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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Woody Allen's portrait of the celebrity life--as seen through the eyes of a newly divorced couple--is a black-and-white, New York-style La Dolce Vita that's a chillier flip side to Allen's earlier New York valentine, Manhattan. Despite a few missteps, though, it's an admirable (if dark) and worthy addition to the Allen pantheon. Kenneth Branagh and Judy Davis (both boasting American accents) star as the once-marrieds, each struggling to build new, separate lives in a media-saturated, celebrity-driven world. He tries his hands at celebrity profiles (while peddling a screenplay to any star that will listen) and falls into the lap of a bosomy starlet (Melanie Griffith), the first in a long line of briefly attainable women. She runs into a producer (Joe Mantegna) who offers her a job as a TV personality as well as a loving relationship. This seemingly simple double plot is punctuated with twists and turns in the form of flashbacks and innumerable side trips, all ravishingly photographed in black and white by the legendary Sven Nykvist, and populated by one of Allen's largest casts ever; if you blink you'll miss countless cameos by Isaac Mizrahi, Donald Trump, Hank Azaria, and a host of others.
While Davis is splendid as usual (aside from the requisite nervous breakdown scene she's done one too many times), somebody should have told Branagh to put a kibosh on his Woody Allen imitation, which is so impeccable as to become irritating. His failure in the role, however, isn't entirely his fault, as it's also another in a long line of unlikable male protagonists that Allen has created, as if daring audiences to hate his main characters after loving them in such movies as Manhattan and Annie Hall. He's never more unlikable than in a painful sequence in which he tags along with a spoiled, temperamental teen idol (a shrewd and clever Leonardo DiCaprio) and proves himself the quintessential noodge. Far more enjoyable misadventures with Branagh include Charlize Theron in the film's best performance as a libidinous supermodel with a penchant for echinacea; a stunning Famke Janssen as a successful book editor Branagh almost moves in with; and Winona Ryder, acting like an adult for the first time, as an aspiring actress who catches Branagh's eye more than once. All manage to slip through Branagh's fingers by the end of the film.
Despite the film's lack of focus, Allen aficionados will want this film for at least two wonderful moments, one in which Davis seeks solace from a streetwise fortune teller after she's fleeing her own wedding, and a beautiful nighttime scene in which Branagh romances a captivated Ryder at a subway kiosk. Both episodes prove that Allen, despite the fitful period he's moved into, still has that movie magic. --Mark Englehart
Product Description
With an incredible all-star cast, this critically-acclaimed comedy takes a hysterical look at the pleasures and pitfalls of fortune and fame. Following their divorce, the lives of a restless writer and his inhibited ex-wife take off in outrageously unpredictable directions. While Lee (Kenneth Branagh) explores the wilder side of his newfound freedom, Robin (Judy Davis) begins an improbable transformation from neurotic schoolteacher to high-profile TV talk show host. Whether it's partying with supermodels, sexy encounters with movie stars or interviews with the cream of high society, Celebrity offers you a riotous excuse to rub shoulders with the kind of people we love to celebrate.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Why do people keep expecting everything from Woody Allen to be "funny"? Like "Stardust Memories" or any number of his other movies, I would consider "Celebrity" more of a drama than a comedy. Yes, there are funny scenes, but there's more to it, I think. I didn't love the movie on first viewing, but I enjoy it more each time I see it. If you give it a chance and listen to what the director tells Melanie Griffith at the beginning about the "human condition", and how that relates to Kenneth Branagh (who I did NOT find annoying) at the end; and look deeper than Leonardo DiCaprio's small part, I think you'll find more than just jokes (or the absence thereof).
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
Kenneth Branagh is delightful in this film. Forget about Woody Allen for a moment and appreciate the performance (ask yourself if anyone could have done it better). I couldn't stop laughing! Every line of dialogue in this film is worth catching, Judy Davis is fantastic, and it's just a genuinely entertaining movie. The one star and two star ratings are ridiculous. Typical of arm-chair critics to blast a film when it doesn't fit the expected Allen mold. This is an excellent film, great dialogue, enjoyable plot.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
While the movie itself was pretty uneventful and seemed to drag, the absolute magnificence of Kenneth Branagh's performance made it worth watching. I think what a couple of previous reviewers may have missed is that the male lead was written by Woody for Woody. He, thankfully, had the wisdom to know he would not be able to believably play that role--with Charlize and Winona falling all over him. So, he got someone else to play him for him. Kenneth does a remarkable Woody Allen. The argument in the park is a prime example. So to the reviewer who said that leading men in Woody Allen films should stop trying to be Woody, please realize that sometimes that is the whole intent, and realizing that can make the whole film richer.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Celebrity
I had read some reviews of Celebrity which were less then flattering so purchased this not sure what to expect. However my love of Woody Allen movies overcame my concerns. Read more
Published 17 days ago by ceecee
Echimosis
I can't decide if Celebrity is just sloppy or if Woody Allen was finally getting more comfortable with himself. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Crabby Old Lady
One of our Favorite Films
Celebrity is one of our favorite films of all time. It's composed of several short stories, often woven together, and hilariously funny, all rolled up into ONE. Read more
Published on March 21, 2010 by Penetralia
Full of throwaway lines
I assume that Kenneth Branagh imitates Woody Allen here because Allen himself is now too old to keep playing the woman-chasing schlub who ends up with women way too attractive for... Read more
Published on June 14, 2009 by Bradley F. Smith
The flimsiness of celebrityhood
This wry and devastating portrait of the cult of celebrityhood is one of Allen's most brilliant--and entertaining--films. Read more
Published on November 17, 2008 by Kerry Walters
One of Woody's best, and most under appreciated films..
"Celebrity" is one of Woody's best, and most under appreciated and also unjustly attacked films. The production is first rate, the characters diverse, and the acting -- from... Read more
Published on August 9, 2008 by APC Reviews
Redux, Redux
The Chinese have their years named after various animals. Apparently this year for me is the Year of Woody Allen. Read more
Published on May 27, 2008 by Alfred Johnson
Not One Of Woody's Best
This film included many of our best actors: they were great. However, the script lacked some of the juice of Mr. Allan's better films.
Published on March 3, 2008 by James Jerome
Above Average--Slightly.
Celebrity is a movie more good than bad as it has a certain visual appeal that most of Woody's later films lack. Read more
Published on February 20, 2007 by Bernard Chapin
Deconstructing show business
" Celebrity " is one of the best movies in these ten last years of Allen's cinematographic career, a devastating look to the hidden side of the show business and fashion and their... Read more
Published on November 14, 2006 by Salvador Fortuny Miró
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