LBJ

"In America's darkest hour came an unlikely hero."

2017 1h 38m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 185

DramaHistory

Synopsis

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The story of U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson from his young days in West Texas to the White House.

“In America's darkest hour came an unlikely hero.”

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Cast

Woody Harrelson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Michael Stahl-David
Robert F. Kennedy
Richard Jenkins
Sen. Richard Russell
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Lady Bird Johnson
Jeffrey Donovan
John F. Kennedy
Bill Pullman
Ralph Yarborough
Brian Stepanek
Rufus Youngblood
Tim Ransom
Larry O'Brien

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rob Reiner
Writers: Joey Hartstone, Jesse Michael Owen
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 13% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 9 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rob Reiner, shot by Barry Markowitz. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Marc Shaiman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bob Joyce shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Woody Harrelson and Michael Stahl-David and Richard Jenkins carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "In America's darkest hour came an unlikely hero.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt4778988 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rob Reiner directs. Barry Markowitz behind the camera. Marc Shaiman scores. Bob Joyce cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 13% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 9 years ago.
3Directed by Rob Reiner, shot by Barry Markowitz. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Marc Shaiman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Bob Joyce shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Woody Harrelson and Michael Stahl-David and Richard Jenkins carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "In America's darkest hour came an unlikely hero.".
8IMDB entry: tt4778988 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "usa president", "the white house", "civil rights", "dallas, texas".

The technical file

Cinematography: Barry Markowitz
Original score: Marc Shaiman
Editing: Bob Joyce
Production design: Christopher R. DeMuri
Costume design: Dan Moore
Makeup / hair: Carla Brenholtz
VFX supervisor: Ray McIntyre Jr.
Sound: Lon Bender
Stunt coordinator: Mark Riccardi
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $2,510,151
Return: 13% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: LBJ (2017)

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Rob Reiner

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Community reviews

What people are saying

wizzardss2021-02-17
★ 5/10
Following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, his Vice President, Lyndon B. Johnson, stepped up to take the main job. This biopic stars Woody Harrelson as Johnson, and tells the story of LBJ as Vice President under Kennedy. Other than the tragic circumstances from which he inherited the role, when compared with his predecessor, JFK, and his eventual successor, Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson had an uneventful presidency. LBJ digs into what made the man tick. Like many political flicks - especially those released around an election (in this case Trump in 2016) - much of its content has to be taken with a pinch of salt but, in truth, it is difficult to see what story LBJ was trying to tell in the first place. Johnson comes across as a confused individual, caught between his loyalties to his Southern heritage and his reluctant thrust into Kennedy's progressive administration, often jerking from a ruthless and power-hungry politician, to a sensitive and loyal husband. The film attempts to concentrate on the Civil Rights movement, but oddly skirts over other defining issues such as Vietnam, giving it the feeling of an evening documentary with dramatic recreations. Overall it is Harrelson - distracting and inaccurate makeup aside - that keeps the film together. His sombre portrayal of Johnson provides just enough charm to keep the film flowing, turning what would have otherwise been a drab documentary into appreciable entertainment. Worth watching for a little more insight between the Kennedy and Nixon years.
GenerationofSwine2023-01-12
★ 1/10
Every now and again you get an IMDB moderator that strikes down anything political that he doesn't agree with... ... in this case it's saying that LBJ wasn't a great movie and that he wasn't a great president. This is the president that took out his manhood when the press asked him why we were still in Vietnam. This was the president that tried to force an astronaut's wife with a speech impediment to appear with him on television to further his career. LBJ ignores all of that. LBJ falsely makes the case that Johnson devoted his presidency to expanding Kennedy's policies. In reality he reversed him. His first act as POTUS was to reverse NSAM #263 and sent thousands of kids to die in Vietnam. LBJ glosses over all of that to make him look like a virtuous president concerned only about carrying on Jack's legacy. This is an epic of revisionist history.