|
Review by Susan Granger
3 stars out of 4
Sharon Stone is an irresistible comedienne in Albert Brooks'
slightly surreal send-up of the motion picture business. Taking a
whiny cue from Woody Allen, Brooks plays a skewed version of himself -
a neurotic middle-aged screenwriter, comparing his job with "a eunuch
at an orgy - except that the eunuch can, at least, watch, while the
screenwriter is not even allowed on the set." When he receives a
Humanitarian Award, he facetiously describes a "humanitarian" to his
daughter as "someone who has never won an Oscar." But when he's fired
by a weaselly studio exec who claims he's "lost his edge," even his
agent agrees. Desperate to save his career, he consults his successful
buddy (Jeff Bridges) who admits he owes everything to a Muse - that's
Sharon Stone. As a daughter of Zeus, she gets people in touch with
their creativity. But she's a pampered muse - demanding a suite at the
Four Seasons Hotel ($10,000 a week), limo, and dutiful attendance to
her desires. Frantically, Brooks tries to satisfy her capricious whims
- as does his wife, earnestly played by Andie MacDowell, whom the Muse
encourages to pursue her cookie dream of being the next
Mrs. Fields. And it's funny as Martin Scorese, James Cameron, Rob
Reiner, and Wolfgang Puck pay Tiffany tributes to the divine
diva. Albert Brooks ("Mother," "Defending Your Life," "Lost in
America") is an acute and adept observer of the nutty, ruthless
Hollywood scene, skewering its self-absorption and gullibility, but
his ironic concept fizzles out as he misses some screwball
opportunities with the Muse's legendary use of the magical power of
sex - and his riff on Steven Spielberg falls flat. On the Granger
Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "The Muse" is a droll, satiric 7. It's wryly
amusing, pointing out that people are who you think they are.
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
|
out of 4
