The Audition

Apparently this cost $70 Million and the lead actors walked away with $13 million each for 2 days of shooting. Incredible.

A very strange short film/15-minute-long hotel advertisement starring Martin Scorsese's two favourite lead actors (and Scorsese himself), I guess The Audition is fun for the novelty of seeing De Niro and DiCaprio together, and for providing a little entertainment value, but that's about it. It's otherwise ridiculous that this apparently cost $70 million to make - I guess everyone involved was seen as worth it, from a business perspective, but I wish they'd done a little more with what it was about.

De Niro and DiCaprio both want a part in Scorsese's latest movie. They squabble over it for a while, and then while there is a punchline, it's really not funny enough. I wish it ended with a bit more of a bang, to kind of make the whole thing feel worth it.

Feels ridiculous to even review a commercial, but it's a long and expensive one, and you could generously call it a short film. I wish it either looked a little nicer or was written a little better (even the screenwriter here is a big name - it's Terence Winter, who did the screenplay for The Wolf of Wall Street, wrote for The Sopranos, and created Boardwalk Empire).

"The Audition," directed by Martin Scorsese, left me feeling a bit disappointed and disenchanted. The film came across as somewhat amateurish and indulgent, lacking the depth and creativity that I have come to associate with Scorsese's work. Rather than revealing the brilliance and innovation that define his other films, this short felt more like an ego-boosting exercise with a juvenile imagination. The narrative lacked complexity, coming across as a rather simplistic depiction of what could have been a dream short. Most notably absent was Scorsese's renowned panache, a quality that usually permeates his films with an irresistible charm and sophistication. As a result, I found myself feeling not only let down but also somewhat saddened by this unexpected departure from the director's usual brilliance. While some may find enjoyment in its unique approach, "The Audition" failed to resonate with me and left me longing for the mastery that Scorsese has showcased in his other works."

You've got the greatest actors and one of the best directors in a short film. What could be better than that?

I don't want to give away the plot, but the actors are competing for a role in one of Scorsese's new movies. He interviews all of them separately at a hotel in Asia.

It's funny, cool. I don't see why they had to make this short film, but it's a nice little watch one random day.

5 stars

Just seems pointless, lack lustre and If he wasn't going to make something remotely cool, he should have just left it alone and put the effort into getting this Irishman project happening