After continually bringing his audience through one high after another with a brilliant comeback in the 90's, Woody Allen has a little bit of a letdown - but still manages to entertain - with "Celebrity". There are many components of the film that make sense, but the whole balance between showcasing the pratfalls of fame and chronicling his usual neurotic-Manhattan marital fallout don't always work. Why Allen cast Branaugh to play "Woody" is puzzling. Perhaps Woody is all too aware of the audience's despondence with him cuddling up to women one-third his age, or maybe Branaugh was used just to see what kind of response it would provoke. Either way, Branaugh does well; it just depends if you can stomach him playing Woody.
There are as many good jokes here as any other Woody film, but the frame of reference is different. His jokes don't exclusively concern the absurdity of fame, but also how ridiculously far it extends into American culture and how it's now seen as the ultimate power play. The fame of religion, sex, excess, the lack thereof and the just plain fame of fame ("It's all showbusiness!" Branaugh complains). Allen acutely demonstrates how fame corrupts a person (Branaugh shamelessly hawking his screenplay) and how some seem to find normalcy in life despite it (Joe Mantenga's easy-going TV producer). We also see how the culture of celebrity affects everyday people and how they think. Witness the scene where a group of rabbis, appearing on a talk show, calmly ask beforehand "Have the skinheads eaten all the bagels?" Meaning it didn't matter to a group of Jewish clergymen that they were sharing a green room with Nazis, because they're about to be on TV. Also consider the scene where the wonderful Judy Davis (somewhat reprising her excellent role in the fantastic "Deconstructing Harry") seeks out a high class hooker with nervous, star-struck adoration in search of sexual advice.
Just when the film starts to sag (or seem in search of a plot) we are given a brief jolt by the crafty Leonardo DiCaprio. Woody may have predicted the attention DiCaprio was about to attract with "Titanic" and offered him this role out of sympathy. DiCaprio gives a frenetic cameo as Brandon Darrow, allowing him to lampoon his public image before the press ever constructed it: that of the young, spoiled movie star. With this bit part, DiCaprio joins Woody in extending his middle finger towards the media (as Woody had been doing in his work throughout the late 90's). Overall, the film is quite puzzled in its presentation. The black-and-white cinematography is a nice touch, it's doubtful Woody chose B&W for the same panoramic methods he held in the late 70's / early 80's. I assume the B&W photography was designed to impress you with more of a behind-the-scenes feel. Maybe some of the humor got lost in Woody's determination to hold contempt for the famous high life, but "Celebrity" is worth one look if you consider yourself a mild Woody fan.
There are as many good jokes here as any other Woody film, but the frame of reference is different. His jokes don't exclusively concern the absurdity of fame, but also how ridiculously far it extends into American culture and how it's now seen as the ultimate power play. The fame of religion, sex, excess, the lack thereof and the just plain fame of fame ("It's all showbusiness!" Branaugh complains). Allen acutely demonstrates how fame corrupts a person (Branaugh shamelessly hawking his screenplay) and how some seem to find normalcy in life despite it (Joe Mantenga's easy-going TV producer). We also see how the culture of celebrity affects everyday people and how they think. Witness the scene where a group of rabbis, appearing on a talk show, calmly ask beforehand "Have the skinheads eaten all the bagels?" Meaning it didn't matter to a group of Jewish clergymen that they were sharing a green room with Nazis, because they're about to be on TV. Also consider the scene where the wonderful Judy Davis (somewhat reprising her excellent role in the fantastic "Deconstructing Harry") seeks out a high class hooker with nervous, star-struck adoration in search of sexual advice.
Just when the film starts to sag (or seem in search of a plot) we are given a brief jolt by the crafty Leonardo DiCaprio. Woody may have predicted the attention DiCaprio was about to attract with "Titanic" and offered him this role out of sympathy. DiCaprio gives a frenetic cameo as Brandon Darrow, allowing him to lampoon his public image before the press ever constructed it: that of the young, spoiled movie star. With this bit part, DiCaprio joins Woody in extending his middle finger towards the media (as Woody had been doing in his work throughout the late 90's). Overall, the film is quite puzzled in its presentation. The black-and-white cinematography is a nice touch, it's doubtful Woody chose B&W for the same panoramic methods he held in the late 70's / early 80's. I assume the B&W photography was designed to impress you with more of a behind-the-scenes feel. Maybe some of the humor got lost in Woody's determination to hold contempt for the famous high life, but "Celebrity" is worth one look if you consider yourself a mild Woody fan.