Review of Maps to the Stars (2014) by Carlos D — 18 May 2015

Hollywood is an incestuous cesspool of debauchery and psychosis. Yes, I think that sums it up.

I appreciate how director Cronenberg weaves this messed up tale. Zeroing in on the more grotesque aspects of Hollywood, he still manages to inject healthy doses of comedy and pointed satire among the violence and sexual depravity. Admittedly, some of the references of specific celebrities and TV shows come off clumsy and take one out of the film for a second, but overall, they do more to add than subtract from the film's humor.

While it's certainly nothing new for Hollywood to bash its own industry, this film seems to paint a bleaker picture than usual -- a picture that seems to invoke one word: incest (both literally and figuratively). Indeed, this is the theme. Though the movie seems to intercut between several loosely related characters, for instance, it becomes apparent very quickly that these people are more interconnected than it seems. They all work together. They're family. They share publicists. The actors star in remakes of each other's work. There's really no shortage of incest here and I appreciate how the film uses it as a theme -- though references to actual incest definitely make for some cringeworthy moments.

Ultimately, despite very focused themes, there's a clumsiness to this film that I can't quite nail down. Perhaps there's too many characters juggling for screen time. Maybe just too many darn unpleasant things happen. It could very well be the uncomfortable extreme close-ups that are used too often and for no good reason. Whatever the case, I can't blame the actors. Cronenberg has certainly assembled a good cast. Julianne Moore deserves specific notice as an aging starlet trying desperately to get cast in a remake of a film her mother starred in when she was young -- playing the exact same role (MORE FIGURATIVE INSEST!!). In her capable hands, a larger-than-life character that could easily be handled broadly and melodramatically is given real emotions, insecurities, and neuroses. She's a thrill to watch.

While maybe not the best of the dramedy/satires taking digs at Hollywood, this is certainly one of the most interesting. It definitely gets some marks for pulling the least amount of punches I think.