Back in 2007 Guillaume Canat directed a brilliant adaption of Harlan Coben's fine literary thriller Tell No One. I say this, as I'm just wondering what possessed him to turn the cameras on to himself to make this 2 hour+ one joke vanity project. He really has demonstrated in the past he can do a lot better than making a quasi-documentary about an inherent aspect of the film industry, that historically anyway, has affected women far more than men and ironically, to a lesser extent in France.
Canat (and just about every one else) plays a stylised version of himself, who in a mid-life crisis suddenly begins to feel his age, working in an industry that generally places high value on youthful looks and appearances. Pretty much the whole movie lays out in minute detail, his reactions and responses to this mental mind-set and I personally found the downbeat ending in this low-brow, overlong satire, pretty depressing.
There are some bright spots. Many will find the real life cameos undoubtedly amusing. I found the Ben Foster segment, where he is casting for a young lead in his new (fictional) directing project, genuinely funny. The trouble is there are too many repeated variations on this theme, scattered throughout Rock'n Roll. The scenes involving Marion Cotillard (his real life partner) are good too. Cotillard gives a sincere performance that few would not appreciate. However, though the ostensible second lead, the focus of the movie is on Canat and unfortunately Cotillard disappears offscreen for long stretches.
The film plainly serves as a critique of the entertainment industry's ridiculous obsession with youth and good looks that lead many individuals to make drastic decisions about their physical appearance. But the direction and narrative of this feature hammers and belabours the point, instead of making it in a more subtle and witty fashion.
Canat (and just about every one else) plays a stylised version of himself, who in a mid-life crisis suddenly begins to feel his age, working in an industry that generally places high value on youthful looks and appearances. Pretty much the whole movie lays out in minute detail, his reactions and responses to this mental mind-set and I personally found the downbeat ending in this low-brow, overlong satire, pretty depressing.
There are some bright spots. Many will find the real life cameos undoubtedly amusing. I found the Ben Foster segment, where he is casting for a young lead in his new (fictional) directing project, genuinely funny. The trouble is there are too many repeated variations on this theme, scattered throughout Rock'n Roll. The scenes involving Marion Cotillard (his real life partner) are good too. Cotillard gives a sincere performance that few would not appreciate. However, though the ostensible second lead, the focus of the movie is on Canat and unfortunately Cotillard disappears offscreen for long stretches.
The film plainly serves as a critique of the entertainment industry's ridiculous obsession with youth and good looks that lead many individuals to make drastic decisions about their physical appearance. But the direction and narrative of this feature hammers and belabours the point, instead of making it in a more subtle and witty fashion.