Good concept, poorly executed.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The first must-see film of the year.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

It's important to tell the story of the blacklist of the 1950s. It may slow down a recurrence, although Donald Trump is showing how effective it is to play on fears and hatred, and a repeat of the Red Scare can easily show up again as a Muslim Scare.However, I was disappointed to see a ridiculous love story being added to the mix for no particular reason. It added nothing, distracted from the theme, and seemed to exist only to appease the popcorn-chewing part of the audience. Woody Allen playing the romantic lead was completely nuts. A beautiful girl would never show interest in him, not only because of his looks but also because of his nervous, semi-spastic demeanour, his lack of confidence, his whiny voice, his patent cowardice. To see the girl turning to kiss him was slightly disgusting but mostly preposterous. Not in one scene, not in one moment, did he seem like she would find him attractive. (Don't give me that, "She was attracted to what she thought was his brilliance as a writer." She would also want him to be charming or appealing in some way on a personal level. On a personal level he doesn't even show a sign of the brilliance that is supposed to be in his writing.)Zero Mostel showed an unexpected weakness. He is brilliant in exaggeratedly insincere emotions, as in the manipulative slave in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. In this movie, when he was pleading with the agent responsible for checking his "reliability," begging not to be put on a black list, showing photos of his children, saying he was on his hands and knees, and so on, none of it sounded sincere. It all sounded like a schtick that he would soon pull out of, only to fall into a different one.

Interesting exploration of one of the darkest periods of 20th century US history: the McCarthy communist witch-hunts of the 1950s, and the resulting blacklisting of members of the movie and TV industries. Gives a good feel for the oppressive, paranoid, farcical and destructive nature of the witch-hunts and blacklists.However, the movie pulls its punches. For much of its duration, the movie is a comedy. The fact that Woody Allen stars in the lead role doesn't lend itself to the drama of the situation. A full-on drama was what was required.The final scene should have been a powerful indictment of the oppressiveness of the system. Other than the final line, it is very mild and unfocused.As mentioned, Woody Allen's presence doesn't help the drama. However, as far as comedic roles go, it was fine. Zero Mostel gives the stand- out performance - a mixture of pathos, comedy and helplessness that perfectly encapsulated the plight of the average TV/movie star.Worth watching as an indication of how stupid politicians can be (though we are reminded on a daily basis).

"The Front" is not quite a drama, because there are some comedic scenes, but certainly not a comedy, because there are many dramatic scenes. It's a tragedy; a true-life tragedy about a time in this country when fear was elected president and governed accordingly. Made by real-life blacklistees, "The Front" tells the story of a schlemiel who "fronts" for established writers tainted by the McCarthy witchhunt blacklists, and who over the course of time, finally grows a social conscience. Woody Allen as the schlemiel gives a good performance, with lots of room to be Woody Allen, but also lots of room to genuinely, affectingly act. His climactic scene testifying to the HUAC committee is expertly done by anyone's standards. But the real killer here is Zero Mostel. Drawing upon his own personal experiences as a blacklisted performer, he plays a Borscht-Belt comic turned actor on early television and runs the gamut from broad shtick to heartbreaking tragedy. The fact that he was not rewarded with an Oscar nomination is a public shame. "The Front" changes tone a bit too many times to be one-hundred percent successful, but what's there is powerful and provocative. It is probably one of Woody's finest hours, and definitely one of Zero's.

The screen time may belong to Woody Allen, but the movie belongs to Zero Mostel. Few actors are more improbable than the artfully bulky Mostel, whose round head, tiny snub nose and large expressive eyes resemble a cartoon more than an actual person. Yet his range is phenomenal. Watch the breadth as he slyly tries to work around head witch-hunter Francis Hennesee, or comically greets the diminutive Allen, or explodes in eye-popping rage at the Borscht-belt proprietor who cheats him. His metaphorical loss in the film mirrors the very real loss film-goers suffered during his years of blacklist. And it's to Allen's credit that he generously showcases this prodigious talent in what would be Mostel's last film. The movie itself handles the blacklist of the 1950's with a congenial light touch. Allen is perfect as the nebbish who fronts for his screenwriter pals, and it's fun to watch him puff up and fluff out as the spotlight shifts abruptly his way. As expected, there are many amusing Allen bits scattered throughout. Even the romantic angle with Marcovicci works nicely into Allen's character as he evolves through the story-line, ending in a perceptive example of the old "worm turns" plot twist. All in all, this 1976, Martin Ritt film amounts to an amusing look at a dark period in American civil liberties, made unusually memorable by the sublime presence of the unforgettable Zero Mostel.