jimbo-93

(2012-04-23 05:35:57)

below average

With Bullets Over Broadway, Mighty Aphrodite and Everyone Says I love You,Woodie had strung together a number of very likable and quite funny films.With this and Deconstructing Harry he gets more serious. Too bad. Thisbilious mess could have used an editor. I think, because he can get so manybig stars so easily, he writes too many characters into this film, withoutthe spread-thin script being able to support all of them.

dfwforeignbuff

(2012-04-23 01:03:51)

Better now 2010 than it was in 1998. Branagh does Woody Allen Shtick.

I saw this film in 1998 on the big screen & again Feb 20 2010. LeeSimon, unsuccessful journalist & wanna-be novelist, tries to get a footinto the door with celebrities. After divorcing his wife Robin, Leegets to meet a lot folks of the rich & / or beautiful, partly throughjournalism, partly because he has a script to offer. But life amongthose from out-of-this-world is hard, & his putative success alwaysresults in defeat. Meanwhile Robin meets a very desirable TV-producer &takes the first steps in the world of celebrities herself. This film isreally a marriage mid-life crisis type movie about luck. Who has luck &who does not have luck (actually they have rotten luck). The film isdone in black & white. Kenneth Branagh plays the Woody Allen role. Thefilm has a huge roster of celebrities in big roles & many big partswith this all star cast. If you were a famous somebody actor in 1998YOU WERE IN THIS MOVIE!! HAHAH. Branagh does a terrific job-he isfantastic in this role. Kenneth Branagh does a wicked Woody Allenimitation, and what's most fun about it is that Allen wrote anddirected the picture. Is Allen lampooning himself? Was it Branagh'sidea? Who decided how far to take it? And what does this all mean inAllen's ongoing dialogue with his viewers. Branagh gives us thequintessence of Woodyism. This goes a good deal beyond the averagenightclub comic's Allen shtick. What Branagh offers is a finesse job ofskewering, homing in precisely on his target's speech patterns andmannerisms. I disagree with many in that I do not feel like this isjust another Woody Allen movie & he is just doing all the stuff overagain. Boy is that wrong. This is his best film since DeconstructingHarry & Husbands & Wives. The film is hilarious but deep--like his bestfilms. It explores our obsession with celebrities & the media'sobsession with them. He embarks on a string of neo-Felliniesqueencounters with the rogue's gallery of celebrity actors who bring outthe best in Allen's barbed dialogue. The movie seems timelier now thanin 1998. This movie is one of my favorite Woody films of the '90s, &one of his most underrated. It's also visually beautiful, in black &white with that nice the photography of Manhattan. Cast wise there isgreat ensemble work here, with both witty & intelligent writing fromAllen & amusing set-pieces, & excellent cinematography/photography.Allen's carefully crafted, anti-celebrity image -- the shunning ofinterviews and so on -- is just as much a celebrity image as anythinghe makes fun of here. But Allen remains a very potent fantasy figurefor critics and moviegoers who want to see him as something likeAmerica's resident European filmmaker, untouched by the vagaries andvulgarities of the industry he works in. His familiar, formalized,art-film aesthetic reinforces that perception. It's impressive that, inthe age of blockbusters, Allen has managed to keep making movies hisway. Here he captures that vapid, empty malaise of celebrity life in ahysterical way. Five stars WAY better today than when I saw it on thebig screen in 1998

Torrance-4

(2012-04-20 06:19:18)

The Mystery of Celebrity

The director is the CELEBRITY, and everyone wants to be in his movies!Howelse do you explain:a) Kenneth Branagh being reduced to doing an impression of a neurotic NewYorker with a thing for women much younger than himself.b) Melanie Griffith using her head with the director'simpersonator.c) Charlize Theron being polymorphously perverse.d) Judy Davis and Bebe Neuwirth fellating bananas together.e) Leonardo DiCaprio sharing his bed and two women with the director'simpersonator.f) Winona Ryder (looking gorgeous) in a scene where she kisses anotherwoman.g) Winona Ryder in a relationship with the director'simpersonator.How many director's fantasies can fit into one movie?All in all, as a true fan of the Woodman's work, it did make me laugh.Highly recommended to all the Woody lovers out there who have made him theCELEBRITY that he is.

