Jay Roach made something of a Freudian slip when he introduced his enlightening and entertaining film “Trumbo” at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday night. Thanking the members of blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo‘s family who were in attendance, he said, “We’re humored to tell your family’s story.”
He obviously meant to say he was honored — but in a way, humored works for “Trumbo.” Roach could have taken a heavy tone in telling the story of a shameful period in Hollywood history in which lives and careers were destroyed.
But he didn’t. For much of its running time, “Trumbo” could almost qualify as a comedy, with Bryan Cranston as Trumbo’s nonstop wisecracks.