The Howl Trailer: James Franco, Starving Hysterical Naked

Whether it's because of his wannabe artist status, the fact that he goes to graduate school or the outsized crazy of his General Hospital appearances, it's sometimes hard to remember that James Franco is a legitimate actor. So the trailer for Howl is here to remind you.

Franco stars as Allen Ginsberg, beat poet and freedom of speech trailblazer, the man who was put on trial because of the supposed obscene nature of his epic poem, "Howl." And from the looks it, he's given every opportunity to grab the Oscar nomination that should have been his for Milk. (Did Josh Brolin really get nominated over Franco that year?) There are plaintive wails during the reading of "Howl," mannered weariness during the post-trail interview framing device and even some Francois Truffaut-like pensive stares into the camera. What more could you want as an actor?

Well, perhaps a movie. What Howl is selling feels like a schizophrenic mess, replete with a staid courtroom drama at its gooey center (though the appearance of Jon Hamm as Ginsberg's lawyer does delight, even if he's just doing Don Draper). When Movieline's Seth Abramovitch saw the film at Sundance he confirmed as much, saying that the film really works when it showcases Franco-as-Ginsberg reciting Howl. Based on the trailer, he's right.

VERDICT: Maybe.

If the YouTube embed gets yanked down, check out the original trailer at The AV Club.