Watching this film I was wondering when and where did we lose our creativity? There are several films in general release that pretend to be more than just an empty, glossy package, and there are many out there, like "Hollywood Dreams" that end up being a puzzle because it is really hard to assess what was going on, and what happened at the end. "Hollywood Dreams" is a heroic effort on the parts of the filmmakers to present an old tale in a fresh way, but it is sabotaged by its overemphasis on trying to be different by trying to hard not to call attention to itself.
There are several complications in this production and they have nothing to do with the actual plot. The casting of the lead actress is in particular, mind boggling, as we see an actress that is either very good and really pulls off the trick of playing a mediocre, unstable performer, or maybe she's just plain awful and doesn't really seem to be trying very hard to do what is expected from her. The problem with her performance is that everyone else in the film is actually fairly descent, even when they seem to be overdoing it. Karen Black is particularly, strong in a role that will help us recall how powerful she was in her golden days.
In the end, this is supposed to fit right in with "The Player", "Annie Hall", and some gems that both praise and skewer the silver screen. However, what we have is a muddled effort that might have benefited from more time in the creative oven.
There are several complications in this production and they have nothing to do with the actual plot. The casting of the lead actress is in particular, mind boggling, as we see an actress that is either very good and really pulls off the trick of playing a mediocre, unstable performer, or maybe she's just plain awful and doesn't really seem to be trying very hard to do what is expected from her. The problem with her performance is that everyone else in the film is actually fairly descent, even when they seem to be overdoing it. Karen Black is particularly, strong in a role that will help us recall how powerful she was in her golden days.
In the end, this is supposed to fit right in with "The Player", "Annie Hall", and some gems that both praise and skewer the silver screen. However, what we have is a muddled effort that might have benefited from more time in the creative oven.