Arthur Lazere

(2012-04-19 14:02:27)

Incisive observation of contemporary values and mores, delivered with a lot of laughs.

Rob Gonsalves

(2012-04-08 20:03:08)

Celebrity is about the tiny planets revolving around Hollywood's many suns, trying to absorb some heat. It's a cold universe nonetheless.

Kaplan-2

(2012-04-08 05:05:49)

A disappointingly dull jumble, very few funny moments

As a Woody Allen fan, even I found Celebrity to be rambling, dull, anddifficult to watch. Of course, there are a few masterful moments that letyou know this is an Allen film, but mostly I kept asking myself why I shouldstay. Neither funny, nor profound, this reminded me more of Pret a Porterthan any of Allen's films. Certainly, many will blame Kenneth Branaugh forhis slavish Woody impression, but ultimately, sloppy directing makesCelebrity a bore.

Angela

(2012-04-08 06:01:27)

HOW?!?

Oh my goodness.. how could anyone have liked this movie? I bought it onsaleat movie gallery for $2 thinking I couldn't go wrong b/c it had one of myfavs in it [ Leonardo ] and it was cheap.. but I was wrong. DEAD wrong! Iwent in thinking the movie would be pretty bad.. just so I would like iteven in the smallest measurement when i watched it. Overall, there were afew parts i liked.. basically i only liked the character of the ex-wifeRobin. The movie actually had a half decent plot, but a SORRY script andpretty bad and boring acting at some points- also the B&W thing.. veryblah.It would have been a lot better with some color.. and flavor. I found thismovie to be extremely dull, stupid, and quite frankly DRUG TERRIBLY SLOW INMANY NUMEROUS places!!! Save your money.. do not rent this movie! It'sterrible. I don't think I've seen anything else directed by Woody Allen..but if it is anything like this picture.. I don't want to.

Vlad B.

(2012-04-07 13:45:35)

Woody's substitute

It's no secret that Woody Allen is getting old. Moreover, he seems to havenoticed that exhibiting his adventures with women who are often threetimesyounger (Juliette Lewis in "Husbands and Wives", for instance) no longerappeals to the audience. But his obsessive vigor has not been extinguishedafter all these decades, enabling him to clock out at least one film peryear (a feat that no living American director can duplicate). In 1998,Woodyhas to resort to other venues of expression: a computerized ant and theformer Prince of Denmark himself, Kenneth Branagh. For Celebrity, theusually well-articulate and consistently noble Brit transforms into abumbling, confused version of Allen, laying it on like some sort of anElvisimpersonator: strangely amusing and absurd at the same time. Branagh's actis not terrible by any means, but one cannot help realizing that it's amereimitation of a master whose style is unique and unreproductible. Asidefromthis fundamental flaw, and the not-so-subtle "homage" to a certain Fellinimasterpiece about a journalist trying to run with the Bohemian pack, (justas Deconstructing Harry the year before was to "8 1/2") , the film is asgood as anything that Allen made during the 90's. It's all pure,undistilledWoody: cynical, exhillarating, malevolent toward every aspect and productofsociety (except old Jazz), and of course, saturated with appropriatelyhilarious sex jokes. How this doesn't become redundant from one movie toanother is known only to the director. As always, the pace islightning-fast, with virtually no pauses in the dialogue, or dull,lingeringshots: something seldom matched in indie film and practically unheard ofinHollywood. The five supporting females are in most excellent form: fromJudyDavis (typecast as a neurotic) who inexplicably generates sex appeal, toWinona Ryder, who is simply beyond description. Leo DiCaprio's briefsemi-autobiograhpical turn is the definite highlight of what could havebeenAllen's best film of the decade if he had only tried to create aprotagonistwhose mannerisms were slightly different from his own.

(2012-04-01 04:46:24)

Gets better with each viewing...

