Michael_Elliott Celebrity (1998) ** (out of 4) Disappointing feature from writer-director Woody Allen has him taking shots of celebrities but the end result is just bland. Kenneth Branagh plays a Manhattan entertainment writer who starts to lose control of his life after getting a divorce from his wife (Judy Davis). A year later he's trying to get a script and novel off the ground while his ex hits a string of good luck after suffering a breakdown. CELEBRITY was mangled by critics when it was released but over the past few years it seems to have gained a small cult following but this time out I must say I'm on the side of the critics. I'm sure there were some good ideas going around Allen's head but whatever happened between his mind and paper is something rather shocking because the problem here is without question his screenplay. It's weird to think but at 113- minutes this here is actually one of the longest running films from Allen and what's so amazing is that it probably says the least. The film is certainly trying to make fun of rich New Yorkers and stuck-up and spoiled Hollywood types but there's never any hint of insider's knowledge and it's as if Allen didn't want to go all out. I'd probably go as far as to call the screenplay lazy. Just take a look at a young, violent actor played by Leonardo DiCaprio. The entire sequence with him screaming and trying to beat up his girlfriend just comes off very weak. You even have a bit with a model (Charlize Theron) who has an orgasm no matter where she's touched. Neither of these segments are any good but the sad thing is that they're perhaps the best stuff in the film. Another problem I had was with the performance by Branagh. There's no question that he's one of the most talented actors out there but he's just horrible playing what's basically a version of Woody Allen. The mannerisms don't work and the actor just never captures that nervous twitch of Allen. One of the best performances in the film actually goes to Winonna Ryder playing a love interest in the film. Davis is also pretty good in her role but the screenplay doesn't do her character any favors. Michael Lerner, Joe Mantegna, Gretchen Mol and Melanie Griffith round out the supporting cast. CELEBRITY is without question a rare misfire from Allen. The only real thing going for it is the brilliant cinematography by Sven Nykvist who makes the film look a lot better than it actually is.

dfwforeignbuff I saw this film in 1998 on the big screen & again Feb 20 2010. Lee Simon, unsuccessful journalist & wanna-be novelist, tries to get a foot into the door with celebrities. After divorcing his wife Robin, Lee gets to meet a lot folks of the rich & / or beautiful, partly through journalism, partly because he has a script to offer. But life among those from out-of-this-world is hard, & his putative success always results in defeat. Meanwhile Robin meets a very desirable TV-producer & takes the first steps in the world of celebrities herself. This film is really a marriage mid-life crisis type movie about luck. Who has luck & who does not have luck (actually they have rotten luck). The film is done in black & white. Kenneth Branagh plays the Woody Allen role. The film has a huge roster of celebrities in big roles & many big parts with this all star cast. If you were a famous somebody actor in 1998 YOU WERE IN THIS MOVIE!! HAHAH. Branagh does a terrific job-he is fantastic in this role. Kenneth Branagh does a wicked Woody Allen imitation, and what's most fun about it is that Allen wrote and directed the picture. Is Allen lampooning himself? Was it Branagh's idea? Who decided how far to take it? And what does this all mean in Allen's ongoing dialogue with his viewers. Branagh gives us the quintessence of Woodyism. This goes a good deal beyond the average nightclub comic's Allen shtick. What Branagh offers is a finesse job of skewering, homing in precisely on his target's speech patterns and mannerisms. I disagree with many in that I do not feel like this is just another Woody Allen movie & he is just doing all the stuff over again. Boy is that wrong. This is his best film since Deconstructing Harry & Husbands & Wives. The film is hilarious but deep--like his best films. It explores our obsession with celebrities & the media's obsession with them. He embarks on a string of neo-Felliniesque encounters with the rogue's gallery of celebrity actors who bring out the best in Allen's barbed dialogue. The movie seems timelier now than in 1998. This movie is one of my favorite Woody films of the '90s, & one of his most underrated. It's also visually beautiful, in black & white with that nice the photography of Manhattan. Cast wise there is great ensemble work here, with both witty & intelligent writing from Allen & amusing set-pieces, & excellent cinematography/photography. Allen's carefully crafted, anti-celebrity image -- the shunning of interviews and so on -- is just as much a celebrity image as anything he makes fun of here. But Allen remains a very potent fantasy figure for critics and moviegoers who want to see him as something like America's resident European filmmaker, untouched by the vagaries and vulgarities of the industry he works in. His familiar, formalized, art-film aesthetic reinforces that perception. It's impressive that, in the age of blockbusters, Allen has managed to keep making movies his way. Here he captures that vapid, empty malaise of celebrity life in a hysterical way. Five stars WAY better today than when I saw it on the big screen in 1998

don_corleone1385 I saw this movie a few days ago,and I loved it like any other Woody Allen movie.And I don't get why so many people hate this movie and also critics.some say this film s too explicit and etc.I think the story and the dialoges were great.One of the best things in this film was the Cinematography which was fascinating.And the actings imo are at the top.Especially,Judy Davis,Winona Ryder and Joe Mantegna did excellent performances and deserved nominations,and about Kenneth Branagh,many say is terrible in this because of doing a Woody Allen impression,but I can't agree with that.I think he showed his versatility and did a very sharp performance. Afteral,I think this movie didn't get enough credit as it deserved and is a very very underrated and btw misunderstood film.

Petri Pelkonen The opening scene shows us movie making in the city of New York and Beethoven's 5th is playing.The skywriting says HELP.Woody Allen's Celebrity (1998) steps into the surreal world of famous people.Allen himself isn't seen in this movie.Kenneth Branagh takes his place playing Lee Simon, unsuccessful journalist, wanna-be novelist.But things don't often go his way and his ex-wife Robin (Judy Davis) has more luck in life.Kenneth Branagh, who is a Shakespearian actor really, surprises the viewers with his imitation of Woody.All the manners are there,the stutter, the neuroticism and all.This movie is filled with great celebrities.There's Melanie Griffith (Nicole Oliver), there's Winona Ryder (Nola), there's Charlize Theron (Supermodel), there's Leonardo DiCaprio (Brandon Darrow) and so on.Joe Mantegna does a terrific job playing Tony Gardella.Hank Azaria visits as David.Allen's movie from ten years back was made black and white.That was a good decision.Celebrity is a fine movie that criticizes the world these people live in.All the shallowness and stuff.Woody Allen is a good writer, and even though this isn't his best work it still does have the qualities of a good movie.