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MOVIE REVIEW
S1M0NE
(2002)
Starring:
Al Pacino, Katherine Keener, Pruitt T. Vince
Director: Andrew Niccol
Rating:
PG-13
Studio:
New Line Cinema
Review
Posted: 8.22.02
Spoilers:
Yes
Reviewed by
Dennis Landmann
Andrew Niccol is a creative genius. From the mind of the
futuristic genetics-driven drama Gattaca and the
voyeuristic reality-show drama Truman Show comes, to no
big surprise, another creative story. Niccol serves as writer
and director of Simone, marking his second directional
effort that is nothing short of extraordinary. Another funny
thing to observe is that Al Pacino stars in this film that,
above all else, is a satirical comedy. The last time he was in a
comedy was in Any Given Sunday, or was that a supposed to
be a drama? I apologize for the bad joke. In any case, Simone
is fresh and a definite pleasure to watch.
In
his new film, Niccol introduces us to a new Hollywood actress
and babe, or so we think. Victor Taransky, played by an
eccentric Al Pacino, is a Hollywood director in trouble of not
being able to finish his latest film because the lead actress
(Winona Ryder) walks away from the production in a dispute over
M&Ms and then some. Taransky later meets a dreary Elias Koteas,
who is playing a dying lab professor, in a dark alley on the
studio lot. The professor hands Taransky a disk that holds the
key to a new star. Taransky, as skeptical as anybody would be in
a situation like this, takes the disk but doesn’t give it much
thought.
Taransky discovers that the disk
contains a digital creation of a female with the looks of a
model. Faced with the dilemma of his new film, Taransky decides
to finish it by digitally inserting the new actress and calling
her Simone. When the film finally plays on the big screen,
positive reactions from every corner catapult Simone to instant
stardom, yet everybody is convinced she is a real person.
Throughout the film Taransky tries to keep Simone’s identity a
secret, but as the evil media machine has it, secrets are hard
to keep in a place like Hollywood.
The rest of the film deals with
Taransky’s outrageous efforts to convince the public and even
his ex-wife Elaine (Catherine Keener), who is in charge of the
studio financing Taransky’s pictures. Elaine and her daughter
Lainey (Rachel Evan Wood) want to meet Simone in person, which,
of course, poses a huge problem for Taransky. However, Taransky
comes up with a clever way to fool them by having Simone perform
a live concert. Thrown into the mix are two reporters (Pruitt
Taylor Vince and Jason Schwartzman) eager to solve Taransky’s
secret, by any means necessary (even breaking into Simone’s
hotel room and dust for evidence of her existence).
Simone
is a great comedy. The laughs are consistent throughout the film
and it is a pleasure to watch Taransky’s efforts to fool the
public into thinking Simone is a real actress. Niccol’s script
is well structured, which establishes the film’s relaxing pace.
As a director, Niccol creates a great atmosphere. The locations
he uses and the mood he gives them showcase a sort of glum
reality that, in a really interesting way, could be
foreshadowing to what Hollywood might become in ten years. The
production design for Simone is extraordinary, because so
many of the things we see in the film are quite beautiful, for
example, the old black cars, the set designs, and much more. Al
Pacino has great chemistry with Simone, and yes, this does sound
odd, but it’s true. The rest of the cast does a fine job as
well.
I like what
Niccol addresses in this film, even though it is more subliminal
than it should be. Simone is not just a comedy, but also
a satirical look at the Hollywood system. Niccol questions what
might become a reality in a few years when somebody in Hollywood
might create a digital actor/actress. Therefore, Simone
is a lot more than its TV spots advertise. In fact, the
marketing strategy might work for the film, because I think this
type of story can appeal to any age group. With that said,
Simone is a real pleasure to watch and establishes Andrew
Niccol as a great storyteller and filmmaker to watch down the
road!
Rating: 8/10
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