For me "Celebrity" has gotten better each time I have seen it. I wasn'tcompletely sold on it in the theaters, but I have since warmed up to it. Idon't understand the "it's not funny" comments this movie gets; I wouldn'tconsider it a comedy any more than I would consider "Stardust Memories" acomedy. A serious drama can contain humor, which Woody Allen is great atincorporating, but go see "There's Something About Mary" if you just wanttolaugh. This isn't that type of movie. I just want to through out therethat Kenneth Brannagh did not annoy me for a second. If Woody Allen hadstarred in it, there would have been criticism about his use of youngactresses and him; you can't win either way...Just watch it again, it maygrow on you.

Poochie

(2012-03-31 17:02:54)

Ho-Hum

Very familiar territory revisited here...I kept thinking of Laraine Newmanin 'Stardust Memories' saying "I've seen it all before. They try todocument their private suffering and fob it off as art." It's well made butnot very interesting (at all). The scene where Judy Davis is given oral sexlessons from Bebe Neuwirth was particularly un-funny. I normally love WoodyAllen films but I could not/would not recommend this one.

valadas

(2012-03-23 08:11:10)

Witty as always

This is one more of Woody Allen's intelligent (but not toointellectual) and witty movies, slightly ridiculing the world of movieand TV celebrities. However the first part is much more brilliant thanthe second one. The latter loses a bit of the brightness and clevernessof the former. Kenneth Branagh who replaces Allen as a talking machinegun analyzing everything and most often undecided, does a splendidrole. The sequence with Leonardo DiCaprio is particularly funny in itscrazy development seasoned with a pinch of nonsense which makes itdelicious. The problems of marriage and divorce are once again presentand as usually treated in a humorous way. Not the best of Allen'smovies but one of the best indeed.

Jimmy Bagga Doughnuts

(2012-03-23 05:09:50)

We can now forever watch Bebe Neuwirth without seeing Lilith

Gotta like the Wood-man. This is a damn funny movie where the Woodster bareshis butt warts and all for the world to see.Woody's too old to play himself getting chicks and still be believable so hegets Kenneth Branaugh to be him. Yeah right.OK so we'll suspend reality forthat one. It's amazing Woody can make good movies without knowing any normalpeople. The characters in this flic are so superficial they make the castof Seinfeld look like Ghandi, Mandela, Mother Theresa and a few Buddhistmonks. The Allen/Branaugh/whomever character is the most despicable,narcisistic, repulsive person on the planet. Much like Woodyhimself.The movie tells us that there are celebrities on every level of existence.You can be a celebrity in your house, your family your neighborhoodwhatever; but whatever level of celebrity you reach you always feel insecureand insignificant. It's best to be yourself, do your best and try to behappy. This is a great movie and I don't use the term loosely. It's notpreachy, it just turns over the rock of urban American society and lets uspeek at the disease and garbage underneath.Joe Montegna and Judy Davis do Oscar quality work. DiCaprio is in a greatsegment that is so good it's hard to tell if he adds anything or not;probably not. Winnona Ryder is lovely as usual. The big model whose nameescapes me is beautifully awful. I think Woody used a terrible actress onpurpose to get back at all the models who have rejected him. Finally AnthonyMason is "da bomb"This is the best dialogue in my Woody memory and I will definitely see itagain. Another reason to see it is that New York Times political columnistMaureen Dowd absolutely killed it.Be WellJimmy Bagga Doughnuts

pattay72

(2012-03-19 09:25:30)

Genius + Talent = Celebrity

Woody Allen is a genius filmmaker and writer. There is no debate. It's afact. Look at the things he has written and any critcism reeks of ignorance.Forget about his private life, it has nothing to do with his work. Forgetabout taking Leonardo DiCaprio down personally for playing a character in amovie. (It is entirely lame to see people on these boards feel thatLeonardo's characterization was a personal affront.) The list of great worksby Woody is totally admirable if not astonishing:The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, Small Time Crooks, Celebrity,Deconstructing Harry, Everyone Says I Love You, Mighty Aphrodite, BulletsOver Broadway, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Crimes and Misdemeanors, RadioDays, Hannah and Her Sisters, Purple Rose of Cairo, Zelig, Interiors, AnnieHall, Love and Death, Sleeper, Everything You Always Wanted to Know AboutSex* But Were Afraid to Ask, Play It Again Sam, Bananas, Pussycat, Pussycat,I Love You, Don't Drink the Water, Take the Money and Run... the list goeson. 'Celebrity' is a satire. People who don't understand satire and deadpan witwill not "get it". It's your loss.

jediknight82

(2012-03-18 17:30:37)

It was missing something...

