97% The Artist

Full disclosure: I finally caught up with this picture after months of hearing critics and fans alike heap their seemingly boundless praise upon it. Eager as I was to be the contrarian, the film did not warrant my scorn.First off, the acting was stellar by the entire cast. Especially Dujardin, who is an absolute delight to watch. He is animated and alluring, without being too over the top.Secondly, with the overall silent film style aside (e.g., black and white, 22 fps, title cards, 4:3 aspect ratio), there were some very creative moments where Hazanavicius utilizes sound and layering to great effect. His knack for visual storytelling really shines through in many key scenes and makes for constant entertainment. However, although impressively told, I found the story to be a little thin. I mean, I understand the basic premise, "In a world saturated with sound, a silent film star struggles to find his voice", but so what?Why do I care about him finding his voice in any way? Very little light is shed on the main character's motivations other than he desperately wants to be a star. For a film brimming with so many "emotional" moments, I surprisingly felt little, good or bad, for any of the characters on screen. While I love the style, I need a little substance to make it more than just a spectacle. However, a lot of this is just a knee-jerk reaction to the aforementioned excessive praise it has received. I truly did get caught up in the nostalgia for this bygone era. The opening scene alone made me long for a time when going to the theater was an event as opposed to another dark room where people carry on their lascivious smart-phone activities. When all is said and done, this film is most definitely worth a watch. But one cannot easily shake the feeling that Hazanavicius missed one hell of an opportunity to make an extraordinary film.

February 7, 2012

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_artist/

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