|
"This
'Muse' Doesn't Amuse"
by Scott Mantz
"The Muse"
Albert Brooks, Sharon Stone,
Andie MacDowell
Directed by Albert Brooks
We live in a
time where everyone from California to the New York Islands can
talk about what's happening in Tinseltown. Thanks to magazines like
"Entertainment Weekly", "Movieline", and "Premiere", as well as
TV shows like "Entertainment Tonight" and "Access Hollywood", the
discussion at the dinner table can range from "How was your day,
Honey" to "Can you believe that 'The Sixth Sense' was number one
at the box office again?". In short, show business is everybody's
business, and entertainment news is, well, news. Proven by the success
of "Bowfinger", movies that make fun of movies are not limited to
those who live within 30 miles of the 310 area code.
However, take
a show-biz satire and put it in the hands of Albert Brooks, and
the result is a much smaller target audience. Let's face it--Brooks,
like Woody Allen, is definitely an acquired taste, and even fans
of Brooks' sulky, self-pitying humor will not be amused by "The
Muse". While we were able to laugh at his self scrutiny during "Lost
in America" and "Defending Your Life", here he finally comes across
as merely annoying.
Steven Phillips
(Albert Brooks) is an award-winning screenwriter who's best days
are behind him. When he gets fired from Paramount for losing his
"edge", he goes to his successful screenwriter-friend (Jeff Bridges)
for advice. He tells Steven about Sarah (Sharon Stone), a descendant
of Zeus, or a Muse, who helped inspire his creativity. Steven pleads
with Sarah to help him get his "edge" back. She'll help, but he
will have to be at her beckoning call 24 hours a day and adhere
to her very lengthy, and very expensive, demands.
It's hard to
feel sorry for Steven. Even though his concerns about providing
for his family are real, he becomes less sympathetic when Sarah
helps his wife Laura (Andie MacDowell) start a successful cookie
business. The threat is gone now that money is coming in, but Steven
becomes jealous and self-absorbed (hey, that's Hollywood!) when
he should be happy and grateful that his money problems are over.
Stone finally
gets a chance to break free from her serious roles, and it's obvious
that she's having fun. She provides some naive charm while still
utilizing her demanding screen presence. However, given the material
she has to work with, she never gets a chance to really take off
with the role. Likewise for MacDowell, who turns in a routine performance
as Laura.
"The Muse" has
its moments. When Brooks collects a Humanitarian Award at the beginning
of he film, his speech is an obvious dig to James Cameron's embarrassing
Academy Award acceptance speech for "Titanic". Even more ironic
is the cameo Cameron makes, asking Sarah for advice on a sequel
to his epic film. In another cameo, Martin Scorcese is so energetic,
he could be the next poster boy for Starbuck's Coffee. Other cameos
by Rob Reiner, Jennifer Tilly, and Lorenzo Lamas recall amusing
scenes from another Hollywood satire, "The Player".
Ultimately,
"The Muse" starts out with strong promise, but it doesn't deliver
the goods. Certain scenes are merely episodic to provide humor to
the film, but even they aren't very funny. It makes you wonder where
the Muse was when Brooks was making this movie. Better luck next
time.
|
