Kirpianuscus
For many motifs I see this film as special. For atmosphere, for Romanian actors performances, for an inspired portrait of Modigliani. And for the nuances of battle against Picasso . Short, a real interesting biopic.
SnoopyStyle
It's around 1919 Paris. Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani (Andy Garcia) is in heated competition with the angry pompous Pablo Picasso (Omid Djalili). Modigliani is a confident flamboyant Jew in love with the Catholic Jeanne Hébuterne (Elsa Zylberstein). She has a child with him that her disapproving father won't allow him to even see. Modigliani needs money to take and raise his child. There is an annual art competition that nobody good enters and Modigliani signs up for it. This draws Picasso into the competition.This movie opens with the most decisive of all disclaimer about how fictional this movie is. I'm sure the lawyers had a field day but they should have kept it much simpler. I think it's actually possible to make a fictional movie about real people. The movie itself is a scrambled prodding tired mess. It moves in a confused timeline jigsaw. I'm sure that I missed plenty of stuff. Sometimes things don't get explained well. It also doesn't help that the international cast are all doing their own different accents. Andy Garcia is always magnetic but he is never anybody other than Andy Garcia. He needs to stretch out his acting to create other personalities because he is the same character in every movie since 'The Untouchables'. And quite frankly, this movie is way too long trying to do too much without any kind of central vision. The style is all over the place. Some of it is interesting, but most of it look like a cheap TV movie trying to look grand. There are also some strange choices like a skinny model playing a woman doctor in 1919. I haven't seen anything else from writer/director Mick Davis. He seems to be a man desperately trying to make an art film. This movie had more ambition than capabilities.
pabloruizpicasso
I agree with the comments about the lack of truth in this movie, regarding the facts in the life of Modigliani. I would like to comment on the casting of Picasso. Some viewers are impressed with the actor; obviously they know nothing about Picasso and haven't seen his pictures. When I first saw the "Picasso" in this film I was so shocked and disgusted I wanted to quit and not watch it any more. (May be it was a good idea - I would've saved an hour or so). Picasso was nothing like this physically - he was athletic, robust, virile,oozing sexual power. He was Spaniard. Nothing like the greasy, obese, fat-nosed actor in the movie who looked more like an aged Middle Easterner with dyed hair (well, he is actually from Iran). To sum it up - regarding not only the casting of Picasso but the whole story - this is a very bad film, made by people who not only had no idea about the artists concerned, but they even had no interest to research the period, the place, the art scene. Their only concern was to make some easy dollar for the simple fact that most people have no information about Modigliani, his life and friends, and will take everything in the movie for a fact.This is one of the worst films I have ever seen in my life, this is for sure. Picasso and Modigliani were spinning in their graves when this pretentious insult to their memory was made!
NoGreenGus
Ignore any negative criticism you may have read about this film and just see it. Andy Garcia gives his best performance ever in this piece. The entire cast is excellent, the costumes are amazing, and the sets are fantastic. The audience is drawn into the genius of Modigliani very eloquently, and the tension between Picasso and Modigliani is portrayed in an engaging and creative manner. I won't continue on with affected accolades on this one. Simply put, it's a great rent! Of course, you can criticize any film. I would have liked to have seen a little more of the unique artistic genius of Modigliani portrayed, but that is a minor gripe.
