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S1m0ne (2002)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Andrew Niccol (written by)
Release Date:
23 August 2002 (USA)
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Tagline:
A star is... created. more
Plot:
A producer's film is endangered when his star walks off, so he decides to digitally create an actress to substitute for the star, becoming an overnight sensation that everyone thinks is a real person. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 nomination
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NewsDesk:
(16 articles)
Meyer's The Host Coming to the Big Screen
(From shocktillyoudrop. 23 September 2009)
First Concept Art for Andrew Niccol's New Film The Cross
(From FirstShowing.net. 15 September 2009, 11:27 PM, PDT)
(From shocktillyoudrop. 23 September 2009)
First Concept Art for Andrew Niccol's New Film The Cross
(From FirstShowing.net. 15 September 2009, 11:27 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "Showbiz people are so phony"
more (216 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Al Pacino | ... | Viktor Taransky | |
| Benjamin Salisbury | ... | Production Assistant | |
| Winona Ryder | ... | Nicola Anders | |
| Darnell Williams | ... | Studio Executive #1 | |
| Jim Rash | ... | Studio Executive #2 | |
| Ron Perkins | ... | Studio Executive #3 | |
| Jay Mohr | ... | Hal Sinclair | |
| Catherine Keener | ... | Elaine Christian | |
| Evan Rachel Wood | ... | Lainey Christian Taransky | |
| Jeffrey Pierce | ... | Kent | |
| Jeff Williams | ... | Man in Suit | |
| Rachel Roberts | ... | Simone (as Simone) | |
| Mitzi Martin | ... | Premiere Audience Member | |
| Carole Androsky | ... | Premiere Audience Member (as Carol Androsky) | |
| Christopher Neiman | ... | Premiere Audience Member |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Simone (USA) (alternative spelling)
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MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some sensuality.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
117 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Canada:G (Alberta/British Columbia/Quebec) |
Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) |
Iceland:L |
Argentina:13 |
Australia:PG |
Brazil:Livre |
Finland:S |
France:U |
Germany:6 |
Netherlands:AL |
Peru:PT |
Philippines:PG-13 |
Singapore:PG |
South Korea:15 |
Spain:T |
Sweden:Btl |
UK:PG |
USA:PG-13
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The name "Nicola Anders" (Winona Ryder), is an obvious reference to writer/director Andrew Niccol.
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Goofs:
Continuity: While Viktor is conducting talk show "Good morning, good day" with Simone, different items (ashtray, a bottle of beer, a glass, a pen) appear and disappear on the table on his right between shots.
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Movie Connections:
References 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
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Soundtrack:
Requiem - Pie Jesu
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (216 total)
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By Greg Ursic
Many people bemoan the loss of the Hollywood mystique, when contract actors were essentially owned by the studios and lived glamorous, carefully tailored lives, and were surrounded by an air of mystery. The public however is just as much to blame for this - our insatiable need to know everything - how much the stars earn, who they're dating, what they're addicted to ... - has left them then without any semblance of privacy. It's amazing that today's superstars don't immolate under the spotlight's glare. While the days of discovering the next screen legend in ice cream parlours may be over, they may soon be created over a banana split...
For Viktor Taransky bad things do indeed come in threes, in his case, movies: a former Oscar nominated director, his last three films have been box office dogs. His comeback attempt is apparently dashed when the star ("A supermodel with a SAG card") of his latest film walks out on him citing creative differences. Replacing her seems impossible - as an agent eloquently notes "[For my client] having no credits is better than having a Taransky credit." He also learns that rock bottom can always be adjusted when the studio chief - who also happens to be his ex-wife - lets him know that he's being fired. Distraught and demoralized, Viktor's salvation appears in the guise a seemingly deranged genius who offers him the ultimate software for the director who can't find a star - who says you can't make em like you used to?
For those accustomed to Al Pacino's typical cast of characters -serious, dark and brooding, with an intensity level that never drops below 10, Viktor Taranksy is a refreshing change. As the real (read: flesh and blood) star of the film, Viktor is a man with a quandary - a director with integrity and vision, who actually sees beyond the box office, he must perpetrate a hoax, to get his film made and salvage his career. Pacino is appropriately low key and morose- even when Viktor should be bathing in the glow of success there is a palpable manic undercurrent and sense of foreboding. The supporting cast is a mixed blessing.
Catherine Keener, who plays Elaine, Viktor's ex-wife (her second role as a Hollywood executive in as many months), has suprisingly little presence in the film - her dialogue is light and her character is relatively inconsequential. I can only assume that this was done so as not to detract from the other adult female lead (see below). Evan Rachel Wood, delivers a solid performance as the daughter, supplying maturity and offering sage advice to her self-involved immature parents. Of course the real star is Simone.
As a synthespian, (or as the designer of S1MøNE software notes "The pc term is "vactor") Simone is happy with every script she receives, never complains about her perks and will never age - a director's dream. Though sultry and seductive, she projects a soothing screen presence, and you feel the symbiosis between her and Viktor. It wasn't until the credits started rolling that I realized Simone really was a computer generated image (this is confirmed by both the press kit and everything I've been able to find on the internet) and is a composite of Hollywood leading ladies from the past (drawn from the "Legends Library").
Although marketed as a comedy, "Simone" highlights the growing impact of technology on how we perceive reality. While moviegoers have come to expect special effects in their films, most don't realize the extent to which they are actually utilized - it is not uncommon for actors to be made thinner, or taller, with the click of a mouse. Several films have already employed synthespians to perform difficult stunts and last year's Final Fantasy showed how far the technology had come (bankrupting a movie company in the process). Simone demonstrates that actors themselves may soon be in jeopardy. Of course there are other issues lurking in the background: will we be faced with the spectre of Jimmy Stewart in Scary Movie 6 or Grace Kelly hawking feminine hygiene products? More disturbing is the possibility that in the near future the news reports we're watching could be wholly fictional and we would have no way of knowing? But that's more than enough paranoia for one review.
The first half of Simone is both fun and engaging as the public's thirst for knowledge about Simone grows: co-stars brag about partying with her, people say that she speaks to something in them because she is so real (irony at its best), and Simone reaches virtual demigoddess status. Unfortunately, the manic pace and almost giddy feel of the film begins to wane in the second half, meandering between different plot elements, and winding up in a too perfect conclusion.
Go for the matinee and stay for the popcorn.