THE ARTIST

The Artist (2011)
Grade: A+
Written and Directed by Michael Hazanavicius*
STARRING: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, and Penelope Ann Miller
Premise: A silent movie superstar's career and life hit rock bottom after he refuses to accept talking pictures as the new norm.
*Won Academy Award for Best Director, 2011


Rated PG-13 for intense emotional content, adult themes, and drinking

Spectacular. Delightful. Amazing. All these words and more describe The Artist, the little movie made with good-old-fashioned flair that rode into last year's movie awards season and promptly elbowed The Help, Hugo, The Descendants and Moneyball out of the way to claim all the biggest prizes (including Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor). At that time bewildered that a full-length silent film was getting such accolades, I didn't see it, but, upon getting a chance to rent and watch The Movie of last year, I decided to give it a shot.

Boy, am I glad I did.

Though the story it tells is nothing new (a man made of pride and stubbornness makes all the wrong choices and chases everyone away, only to be saved by the love of a good woman), it's the new-age (or is it old-age?) characteristics that make The Artist great. The Artist takes you back to a time when movies were truly and utterly adored, where movie stars were superb and transcendant and yet somehow more personal. It begs you to be more open, to humble yourself, to not let That One get away, and even while containing less than a half-page of audible dialogue, it does so with real pizzazz. Anyone who doesn't know much about the early years of movies might learn a thing or two, and real movie lovers will be in heaven. Like Martin Scorcese's delightful Hugo, The Artist is a movie that celebrates movies--doing so while giving you plenty of reminders why you go to movies in the first place.

Plot: It's 1927, and movies are all the rage. Theaters everywhere are packed, especially when they're showing the films of George Valentin (a tremendous Jean Dujardin), a looker who's made bank repeatedly in swashbuckling romantic roles. Beloved by moviegoers, pampered by the press and adored by throngs of squealing girls, it's easy for George to laugh off whispers that talkies might be the next Big Thing in movies. But the star himself is unexpectedly caught up in a moment at his latest premier when a young woman (Berenice Bejo, wonderful) stumbles onto the red carpet and bumps into George in front of the crowds and press. She smiles and plays for the cameras and makes for some good pictures and headlines, so George is unconcerned and soaks up the moment. But it inspires the young woman, who heads to an audition at Kinograph Studios and wins a bit part in George's new movie, A German Affair. The two have fantastic chemistry, on and off-camera, and the movie is a hit, but within months George is blindsided by the news that his studio-Kinograph-is ceasing all production of non-talkies. Enraged, he storms into his boss's (John Goodman) office and quits, but not before realizing that the young woman, Peppy Miller, is being touted as one of the new faces of Kinograph. Soon, George's career is dead and his life is falling apart, while Peppy is a superstar in talkies. Yet Peppy hasn't forgotten about George, about the big break he gave her or the tender moments they had making A German Affair, and she knows he could come back if he would only humble himself.

What Works?
That's a long plot synopsis, but in some ways it's too short. Basically, it's about a proud man who won't humble himself, to the point that he starts destroying himself, one bad decision after another. Introducing the audience to the character and then living in him, Jean Dujardin is masterful, depicting George as a man of towering pride and almost pathetic selfishness. But, somehow, you want him to turn it around. He may arrogantly quit his job, fire his chauffer and only real friend (James Cromwell, solid), ignore his beautiful wife (Penelope Ann Miller) and repeatedly reject Peppy's friendly/helpful advances, but you care about him, because you can see how easy it would be for him to right the ship. All he has to do is let go of his pride. It's a tremendous performance, but one that is nearly matched by the effort of Berenice Bejo. Adorable, charming and soulful, Bejo (in my opinion) steals the show. You can't take your eyes off her, and you're humbled by her selfless care for someone like George, who seems hell-bent on hurting himself and everyone around him, the kind of person many would give up on. Bejo was nominated for an Oscar (Supporting Actress), but, unlike her co-star, did not win--she'd have deserved it if she did.

What else works in The Artist? Hmm...let's see...The score (practically the third main character here because of its importance in silent-film format) is superb (it scored composer Ludovic Bource an Oscar), the drama is enveloping, and the moments of reconciliation and second chances just transport you with delight. Like I said, the majority of The Artist is nothing you haven't seen before, but, maybe it's because it's in black-and-white, because it's silent, or because it feels like an original work from cinema's good old days, it affects you more deeply, and you're all the more eager to appreciate it. Oh, and the dancing scenes are great, too.

It's also important to note that though The Artist is a silent film, that doesn't take away from its worthiness as an entertainment. The lack of words is soon forgotten-rather like the subtitles in foreign films-mostly because the situations and themes Hazanavicius's film explores are so familiar. All the most important bits of dialogue and exposition are shown on title cards, though, true to the silent-film formula, including a memorable "BANG!"

What Doesn't Work?
My only quibble is the movie's length. George's downward spiral is depicted in full--cutting one or two scenes wouldn't have been amiss, as you understand the point well in advance of the end of the movie's running time. However, none of those scenes are less well-made than any of the others.

Content: Probably the only time in the modern age you'll ever say this about a PG-13 movie, but there's no cussing to speak of. None at all. What? That's because there's almost no dialogue? Oh... There are some intense instances, including the near-death of one of the main characters, but there's nothing kids can't see. I just don't know if kids (or many adults) in today's instant-gratification, fast-paced world have the patience or attention span for a silent film like this.

Bottom Line (I Promise):Well, whatta ya know? It deserved all those Oscars it won (like Best Picture of the Year, 2011). Chronicling the redemption of an unbelievably selfish character with good-old-fashioned flair, The Artist is a heartfelt celebration of movies at their best. Recommended for the ambitious movie-goer.

The Artist (2011)
Directed (and written for the screen) by Michael Hazanavicius
Length: 100 minutes
Rated PG-13