You know what you get: standard Woody Allen fare, with Branagh as the Woody stand-in. There's a boatload of famous faces, which goes well with the concept of satirizing the celebrity-centered culture (still relevant, I guess). Good camera work (in black and white) by Nykvist.
Woody Allen's Celebrity stars a couple of neurotic stand-ins for himself, with Kenneth Branagh actually doing an impression of him, which is more than a little annoying, actually. He's a failed writer who responds to his mid-life crisis by divorcing his wife and getting back into dating. Because he's an Allen stand-in, impossibly beautiful women (Famke Janssen, Charlize Theron, Winona Ryder, Melanie Griffith) throw themselves at him. ATYPICALLY, however, he isn't rewarded but punished for his promiscuity. The other character is the equally neurotic ex-wife played by Judy Davis, who if she can get over being dumped, will be able to remake herself. She's the more engaging of the two. Both gravitate towards celebrities of all stripes, one willingly, the other through circumstance, as a sort of quest for betterment. Most of the time, the film presents celebrity status and subculture as vapid and ridiculous, and there are plenty of recognizable faces because apparently everyone wants to work with Allen, if if it's just for a glorified cameo (Trump even shows up, which made my stomach grumbly), and the director takes plenty of potshots at the film industry and even at his own body of work. But it's long, indulgent and slapdash, so while there's good meta-commentary here, a funny zinger there, or a piercing irony somewhere, the film lacks focus and says at once too much and too little.
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viccc
Keep your eyes peeled for the Donald Trump cameo: He appears out of the blue, promising to tear down the iconic St. Patrick's Cathedral.RobZombie
They might as well have got Woody Allen to play Kenneth Branagh's character considering the blatant similarities then it might've been better.Maroder
You know what you get: standard Woody Allen fare, with Branagh as the Woody stand-in. There's a boatload of famous faces, which goes well with the concept of satirizing the celebrity-centered culture (still relevant, I guess). Good camera work (in black and white) by Nykvist.P.S. Added bonus if you're a Sopranos fan!
Siskoid
Woody Allen's Celebrity stars a couple of neurotic stand-ins for himself, with Kenneth Branagh actually doing an impression of him, which is more than a little annoying, actually. He's a failed writer who responds to his mid-life crisis by divorcing his wife and getting back into dating. Because he's an Allen stand-in, impossibly beautiful women (Famke Janssen, Charlize Theron, Winona Ryder, Melanie Griffith) throw themselves at him. ATYPICALLY, however, he isn't rewarded but punished for his promiscuity. The other character is the equally neurotic ex-wife played by Judy Davis, who if she can get over being dumped, will be able to remake herself. She's the more engaging of the two. Both gravitate towards celebrities of all stripes, one willingly, the other through circumstance, as a sort of quest for betterment. Most of the time, the film presents celebrity status and subculture as vapid and ridiculous, and there are plenty of recognizable faces because apparently everyone wants to work with Allen, if if it's just for a glorified cameo (Trump even shows up, which made my stomach grumbly), and the director takes plenty of potshots at the film industry and even at his own body of work. But it's long, indulgent and slapdash, so while there's good meta-commentary here, a funny zinger there, or a piercing irony somewhere, the film lacks focus and says at once too much and too little.Earring72
Ok but nothing special Allen movie. Falls a bit flat, but has it's moments