Starring: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell
Rated: PG-13 for a disturbing image and a crude gesture
Despite it’s course as the Oscar front-runner, the pseudo-silent film The Artist maybe more hype and glitz than substance. This isn’t taking anything away from film, which is still and enjoyable and entertaining, but much like the film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, the reason people are heralding it is the success of the gimmick, and not the success of the film or story, itself. It does boast two dynamic performances from Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo, and there are some truly terrific scenes and segments. But it’s odd story structure makes the film drag a little, and the allegory-over-story emphasis, while entertaining, I think will hurt the longevity of the film. Again, I really did enjoy the film, but as the music swelled and the credits rolled, I realized that, as entertaining as the film was, it was only a reminder of the great films of the silent era who didn’t use their limitations as ploy.
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