The defence The Prestige Tourist
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
Cradle Will Rock
Drama · 1999
A true story of politics and art in the 1930s USA, centered around a leftist musical drama and attempts to stop its production.
Movie details
Cradle Will Rock
“Art is never dangerous... unless it tells the truth.”
1999 Drama 2h 12m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.5 / 10
Community rating
A true story of politics and art in the 1930s USA, centered around a leftist musical drama and attempts to stop its production.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Cradle Will Rock?
For the defence
The Prestige Tourist
“You like your greatness pre-approved.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Passing
Drama · 2021
In 1920s New York City, a Black woman finds her world upended when her life becomes intertwined with a former childhood friend who's passing as white.
Joy
Drama · 2024
A young nurse, a visionary scientist and an innovative surgeon face opposition from the church, state, media and medical establishment, in their pursuit of the world’s first ‘test tube baby’, Louise Joy Brown.
My Dinner with Hervé
Drama · 2018
An unlikely friendship evolves over one wild night in LA between a struggling journalist and actor Hervé Villechaize, the world's most famous gun-toting dwarf, resulting in life-changing consequences for both.
tick, tick... BOOM!
Drama · 2021
On the brink of turning 30, a promising theater composer navigates love, friendship and the pressure to create something great before time runs out.
TÁR
Music · 2022
As celebrated conductor Lydia Tár starts rehearsals for a career-defining symphony, the consequences of her past choices begin to echo in the present.
A Complete Unknown
Drama · 2024
New York, early 1960s. Against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives in the West Village with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music.
What Maisie Knew
Drama · 2013
In New York City, a young girl is caught in the middle of her parents' bitter custody battle.
Bound for Glory
Music · 1976
A biography of Woody Guthrie, one of America's greatest folk singers. He left his dust-devastated Texas home in the 1930s to find work, discovering the suffering and strength of America's working class.
Synecdoche, New York
Drama · 2008
A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.
The Soloist
Drama · 2009
A Los Angeles journalist befriends a homeless Juilliard-trained musician, while looking for a new article for the paper.
Where it lives
Watch in your region.
Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.
Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.
Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Tim Robbins
Written by
Tim Robbins
Hank Azaria
Marc Blitzsetin
Rubén Blades
Diego Rivera
Joan Cusack
Hazel Huffman
John Cusack
Nelson Rockefeller
Cary Elwes
John Houseman
Philip Baker Hall
Gray Mathers
Cherry Jones
Hallie Flanagan
Court is in session
Put Cradle Will Rock on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.