The Artist

Starring: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, Penelope Ann Miller, James Cromwell, Malcolm McDowell
Directed by: Michel Hazanavicius
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A silent movie star (Jean Dujardin) struggles with the shift towards talking movies in 1920s Hollywood.

Review:

Tim: The Artist is an absolutely fascinating movie. By some miracle, a silent movie made in 2011 becomes extremely popular, and wins the Academy Award for Best Picture. A silent movie hasn't won Best Picture since 1929. That's an astonishing 82 years. The fact that a silent movie worked in today's world is nothing short of an incredible achievement. Of course, you have the nostalgia factor, but you still need audiences to sit through a 100 minute movie with no words or sounds, other than music. That's incredible. The bravery to do this movie today should definitely be rewarded.

So, I definitely applaud The Artist and everyone involved with an amazing achievement. Making a popular silent movie in the age of $200 million special effects blockbusters is truly amazing. For that reason, this movie should be instantly granted classic status. I really enjoyed the film and I marveled at its very existence. Unfortunately, however, I didn't love the film.

This is really hard for me to admit because I very much enjoy the silent films of the 1920s, and anything that highlights that time or gets people interested in those films is definitely something I would support. As much as I wanted to love this movie, I simply could not. The film is very good, solidly made, well acted, and all that. Unfortunately, I just don't believe it is a great movie.

I liked Jean Dujardin as George Valentin. He perfectly embodies that 1920s silent movie star quality. He's exactly the right person for this part. However, I didn't love his character. I couldn't really connect with him at all. He's so full of himself, and at least contemplates cheating on his wife. He flirts with other women, while ignoring his wife at home. There's nothing particularly likable about him. He's incredibly cocky and full of himself. So, when the silent picture era ends and he finds his life turned upside down, I never felt any real emotion along his journey. He is an interesting and semi-tragic character, but Dujardin never gives me a reason to truly care about him. This is a huge issue I had with the film. While Dujardin definitely deserves acclaim for bringing this silent movie star to life, I felt like his inability to get me to love his character was a big issue. I'm a bit surprised he won Best Actor at the Academy Awards.

Berenice Bejo was certainly good as Peppy Miller. Again, she deserves credit for being exactly what you'd imagine a silent movie star would be like. However, I don't think she deserved the Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Yes, she gives a very energetic performance, but I never really connected with her character. Sure, it's a little harder to accomplish this when you don't say a single line of dialogue, but that's what made silent movie stars so impressive. The lengths she goes to for Valentin is impressive, but what is her motivation? Is it love? Is it regret, or guilt, or compassion? Is it some combination of these? I felt like this aspect of the story was a little underplayed.

The supporting cast is fine. John Goodman was fun to see as a director, but he doesn't have a whole lot to do. I loved seeing Penelope Ann Miller on screen, but again, her screen time is quite limited. James Cromwell was a terrific addition, and does manage to make a positive impact in his few scenes. The cast overall is quite impressive, but they don't all get enough time to add value to the film.

One scene I loved was the dream sequence where Dujardin "hears" the sound effects around him. This was a fantastic, almost meta scene. It really made you realize what silent films were missing- and those sounds that suddenly pervade our ears were a bit jarring. It was the best scene of the entire film for me. Unfortunately, it wasn't well connected to the scenes that follow, and almost was forgotten by the end.

I thought the story was good, but a bit melodramatic. I followed along, but I was never truly invested in the characters. It felt a bit long at 100 minutes and certainly dragged in a few places. The story is likely one of redemption, but the redemption element was fumbled a bit. What did George Valentin do to get himself relevant again? Did he realize the error of his ways? Was he truly humbled and sorry for his previous actions? I never got a good sense of that. I know that he was depressed and miserable because his glamorous life had evaporated, but I didn't feel like there was truly a transformation or change in him. His actions at the end speak more to desperation than anything else. I'm sure there are other ways to look at this, but I simply didn't see the evolution of this character to the extent I should have.

While I believe The Artist is a very good movie, I think critics definitely overrated it. I think this is due to the novelty of the whole thing. Hollywood loves movies about Hollywood, so a silent picture about silent film stars would definitely be right up their alley. Plus, it's a black-and-white silent film released in 2011. It's the little film that you simply want to root for. Plus, the movie is a very good silent film on its own right, so absolutely, pile the love on. Unfortunately, the story and the characters don't hold up. This is a movie I loved the idea of, but couldn't love the execution. I did very much enjoy the film, but I simply wouldn't claim this was the best film of 2011.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Wings, The Apartment, Hugo, The Mark of Zorro