A film that I wanted to love, but only liked. Some of the scenes were brilliant, while others were unnecessary and even ridiculous at times. This is a film that was meant to appeal to film buffs with its nods to Alexander Nevsky and Singing In the Rain, with the latter being easily recognized while the Nevsky film really only being understood by cinephiles. A couple times they made reference to the Bauhaus without really making any real connections. You could find some of those historical old art world tie ins if you already know your history, but even then they often were loose and weak.
In some ways, this struck me as a How The West Was Won of the Hollywood film industry. Or so it seemed to try to be. Not up to par though. Just okay. The montage at the end was probably the most interesting and did the best job of doing so. Worth watching, at least once, if you are into film, but others will probably find that it outlasts their patience for getting through a evening's worth of film watching. The performances were good and there were other aspects that stood out. But as a whole, it just doesn't really hold up as it should.
It all starts out making me think of the Gatsby world throughout the roaring '20s hanging out at Studio 54, but slightly less gay. Eventually, it both builds and falls apart as time progresses. Brad Pitt, the Gatsby like character struck me as being a slightly loose reference to Howard Hughes, and probably with a few other Hollywood characters that got by me. There are other borrowed legends that find there place in this film, though you need to know your history to pick up on them. Ultimately, it's an okay film for buffs, but probably a bore for the average viewer.
Review by Astrid GalacticBlockedParent2023-07-24T05:46:28Z
A film that I wanted to love, but only liked. Some of the scenes were brilliant, while others were unnecessary and even ridiculous at times. This is a film that was meant to appeal to film buffs with its nods to Alexander Nevsky and Singing In the Rain, with the latter being easily recognized while the Nevsky film really only being understood by cinephiles. A couple times they made reference to the Bauhaus without really making any real connections. You could find some of those historical old art world tie ins if you already know your history, but even then they often were loose and weak.
In some ways, this struck me as a How The West Was Won of the Hollywood film industry. Or so it seemed to try to be. Not up to par though. Just okay. The montage at the end was probably the most interesting and did the best job of doing so. Worth watching, at least once, if you are into film, but others will probably find that it outlasts their patience for getting through a evening's worth of film watching. The performances were good and there were other aspects that stood out. But as a whole, it just doesn't really hold up as it should.
It all starts out making me think of the Gatsby world throughout the roaring '20s hanging out at Studio 54, but slightly less gay. Eventually, it both builds and falls apart as time progresses. Brad Pitt, the Gatsby like character struck me as being a slightly loose reference to Howard Hughes, and probably with a few other Hollywood characters that got by me. There are other borrowed legends that find there place in this film, though you need to know your history to pick up on them. Ultimately, it's an okay film for buffs, but probably a bore for the average viewer.