Big budget French film, which is mostly silent. The plot is set during the coming of sound in Hollywood, with A Star is Born-type story about a top star (Jean Dujardin, very likeable) who seems like a nice chap despite an unhappy marriage (Penelope Ann Miller, looking old). He gets a crush on a young extra (Berenice Bejo), but doesn’t really do much about it, except encourage her to wear a mole. This helps her become a star while his career hits the skids – in part because he blows all his money on a silent film. A Star is Born had genuine emotional kick because the star was a self destructive alcoholic and the girl loved him from the beginning. The relationship here is more of a crush and the star doesn’t have any demons he’s just a bit of a simple idiot. There’s a brief moment where Dujardin can hear sounds but not voices and you think “oh this is where we’re going” – but then it’s over.
It looks terrific, the creation of old Hollywood is lovely, and I got a kick out of seeing Hollywood names in a French film – John Goodman, Miller, Malcolm McDowell, Ed Lauter. There’s a good performance from a dog. But it doesn’t quite work. A mostly full length silent film is heavy going these days (I loved the opening horror film within a film bit - more of this might have helped).
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