Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Celebrity (1998)


Starring Kenneth Branagh, Judy Davis, Charlize Theron, Winona Ryder, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Celebrity centers around a couple in a divorce because the man, Branagh, cheated with the woman's, Davis, best friend. The man is a failed novelist who turns into a reporter and screenplay writer for the stars and is nervous and awkward and honestly, quite rude. He keeps "meeting someone else." He fails with reporting and the screenplay as well, by ruining business and personal opportunities with his quest for fame. The woman tries to get over the divorce multiple ways, (therapy, retreat, plastic surgery appointment), until she is offered a job as a celebrity interviewer on her own tv show.

The man just wants to be famous and the woman just wants to be happy. The man the entire time is an asshole, and he's so nervous around people that he stammers. It would be endearing except for the part where he's rude. He rushes through small talk to hit on or sleep with women, he appears to step on people to boost himself, and he lacks the ability to talk with people normally. The woman, however sad, seems to know how to do all of the things her ex-husband can't figure out. Though she began as a frazzled girl, she pulls her emotions and herself together and comes out successful.

Celebrity is a film that manages to poke some fun at itself and its director, while still being uncomfortable. Shot in black and white, it lagged a bit. 50 minutes in, I felt as if I'd been watching for 2 hours already. Leonardo DiCaprio's appearance as a successful young actor was a highlight for me, another highlight being Davis' giving a terrifying blow job to a banana. I would recommend this one to my mother, as well. She enjoys lame films. 3/10.

Celebrity currently holds a 41% critic rating and a 40% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.



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