Seduced and Abandoned

Everything was painfully familiar to me but I managed to laugh nonetheless. The meeting with Avi Lerner should be obligatory viewing for beginners. And Mark Damon? He was an actor in Italian films of the 60's, not Fellini mind you but the others who made low budget epics. The landscape of "how to get financing for movies" has changed radically in the last few years but this is a residue of something that is still very much alive. Alec Baldwin pitching the idea to tired foreign sales agents is a delight and the comments from Martin Scorsese and other giants, are priceless. If you're in the business you'll laugh in recognition, if you're a civilian with ideas to join the film world of independent movies, this may give you pause.

SEDUCED AND ABANDONED begins with a fascinating premise, as actor Alec Baldwin and filmmaker James Toback try to raise funds for their proposed new movie, tentatively entitled "Last Tango in Tikrit." This documentary charts their efforts to schmooze a variety of investors from various countries into giving them the $15m. necessary to finance the movie. Some of the situations are extremely funny, especially when Toback tries his level best to convince the investors of the viability of his proposal, even if it means agreeing to any and every suggestion the investors propose. However the film's principal subject-matter gets lost, as many of the movie people interviewed (including actors Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain, directors Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola) discuss various topics, including their origins, the arts of acting and directing, and their views of filmmaking as a whole. As a result the narrative tends to sag in places, despite numerous reminders - in the form of visuals - that the film business comprises 95% hustling and 5% filmmaking. On the plus side, both Baldwin and Toback come across as basically likable and sincere, the kind of artists that should be encouraged in their future endeavors.

The good: this reportage is (only) kinda interesting when famous directors like Bertolucci, Scorsese and Coppola are being interviewed.

The bad: unfortunately the famous folks only get very short screentime and this reportage unfortunately is mostly about Alec Baldwin quacking about how to get money for a new film he wants to make. THAT was NOT interesting any more after having watched it over 15 minutes.

This reportage (not a documentary) should have (at least) been cut in half and it should have deleted many (MANY) scenes with Alec Baldwin in it talking about getting money for his new movie, because it is quite tedious to watch.

I gave it this rating simply because of Toback. He is a known gambling addict. Why would anyone give this man a penny? He's also a drug addict and recently chose to bash Robert Downey Jr. for getting himself straight and for having a strong marriage. The man is sleazy and it's truly amazing that any quality people would have much to do with him. He's had no 'hits' in what? 22 years?

This man is not able to truly direct anything. He's just looking for a party and money for his latest gamble, and those who hang with him are tarnishing their own image, IMHO.

The entire premise of this film is sketchy at least. They truly conned all of the actresses and actors involved in this thing.

Review: As a fan of movies, I was expecting quite a lot from this documentary because I thought that I was going to get a deep insight into getting a budget for a movie, but I found it quite boring and uninteresting after a while. Watching people with big egos, talking about the value of people in the movie business, really did make me come to terms with how cut throat the business is. Alec Baldwin made the movie for me and I enjoyed the interviews with Ryan Gosling, who has a unique personality, and Martin Scorsese who can talk forever about his personal experiences. In all, the documentary was just based at the Cannes Film Festival so I shouldn't make a judgement on all movie tycoons, but it was interesting to watch a big star like Alec Baldwin, struggling to get a big budget just because he isn't as big as Ryan Gosling. Watchable!

Round-Up: I don't really watch movies from other countries so I didn't know quite a few of the directors in this film, but it was still interesting to hear another point of view about the world of making movies. Your name really needs to carry some weight for the producers to take you seriously, which is a shame for the people who want to make it in the business. I enjoyed watching Alec Baldwin work his charms with the various producers and movie moguls but after watching it for an hour and a half, it just seems like one big conversation without seeing any outcome. I think the film would have been much better if it was about a film that had already hit the cinemas.

I recommend this film to people who are into there documentaries about 2 people trying to get a budget for a movie. 4/10