Review of Celebrity (1998) by Stuart K — 10 Aug 2010

Woody Allen's last film to be shot in Black and White, it shares themes with Allen's Zelig, about the lure, the power and the destructiveness of being famous. It has a good cast all giving great performances, but there's something a bit off about this one.

There's no fireworks to the story, it all feels just a little bit flat, despite good intentions. Lee Simon (Kenneth Branagh, impersonating Woody), is a failed author turned travel writer, who has taken a turn into doing celebrity journalism.

He's just gone through a divorce with his insecure wife Robin (Judy Davis), who is now in a relationship with television producer Tony Gardella (Joe Mantegna). Lee meanwhile has fleeting encounters with celebrities such as actress Nicole Oliver (Melanie Griffith), a glamourous supermodel (Charlize Theron) and spoilt young actor Brandon Darrow (Leonardo DiCaprio).

Lee can't seem to come to terms with hanging around with celebrities, and that it's a very different world indeed, something which Robin soon learns when she works for Tony. There's few laughs to be had in this film billed as a comedy, which is a shame, it's more of a biting satire on the hardships of fame, and something like this could have used Woody's presence.

Oh, well.