Synopsis
The career and personal life of writer Lee are at a standstill, so he divorces his bashful wife, Robin, and dives into a new job as an entertainment journalist. His assignments take him to the swankiest corners of Manhattan, but as he jumps from one lavish party to another and engages in numerous empty romances, he starts to doubt the worth of his work. Meanwhile, top TV producer Tony falls for Robin and introduces her to the world of celebrity.
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Cast
- Kenneth BranaghLee Simon
- Judy DavisRobin Simon
- Joe MantegnaTony Gardella
- Leonardo DiCaprioBrandon
- Charlize TheronSupermodel
- Winona RyderNola
- Melanie GriffithNicole Oliver
- Famke JanssenBonnie
- Bebe NeuwirthNina - the Hooker
- Patti D'ArbanvilleIris
Recommendations
- 80
L.A. Weekly
Celebrity is one of Woody Allen’s finest. This is a minority opinion….But I prefer Allen when he works in a minor key – “Broadway Danny Rose,” “Radio Days” --precisely because he’s not trying to be profound, only true to firsthand observation. - 70
Dallas Observer
Here Branagh and his writer-director have managed something more haunting than town-square self-flagellation: they've created a man whose appetites will always be greater than his abilities. And for an artist like Woody Allen, who possesses plenty of both, there can be no scarier fate on the planet. - 67
Entertainment Weekly
Allen's canniest hire of all is Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays a bratty, destructive young star, juicing the proceedings with a power surge that subsides as soon as he exits. - 63
Chicago Sun-Times
The movie's shot in black and white; Allen is one of the rare and valuable directors who sometimes insists in working in the format that is the soul of cinema. - 50
Christian Science Monitor
The idea of a Woody Allen movie about fame is enticing, but a meandering screenplay and uninspired acting make this one of his thinnest, tinniest films. - 50
Newsweek
Shot in crisp black and white, this homage to "La Dolce Vita" nonetheless lacks the charm and energy of Fellini's farcical original. - 40
Chicago Reader
Woody Allen at his most inconsequential and insubstantial; don't expect to remember this black-and-white throwaway of comic sketches five minutes after it's over. - 30
Austin Chronicle
Purportedly a seriocomic contemplation on a civilization that's lost its way, the movie jabs at America's fascination with its false idols without ever hitting its target.