When I saw the coverbox for Celebrity, I thought that this would be anexcellent movie due to the all-star ensemble cast and the fact that WoodyAllen wrote and directed it. In reality, this movie did have it's goodparts, but to be honest, I was disappointed. First, the movie was in blackand white, which has worked for other movies (Clerks for example), but itwas not right for this film. You need to see the bright lights and gaudyjewelry that is present in Hollywood today. Second, I am a fan of KennethBranagh, but his performance left something to be desired. It was thoughhewas a puppet and Allen was the ventriloquist. If you watch one of Allen'smovies that he also stars in and then watch Celebrity, you will see thatBranagh is not acting as he normally would. He was acting just like Allen,and if I wanted to see Allen, I would have picked up one of his moviesinstead.

Nick Garcia

(2012-03-17 14:51:10)

Representative of Woody Allen? Yes. Great? No.

Woody Allen has an appreciation for great films. We saw him try histake at 8 1/2 with Stardust Memories. Now, probably more obvious, ishis version of La Dolce Vita. It's the story of a celebrity journalistthat dabbles in the lives of celebrities. That alone will most likelyprovide little interest to anyone. Jokes at the expense of shallowlifestyles among celebrities are what drive the film, though. Andthat's where all the laughs are. When I first saw this film, I thoughtthat the cast was too distracting. Part of what I found memorable inthe scenes had more to do with who uttered the lines than what thelines actually were. But as time has gone on, I believe that it's grownpast this.It's amusing to see Kenneth Branaugh play "the Woody Allen part" inthis movie. I think anyone would agree that it's a more memorable"Woody Allen part" than that of Jason Biggs some years later.

Dustin Putman

(2012-03-17 00:23:40)

A winning and often hilarious comedy that delves into the lives of the rich, the famous and the struggling.

sparky-76

(2012-03-15 14:47:31)

Woody, Get A Day Job

"Celebrity" solves the riddle of why movie studios are willing to give 25years old millions of dollars and gamble that they'll make decent films. I'drather see a bad film by someone who cares than a mediocre one by someonewho doesn't. Give the NY angst thing a rest, Woody, it's been done. You didit. Twenty years ago.

Ron

(2012-03-14 19:18:36)

My general impression

I have seen many Woody Allen films, and have tired of his nervousstuttering. I thought I might be spared that in this movie because hedoesnot appear in it. Unfortunately, the star mimics Woody's style, which isworse than watching Woody himself.

Petr

(2012-03-13 19:24:28)

Not as good as Woody used to be

Poorly written and played in not much better way. Woody tried to make somepreview of social aspects of life of celebrity, people around them andpeople who wants to achieve their position (to be famous too). ProbablyAllen wanted make artistic movie but he did NOT succeed.

edwagreen

(2012-03-13 01:34:39)

This Celebrity is Just Not that Famous to Me **

Kenneth Branagh assumed the part that a younger Woody Allen would havehad in "Celebrity."As always, this Woody Allen creation deals with relationships. Judy Davis steals this film in the role of a plain-Jane looking womanwho is divorced by Branagh, as he is looking for more fulfillment inhis life.While in an office regarding a face lift, the English teacher Judymeets up with a producer who is doing a feature on the facial doctor.Joe Montegna plays the producer and he falls for her without her doinganything to her face.Davis shows her adeptness at comedy. In fact, she is even better hereat being funny than when the role requires more serious acting.One line I regarded as utter stupidity by Allen. It is when Branaghstates that he would do something even if it meant getting terminalcancer. Besides being a horrible thought, this line was totallyinsensitive to cancer patients.Davis can't believe that she has fallen in so good. In fact, it is sheherself who almost ruins things by jilting Joe at the altar. A seersaves the day. By film's end, we see Branagh having nothing in his life other than afew trysts with others who prove themselves to be faithless anddimwitted.