,

Ashley Greene Ashley Michele Greene Khoury (born February 21, 1987) is an American actress. She is known for playing Alice Cullen in the film adaptations of Stephenie Meyer's ''Twilight'' novels. Early life Greene was born on February 21, 1987, in Jack ...

, and

Ahna O'Reilly Ahna O'Reilly is an American actress. She is best known for her role in the film ''The Help'' (2011). Career O'Reilly began her acting career in 2003 in the film, ''Bill the Intern''. She has appeared in several other movies like ''Dinocroc'', ' ...

would join the currently film production. Several days later on March 24, 2015, it was announced that

Scott Haze Scott Haze (born June 28, 1983) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for his role in the 2013 film, ''Child of God'', where he played the role of Lester Ballard, sleeping in a cave for months and losing 45 pounds for his role in the adaptat ...

has been cast as Frank.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began on March 19, 2015 in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

including Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Georgia, filming also took place in

Bostwick, Georgia Bostwick is a town in Morgan County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 378. History Bostwick was incorporated by the Georgia General Assembly in 1902. The community was named in honor of John Bostwick, a ...

, and

Cowiche, Washington Cowiche (pronounced ''Cow-witch-ee'') is a census-designated place and Unincorporated area, unincorporated community northwest of Yakima, Washington, near the eastern foothills of the Cascade Range, Cascade Mountain range, in central Washington ( ...

. Production on the film ended in September 2015.

Music

The concluding credits are accompanied by a

78 rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove ...

recording of

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

's classic

song, "

Which Side Are You On? "Which Side Are You On?" is a song written in 1931 by activist Florence Reece, who was the wife of Sam Reece, a union organizer for the United Mine Workers in Harlan County, Kentucky. Background In 1931, the miners and the mine owners in sout ...

Release

''In Dubious Battle'' had its world premiere at the

on September 3, 2016. The film was released in theaters in the United States on February 17, 2017.

Marketing

A full trailer was released on January 28, 2017.

Reception

Critical response

Review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

gives the film a 30% approval rating, based on reviews from 23 critics, with an average score of 5.1/10. The film gained mixed reviews at its world premiere, with Owen Gleiberman of ''Variety'' noting that Franco "has acquired skills that are beginning to fuse with the best of his instincts." Gleiberman also says that "''In Dubious Battle'' isn't a totally clear-cut good movie, but it's a scrupulous and watchable one. And it makes me think, for the first time, that James Franco has a good movie in him." Boyd van Hoeij of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' simply called the film and Franco as "uneven" but also states that "if ''In Dubious Battle'' remains watchable, it's because Wolff really sells his character's doubts, growth and sobering reality checks".

References

External links

* {{John Steinbeck 2016 films 2016 romantic drama films American romantic drama films Films based on works by John Steinbeck Films set in 1933 Films shot in Georgia (U.S. state) Films shot in Washington (state) Films set in California Films based on American novels Films directed by James Franco Films about the labor movement 2010s English-language films 2010s American films