Set Fire to the Stars

Set Fire to the Stars is a 2014 Welsh semi-biographical drama film directed by Andy Goddard in his directorial debut. Co-written by Goddard and Celyn Jones, the film stars Elijah Wood as poet John M. Brinnin and Jones as Dylan Thomas with supporting roles by Kelly Reilly, Steven Mackintosh, Shirley Henderson, and Kevin Eldon. The film was released in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2014.

Set Fire to the Stars
Official poster
Directed by	Andy Goddard
Written by	Andy Goddard Celyn Jones
Produced by	Andy Evans Andrew Riach Elijah Wood
Starring	Elijah Wood Celyn Jones Steven Mackintosh Kevin Eldon Maimie McCoy Steve Spiers Richard Brake Shirley Henderson Kelly Reilly
Cinematography	Chris Seager
Edited by	Mike Jones
Music by	Gruff Rhys
Production companies	Mad As Birds Films Masnomis
Distributed by	Munro Film Services
Release dates	23 June 2014 (2014-06-23) (EIFF) 7 November 2014 (2014-11-07)
Running time	97 minutes[1]
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Premise

In 1950s New York, Harvard University graduate and aspiring poet John Malcolm Brinnin (Elijah Wood) embarks on a week-long retreat to save his hero, acclaimed Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (Celyn Jones).

Cast

• Elijah Wood as John Malcolm Brinnin
• Celyn Jones as Dylan Thomas
• Shirley Henderson as Shirley
• Kelly Reilly as Caitlin Thomas
• Steven Mackintosh as Jack
• Andrew Bicknell as Loomis
• Kate Drew as Janet
• Adam Gillen as Harvey
• Nicola Duffett as Lady Lye
• Steve Spiers as Mickey
• Ken Drury as Doctor
• Maimie McCoy as Rosie
• Richard Brake as Mr. Unlucky
• Polly Hemingway as Ms. Missy 1
• Sue Maund as Ms. Missy 2
• Kevin Eldon as Stanley
• Weston Gavin as Edgar S. Furniss

Release

Set Fire to the Stars premiered at the 2014 Edinburgh Film Festival.^[2]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 58% rating based on 43 reviews. The site's consensus states: "Set Fire to the Stars doesn't quite do justice to its legendary real-life protagonist, but thanks to Celyn Jones' spirited performance, it occasionally comes close."^[3] On Metacritic, the film has a 49 out of 100 rating based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[4]