Celebrity (1998)
3/4
There are some things that I do not like about Woody Allen's "Celebrity" but I do think that it is still capable filmmaking and entertaining, if overlong. One reason that I know I enjoyed it so much was that the film was shot entirely in black and white, which is an achievement for any filmmaker, especially in 1998, and is surely something that every filmmaker wants to achieve. Allen, here, collaborates with Sven Nykvist, the brilliant mind behind "Fanny and Alexander" which was one of the most beautiful movies ever shot. "Celebrity" is beautiful in its own way, showing real life, with some great visuals and layouts.
Allen's film is about a divorce between two people, Lee (Kenneth Branagh) and Simon (Judy Davis). Lee is a somewhat struggling traveling writer who has attempted to write books but ended up in his current job because of his inability for success, and Simon is an English teacher. Lee has been unhappy for a while during his 16 years with her, and has suddenly asked her for a divorce because he can't stand it anymore. Their two lives are drastically impacted, becoming involved with all kinds of people and changing their own lifestyles.
It's very Woody Allen of Woody Allen to do a plot like this, and it's a plot that works, too. There are a few dull and uninteresting scenes here and there, but there are some legitimately great scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio, playing a hot young movie star who Lee has to talk with. He's easily the best part of the movie, and I cherished all the scenes with him. The rest of the cast is sort of a mixed bag; Branagh and Davis are sometimes interesting, yet sometimes boring, but I think that they have enough interest in themselves to keep the movie going.
"Celebrity" is not great Woody Allen, yet, somehow, even though it isn't great, it's not bad. It's just minor work by a great filmmaker that contains interest and ideas that I admired, like shooting his whole film in black and white, or the way the character's lives are affected after their divorce. So, a mixed bag, but I liked it enough and admired it enough to really like it.
3/4
There are some things that I do not like about Woody Allen's "Celebrity" but I do think that it is still capable filmmaking and entertaining, if overlong. One reason that I know I enjoyed it so much was that the film was shot entirely in black and white, which is an achievement for any filmmaker, especially in 1998, and is surely something that every filmmaker wants to achieve. Allen, here, collaborates with Sven Nykvist, the brilliant mind behind "Fanny and Alexander" which was one of the most beautiful movies ever shot. "Celebrity" is beautiful in its own way, showing real life, with some great visuals and layouts.
Allen's film is about a divorce between two people, Lee (Kenneth Branagh) and Simon (Judy Davis). Lee is a somewhat struggling traveling writer who has attempted to write books but ended up in his current job because of his inability for success, and Simon is an English teacher. Lee has been unhappy for a while during his 16 years with her, and has suddenly asked her for a divorce because he can't stand it anymore. Their two lives are drastically impacted, becoming involved with all kinds of people and changing their own lifestyles.
It's very Woody Allen of Woody Allen to do a plot like this, and it's a plot that works, too. There are a few dull and uninteresting scenes here and there, but there are some legitimately great scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio, playing a hot young movie star who Lee has to talk with. He's easily the best part of the movie, and I cherished all the scenes with him. The rest of the cast is sort of a mixed bag; Branagh and Davis are sometimes interesting, yet sometimes boring, but I think that they have enough interest in themselves to keep the movie going.
"Celebrity" is not great Woody Allen, yet, somehow, even though it isn't great, it's not bad. It's just minor work by a great filmmaker that contains interest and ideas that I admired, like shooting his whole film in black and white, or the way the character's lives are affected after their divorce. So, a mixed bag, but I liked it enough and admired it enough to really like it.