Review of Wilde Salomé (2013) by Jon C — 13 Jan 2018

Al Pacino takes on a new approach playing himself directing a stage play based on the works of Oscar Wilde, making a movie about it and at the same time shooting a documentary.

Working with co-star Jessica Chastain the movie itself is very self-aware of its own brand of meta.

Pacino has this daunting task of bringing Salome to life to a wider audience; still he's dealing with the burden of reading all of Wilde's literature, learning about him, keeping the shooting schedule and doing the rehearsals.

I love how the actors play themselves but also other parts as well showcasing their dramatic weight acting outside of the usual mainstream of Hollywood filmmaking.

Chastain in particular delivers a searing performance as the female lead from the story.

It has that self-mockery that goes with an actor's passion for trying something new.

The play portion is actually my favorite portion of the film.

This is a likeable, funny, and dramatic Spinal-Tapp-ish flick.