Dwight Dekeyser rating: CCC
Dear Friend,
This wasn’t a bad movie – for a student. It was more like a pleasant drive through the Hollywood Hills with a brief sojourn to Italy to receive an award for being fabulous. You know how hard it is to be a movie star, after awhile one becomes blasé. The parties, the sex, the drugs, the drinking – surely there must be more to life than unlimited adulation and compensation in the land of golden dreams. Not according to industry insider Sofia Coppola the writer and director of this uninspired commentary on contemporary Hollywood from whom, I must say, I expected more. Instead of making any original editorial or provocative documentary, Coppola gave us a rather uninteresting look at the private life of a popular film star Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff). You think your life is meaningless? Try being a healthy handsome movie star, at the top of the heap with the world at your feet, according to Coppola.
Sofia Coppola, as we all know, is the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, niece of Talia Shire, cousin of Nicolas Cage, and the relative of a virtual film studio of industry professionals. She appeared in her first movie as a sleeping infant in The Godfather (1972), her best performance; as an open-mouthed child extra abord the “Moshulu” in The Godfather: Part II (1974), usually edited out; and as an adult actress in The Godfather: Part III (1990), universally panned. She also had a brief career as a teen model (hands and feet?) and on television. Weary of the rotten tomatoes and raw eggs cast in her direction, she retired from acting and turned to directing (as you would). Her four previous movies were Lick the Star (1998), The Virgin Suicides (1999), Lost in Translation (2003) for which she won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and Marie Antoinette (2006). That’s quite a resume for someone not quite forty.
Nepotism aside, this woman is Hollywood royalty, someone born to the celluloid. Think of the stories she must have heard from the cradle! (She was baptized in The Godfather.) Think of the celebrities she’s met and the palaces she’s seen! She’s got to know where all the bodies are buried. Unfortunately, this movie was not the industry indictment or the torrid tale I so eagerly anticipated. No, the Hollywood community may rest safely – this semi-autobiographic movie was no Answered Prayers (1987). It appears it was all a bore. Poor Sofia, how she must have suffered!
I suppose my disappointment comes from the expectation of seeing a movie about Hollywood. There have been some excellent ones, A Star is Born (1937, 1954, 1976), Singing in the Rain (1952), Sunset Boulevard (1950), The Day of the Locusts (1975), Mommie Dearest (1981). You know, a story with some depravity to it. The closest this movie got to depravity was identical twin pole dancers performing synchronized routines at the Chateau Marmont. We were treated to two separate scenes of this slice of Sodom. Unfortunately, the gag was lost in the timing of these private performances – the scenes simply went too long (for my taste). Real time is not always real interesting.
The other problem in this film of entertainment industry ennui was the lack of characters. There were really only two main characters Johnny Marco and his eleven-year-old daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning). The rest of the cast were either servants, employees, handlers, fans, hangers-on, star “gazers,” or anonymous females brandishing their breasts all in an attempt to curry favor with the star who was bored with it all. Stephen Dorff convincingly played the macho male star the way most men attempt to portray themselves: stoic, blunt, rough around the edges, and above all “cool.” Johnny Marco was not interesting in any way, most depressed people are not. When he was not drinking and seducing women, he was playing video games with his daughter or chain smoking. The storied Chateau Marmont where much of film took place was portrayed as a faded fraternity house. Considering all the Hollywood history that has taken place within those walls, I am surprised the hotel was not better utilized than a common set. (John Belushi is said to haunt bungalow #3 by the pool.)
Elle Fanning was a delightful discovery. This enchanting twelve year old has it all. She can skate, swim, and dance with equal grace. She can even act without dialogue, her eyes do all the talking. This girl could be a big star. She reminds me of when I first saw Mariel Hemingway in Lipstick (1976), precocious without being precious. (She can even make Eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce and chives.) The only thing that made me a little uncomfortable was the scenes of Cleo and her father engaging in (wholesome) activity much as a romantic couple might. She was very mature for her age. That being said, along with Roman Polanski and Woody Allen, I am all for wholesome entertainment. Aren’t we all?
Here is the trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2394490393/
From the vault: Mommie Dearest (1981), directed by Frank Perry, starring Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Steve Forrest, and Mara Hobel. Speaking of “Hollywood royalty! Christina, bring me the ax!” This is probably the most quoted film in motion picture history. It was intended to be a Tinseltown tell-all but was generally received as a black comedy. Who knew child abuse could be so amusing?
Best of luck in your movie selections. Your faithful friend,
Dwight Dekeyser
© 2011 Dwight Dekeyser, Esq. All rights reserved.
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