Cannes Man

This is an oddball film that Jaime and I watched for our podcast, Depp Dive: A Depper Look into Johnny's Feature Filmography. In hindsight, this isn't a great one to watch when exploring the films of Johnny Depp, since he's only a cameo here. I'll be honest though; this is a mockumentary that sucked me in. Jaime wasn't as big a fan, but since the movie and the industry behind it fascinates me, this was wild.

The plot here is that Sy Lerner (Seymour Cassel) has passed away. We are at his funeral, which is mostly attended by his former secretaries, his widow of Rebecca (Rebecca Broussard) and Frank 'Rhino' Rhinoslavsky (Francesco Quinn). This man goes into telling the wild tale of how Sy won a bet at Cannes film festival by making him the talk of it and pitching people on a movie that he made up on the spot.

One of the best parts is the fact that Frank Rhino goes to Cannes as a courier. I love the fact that he's bringing promotional material to Lloyd Kaufman (as himself) for a movie he brought there. He helps but doesn't have a place to stay and discovers everything is book. Sy makes a bet with Jim Stark (as himself) and things go wild from there as they sucker in the likes of John Malkovich, Dennis Hopper, Peter Gallagher, Frank Whaley, Lara Flynn Boyle, Depp and Jim Jarmusch, all playing themselves.

I should then shift here that I love what they did by going to Cannes, finding these people and then getting them to have cameos as fictionalized versions of themselves. Adding to that, none of them trust Sy and that adds to hilarity. There are more that I didn't include like Chris Penn who tries to avoid Sy. He makes comments about these this producer did. There's charm in the acting here that doesn't need it to be great, but it is still fun.

I'll then finish out with filmmaking. There is an intimate feel that you'd get with a documentary. It looks like it was filmed with more handheld cameras. I'd go as far to say that many of the shots probably weren't planned. It feels like someone just doing a home video at Cannes and this is what we got. For me, that adds realism and I could see the characters being who they are. Not one I can recommend to everyone, but if you like more behind the scenes ideas and how it seems deals like this get made, check this out.

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

I've been to Cannes, and this is EXACTLY what it's like to be there. Not to mention that Johnny Depp and Jim Jarmusch do one of the most hilarious cameos I've ever seen. Seymour Cassel has never been funnier, and this film captures the indie icon like he's never been captured before. I saw this film at a screening in LA not long ago, and wonder why it didn't make it to the theaters. Look for Ann Cusack as a buyer who gets ripped off by Sy Lerner (Cassell) and Robert Evans telling a story about his glory days.

Seymour Cassel is simply hilarious as Sy Lerner,plot is funny and interesting through the whole time- Frank 'Rhino' Rhinoslavsky (Quinn) is a dumb part-time cab driver in New York who wants to break into film business. He doesn't have anything to offer, and just thinks that he can start at the top, as a writer. Opportunity knocks on Frank's door when he goes to the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France to deliver some props to Troma, Inc.

So, he meets Sy Lerner (Seymor Cassel), perhaps a bigger loser in movie business and as each person interviewed in this mockumentary, he has made a fool out of a lot of industry executives and cost them plenty of money. Lerner makes a bet with his friend that he can take any shmoe off the street and turn them into the biggest success around. And Frank is his shmoe. 'Rhino' is going to create the same success by letting others do all the work.

Sy Lerner takes on Frank as his pet project. He shows Frank how to dress and behave, tells him how to respond when being interviewed such as never saying too much, and always being ambiguous. Then Sy Lerner comes up with the vehicle for Frank's reputation, by naming him the writer of a new movie. Only the movie doesn't exist and Frank isn't a writer. And, even knowing Lerner's reputation, people buy into the garbage. And now, everyone wants a piece of that action. Lerner and Frank (now given a fitting industry name of "Frank Rhino") have everyone knocking down their door, popular directors, big name producers, and famous actors (including Johnny Depp and Jim Jarmusch). Interviews, press opportunities, everything: Frank is the "Cannes Man," and he didn't have to do much to get it. So, they are at the Cannes Film Festival. It's where deals get made, producers get laid, and stars get paid. It's where all the movie industry meets to buy and sell all the movies on the planet. And it's where the art of the deal can be filled with more laughs than the deal itself.

The film takes place at the famous Cannes film festival. It's about a producer who, as a bet, tries to hype up a nobody, and make everyone believe he's the greatest writer since Hemmingway. This writer's non-existent story is appropriately called 'Cannes Man', but pronounced 'Con Man'. Lots of cameo appearances by some big names, and pretty funny performance by Johnny Depp. An enjoyable little spoof of the movie industry!

Although the film has a great premise and a good point to make as I was watching it I couldn't help but think how much better it would have been had it been made by Woody Allen. The execution would have been so much better. I can only think they relied too much on improvising and whoever they could presumably talk into participating while they were at Cannes, rather than scripting it all and making it from scratch as Allen would have. Much of the acting isn't quite of a high enough standard either, but none the less its still and enjoyable film to watch.

Trading Places is another film that comes to mind when watching this - along with The Player - and ensemble pieces like Best In Show and This Is Spinal Tap. All of them cover either similar themes, or were made in a similar way, but yielded a better result. Perhaps the difference with Best in Show and Spinal Tap is that their makers had a firmer idea of what each scene was meant to cover before it was improvised, and from the outset they had a stronger script/structure - this film seemed to lack a little in that regard, as well as having some average acting. I thought Sy Lerner's character was a bit confusing too - at the start he seems to be a bit of a schmuck past his best days, yet he still seems to carry a lot of clout and when he starts wheeling and dealing.