Seeking out the
5000 greatest films
in a century of cinema
Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself
Directed by
Tom Bean and Luke Poling
Produced by Tom Bean, Luke Poling, Terry McDonell, Adam Roffman, and Fernando Villena
Written by Tom Bean and Luke Poling
Produced by Tom Bean, Luke Poling, Terry McDonell, Adam Roffman, and Fernando Villena
Written by Tom Bean and Luke Poling
With:
Ken Burns, Ric Burns, Graydon Carter, Bill Dow, Philip Gourevitch, Walon Green, Hugh M. Hefner, Robert Kennedy Jr., Lewis Lapham, James Lipton, Peter Matthiessen, Jeanne McColloch, Terry McDonell, Jay McInerney, Mike Milbury, Freddy Plimpton, Medora Plimpton, and Oakes Plimpton
Editing:
Casey Brooks and Maya Hawke
Music: Mark De Gli Antoni
Music: Mark De Gli Antoni
Runtime:
89 min
Release Date: 21 June 2012
Aspect Ratio: 1.78 : 1
Color: Color
Release Date: 21 June 2012
Aspect Ratio: 1.78 : 1
Color: Color
Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself is an
affectionate and somewhat superficial portrait of the urban sophisticate who
managed to maintain a persona that was half well-bred man-of-letters and half
common man-of-the-people. Directors Tom Bean and Luke Poling delight in
Plimpton’s self-deprecating humor and the plethora of archival footage he left
behind, but they don’t fully explore the contradictions of the man, nor do we
get much of a sense of his inner life. If you are not already a fan of Plimpton
(as I certainly am) it is hard to see what you would get out of this movie. The
film seems designed to do little more than preserve some specific memories
about what Plimpton did with his life, and give a little insight into why he
was unique; but it doesn’t really make a case for why George Plimpton was
important.