Celebrity

I must give Woody Allen credit for one thing: At least he seems to have stopped pretending that every gorgeous woman on earth is standing in line to throw herself at his protagonist. But what has he done instead? He has simply cast Kenneth Branagh in his place as a somewhat younger and more handsome substitute, but one who is, alas, no less frumpy, neurotic, unaccomplished and ultimately dislikable as Allen´s now-stock character has become in recent years. Really, watching Branagh imitate Allen to a "T" may be an interesting idea for a skit, but after about 25 minutes it is painful, and by the end of the film it is downright embarrassing. The Allen theme of "womanizer gets his comeuppance" is by now quite predictable, and this film does not deviate from it one bit. Some of the social satire is clever, as usual, but "Celebrity" ends up dying on the vine because of its wildly improbable insistence that nymphomaniac supermodels and barely-legal literary beauties cannot keep their hands off of a male protagonist who neither exhibits any sort of charisma nor has any kind of achievements to his credit. At least in many earlier Allen movies--and despite this and other recent efforts I am still a big fan of his work as a whole--there was a certain charm and allure to that one-note character of his. But merely inserting Kenneth Branagh to talk and act exactly like Woody Allen was definitely not the solution to the creativity problems which have plagued his films lately.

It is a witty, funny black film in which Kenneth B. plays the best "woody allen" of all times. The direction of photography is traditional compared with his last films.

An excellent satire of celebrities with more believable less neurotic characters than I expect from a woody allen movie. The subtle critics to catholics (instead of jews) are good for a change.

I would recommend this modern classic not only to woody's fans but to anyone who likes independent films.

Besides, the rabbis and skinheads being accidentally put together in a waiting room (and getting along) is something you won't see in anywhere else.

Woody Allen's imagination is endless. Once again he manages to captivate with this very smart and subtle tale of interrelated stories while delivering a very strong punch of social critique. If you are an Allen's fan you will like it, if not... don't bother. This is only a movie for the initiated.

One of the most brilliant Woody Allen's 90s' pictures, such a mockery of the "beautiful people" with some traces of a romantic comedy and some reflexions about couple troubles made in Woody. But there's an objection and that's Kenneth Brannagh. He's a great actor (no doubt about it) but in "Celebrity" you can't help thinking that he's imitating the character that Woody should've played. It's quite clear that Woody wrote this for himself, but he was too old to play a man that conquers Winona Ryder or Famke Janssen.

Last but not least, what about Judy Davis?? God, she's magnificent, one of the best actresses ever, and that scene with the prostitute is totally hilarious. Woody should've married her instead of Mia 30 years ago!!

So, if Woody would've played the role that eventually played Brannagh this could've been one of his best works. But Brannagh is not Woody, and that's noticeable.

*My rate: 7/10

As Woody Allen is too old for the lead, Kenneth Branagh literally steps into his shoes and does such an effective job at playing Woody that he must have watched every Allen movie at least six times. The film is hilarious but deep--like his best films. It explores our obsession with celebrities and the media's obsession with them, and I wonder how much "acting" Leonardo DiCaprio did for this film. But the more I thought about it afterwards, the more I realized how sad the movie is at its core--the word "help" being written in the sky may be what Allen is thinking--is this what we have become? So obsessed with fortune and fame that we literally prostitute ourselves and become someone we aren't (i.e. Judy Davis' character)?

The movie seems more timely now than in 1998. Americans seem to be more interested in what Paris Hilton does on TV, or what J-Lo and Affleck are up to, than what's going on in the world. "Celebrity" nails it, and like Deconstructing Harry, does it in a rather vulgar manner. But you have to wonder how much of this is based on real events (again, I cite Di Caprio). This was the second movie (after 2 Days in the Valley) that made me aware of the statuesque beauty of Charlize Theron. I didn't think she could act worth a hoot (that opinion recently changed), but she sure looked like a rich runway model to me. This movie is one of my favorite Woody films of the '90s, and one of his most underrated. It's also visually beautiful, in black & white that recalls the photography of Manhattan.