CQ (2001)

A young filmmaker in 1960s Paris juggles directing a cheesy sci-fi debacle, directing his own personal art film, coping with his crumbling relationship with his girlfriend, and a new-found infatuation with the sci-fi film's starlet.

Director:

Roman Coppola

Writer:

Roman Coppola

Stars:

Jeremy Davies, Angela Lindvall, Élodie Bouchez

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Davies	...	Paul
Angela Lindvall	...	Dragonfly / Valentine
Élodie Bouchez	...	Marlene
Gérard Depardieu	...	Andrezej
Giancarlo Giannini	...	Enzo
Massimo Ghini	...	Fabrizio
Jason Schwartzman	...	Felix DeMarco
Billy Zane	...	Mr. E
John Phillip Law	...	Chairman
Silvio Muccino	...	Pippo
Dean Stockwell	...	Dr. Ballard
Natalia Vodianova	...	Brigit
Bernard Verley	...	Trailer Voiceover Actor
L.M. Kit Carson	...	Fantasy Critic
Chris Bearne	...	Fantasy Critic

Storyline

Paris, 1969. The filming of a sci-fi movie set in the distant year 2000 is in trouble. The director's obsession with the actress who plays the sexy secret agent Dragonfly has clouded his judgment and the film has no ending. A young American, in Paris to document his life on film with total honesty, is brought in to finish the movie with a bang. This proves to be difficult when the line between his fantasy life and reality becomes blurred, and he finds himself seduced by the charms of Dragonfly.

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Plot Keywords:

dragonfly | secret agent | infatuation | 1960s | actress | 

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Taglines:

What is Real? What is Art? What is...the End?

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Genres:

Drama | Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

MGM [United States] - trailer, synopsis

Country:

USA Luxembourg France Italy

Language:

English French

Release Date:

29 January 2003 (France)

Filming Locations:

Luxembourg

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$54,942 (USA) (24 May 2002)

Gross:

$411,034 (USA) (6 September 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Artists, American Zoetrope, Delux Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min 91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After being fired, Andrezej puts his fist through the screening room door. This is a reference to Francis Ford Coppola (father of director Roman Coppola) and his short temper. In fact, when the editors get a framed section of the destroyed wall, it is actually a portion of a wall the elder Coppola wrecked in his early directing days.

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Goofs

During the chase scene, Dragonfly scrapes and destroys almost all of the rear left-side "winglet" on the white sports car she is driving, yet in the next shot, the winglet is seen to be completely intact and undamaged.

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Quotes

Paul: You have, um... an eyelash right here. If you blow on it you can make a wish.
Valentine: I wish cats could talk.

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Connections

References Contempt (1963)

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Soundtracks

"Tous en scene"
Written and Performed by Paul Piot

User Reviews

Lost in Distribution

Sofia Coppola may have got all the kudos with The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation, but, from a 60s movie buff's point of view, the other Coppola kid, Roman, turned out an even more enjoyable feature, CQ. Shame that no-one saw it. Barely released in the US (and not released at all in most countries), it's an engaging little number that pits underground cinema against Eurotrash movie-making at a time when people still thought even pulp cinema could be the stuff of revolution (1969-70 to be precise).

A riff on Sullivan's Travels and 8½, it sees Jeremy Davies' editor of Franco-Italian co-pro 'Codename: Dragonfly' struggling to come up with a new ending while making his own personal film with borrowed equipment. Oh, and falling in love with the fictional main character, confusing film and reality (not only is he too busy documenting 'the truth' of his life to see it around him but he even enters the film to sort out a plot hole) and possibly being targeted for retribution by Gerard Depardieu's fired firebrand director. (The door panel that Depardieu breaks that is later framed and given to the editors is actually one that Francis Ford Coppola smashed on one of his films!) Filled with sly 60s cinema references from Fellini to Warhol (even the trailer he cuts for the film is inspired by the one for Dr Strangelove) and with some character touches straight out of James Joyce, the visual influence is much more Danger: Diabolik than Barbarella (John Phillip Law even appears in the film within the film), and Dean Tavoularis' spot-on production design and Robert Yeoman's superb photography are both pitch-perfect. Davies, so irritating in Soderbergh's disastrous Solaris, is quietly fine here, Jason Schwartzman has fun as a bizarre hybrid of a young papa Coppola mixed with Roger Corman via Austin Powers, Giancarlo Giannini does Dino De Laurentiis to a tee (with Sofia Coppola cameoing as his mistress), and there's good work from Dean Stockwell and Massimo Ghini as well. At the end of the day there's not much there, but Coppola's love of movie-making makes it surprisingly joyful to watch if you're in a receptive mood.