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Who is Simone? This is the question. Is
she real? Is she digital? After seeing this movie, it was still pretty
tough to tell.
Simone stars Al Pacino as Viktor Taransky, a down on his luck Hollywood
director whose career takes a turn for the worse after the prima donna
star of his latest film, played convincingly by Winona Ryder, leaves the
project. After the studio (headed by his ex-wife) dumps him, he
seemingly has nowhere left to turn. That is until he literally inherits
the future - the marriage of art and technology - a digitally created
actress.
Viktor sets out to use Simone as a tool to teach Hollywood a lesson. As
he sees it, all the new young stars are more interested in feeding their
egos and are not concerned at all about the art. To do so, he 'inserts'
Simone into his film's starring role. She becomes an overnight success.
And soon (as often happens in today's society) the public, fueled by the
media, becomes infatuated with her - not only because she is the next
big thing, but because nobody ever sees her. She is a recluse. This only
serves to further the public's appetite for anything and everything
Simone. Much to his dismay, Viktor is soon overshadowed by his digital
protégé. However, for fear that he will be seen as a fraud and that
his career will be ruined, he is conflicted as to whether he should
reveal the truth about her identity.
Simone represents the latest movie written and directed by Andrew Niccol.
Much like his previous efforts, Gattaca (writer/director) and The Truman
Show (writer), Niccol continues to deal with themes of reality, identity
and media fascination. And, while this film doesn't necessarily measure
up to the quality of his earlier efforts, it isn't really a
disappointment either. I guess mediocre is the word to use. While Niccol
tried to convey a message about actor's not truly caring about their
performances, it seemed to me that the performances in this film were
somewhat half-hearted themselves.
As Taransky, Al Pacino was decent. Not great like we've seen him be, but
decent. He really is the heart of this film and he takes you on the ride
with him - through the emotional ups and downs he experiences. As for
the rest of the cast, I didn't really care for the ensemble. Catherine
Keener, as Viktor's ex-wife, wasn't as good as I've seen her be. Pruitt
Taylor Vince and Jason Schwartzman, as members of the paparazzi, came
off as annoying. The only person who really stood out to me was Evan
Rachel Wood, as Viktor's daughter.
Aside from the mediocrity of the performances, I guess my main problem
with this film would be that I felt no real connection with Simone.
Perhaps this was intentional. Perhaps Niccol was trying to make a
statement about the connection we make with human beings and how it is
impossible to duplicate that connection with a digital creation. Perhaps
somebody should get him to talk to George Lucas...
  
- 6.5/10
Liam Cullin -
Editor-in-Chief
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