Festival in Cannes

This is a fun movie, and a good behind-the-scenes-look at moviemaking, both indie and "big studio" productions. The plot is very simple and all of the players move in and out of "the deal" at different times. The "deal" even begins to take on a life of its own with most of the characters compromising their interests to be a part of it. Very good character studies. I think this movie should have used all of the actors real names, as it seemed contrived to have a fictional name for Anouk Aimee.

This is a highly interesting movie and to put it in simple words it is a MOCKUMENTARY. The cast is excellent and it is a satire on what reading too much into a movie can do to the general viewing of the movie. It makes a pretend documentary into a kind of black comedy of what Critics and their in depth reading "into" movies of so much; that the absurdities of the movie industry comes to light. Especially when it comes to movie awards. Watch it like a documentary but think of it as a comedy.

Henry Jaglom, who knows his way around movie deal-making from the inside, made a vicious thrust at the film industry, located at Cannes with an all-star cast and a wealth of cameos. Critics who panned this brilliant non-lampoon missed the point. If movie nuts (like myself) ever entertained fantasies of making a big time film, Henry Jaglom's satire will cure them.

I went in expecting nothing since all I"d ever seen of HJ was about a half hour, as much as I could stand, of "Always" a really unbearable movie, starring him, of the lovesick clueless guy somehow had gorgeous girlfriend and now shall mope for 90 minutes and she thinks he's cute even now for some mysterious reason even though it's over while the audience well, simply has to endure him, variety.

Anyway I thought it was pretty great this movie, really well plotted, I liked the actresses in particular: anouk, gretta and the girl who played "Blue". . . they were all really wonderful. The characters were vividly drawn and I thought it was a really well written human comedy.

What I would encourage him to do in the future however is to try something other than a score that shows your movie as being a knock off of woody allen or gives that feeling, which this music did. The film would have seemed a lot more his own had he had a different sound to go with.

Sorry that some fans didn't care for this film, I found it deliciously decadent and oh-so-painfully-truthful! It had all the schmaltz and flavor of a run down fan dancer. So delicate at one time, and now so abused. If you really desire to see the Festival as it is, then view this movie. Mr. Schell is excellent, as well as the gentleman that plays the sleeze-ball Kaz. Truly a remarkable film in that it makes you think/feel documentary. Ala Robert Altman and his unscripted dialogue. The audience in my theatre snickered half the film, and there were some real good laughs at some of the irony. Only drawback was the cameraman. He gave us a splitting headache whenever filming Ms. Aimee and Mr. Schell on the boardwalk. Otherwise, go see it. Enjoy!