Celebrity (1998)

The fortunes of a husband and wife differ drastically after they divorce.

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen

Stars:

Kenneth Branagh, Judy Davis, Leonardo DiCaprio

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Greg Mottola	...	Director
Jeff Mazzola	...	Assistant Director
Dick Mingalone	...	Camera Operator
Vladimir Bibic	...	Director of Photography
Melanie Griffith	...	Nicole Oliver
Francisco Quijada	...	Erno Delucca
Aleksa Palladino	...	Production Assistant
Dan Moran	...	Jackhammer Operator
Peter Castellotti	...	Sound Recordist (as Pete Castellotti)
A. Lee Morris	...	Second Assistant Cameraperson
Douglas McGrath	...	Bill Gaines
Kenneth Branagh	...	Lee Simon
Maurice Sonnenberg	...	Dalton Freed
Winona Ryder	...	Nola
Craig Ulmschneider	...	Daniel - Production Assistant

Storyline

New York City. Forty year old Lee Simon, a critically panned two time novelist who works as a travel writer (a job he hates) to earn a steady living, tells his shocked wife of sixteen years, English teacher Robin Simon, that he wants a divorce. Although he had not been happy with Robin for some time, she who he feels is a bundle of Catholic repressions and neuroses especially when it comes to sex, Lee finally came to the conclusion about wanting a divorce upon attending his high school reunion and seeing a roomful of losers, he believing he turning into one of them if he didn't make a drastic change. He gets a job working as a journalist for an entertainment magazine, while he writes screenplays on the side, he believing the latter a good stepping stone to finishing his third novel if the screenplays works out. The journalist job includes conducting interviews with celebrities, not only to who he can pedal his completed screenplay, but also what he quickly learns to who he has easy ...

---

Plot Keywords:

divorce | celebrity | journalist | novel | television producer | 

---

Taglines:

A funny look at people who will do anything to get famous... or stay famous.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sex and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Woody Allen Fall Project 1997

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,588,013, 22 November 1998

Gross USA:

$5,078,660

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,078,660

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sweetland Films, Magnolia Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (Mono)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie, Lee Simon is an alumnus of Glenwood High School. Woody Allen's alma mater is Midwood High School (class of 1953) on Glenwood Avenue.

---

Goofs

When Frederique Van Der Wal turns around in the first bar scene, the wireless microphone transmitter around her waist is in view.

---

Quotes

Lee Simon: I'm awash in self-contempt!

---

Connections

Referenced in Jersey Girl (2004)

---

Soundtracks

Soon
(1930)
Music by George Gershwin
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Performed by Ray Cohen

User Reviews

Same formula, different protagonist

I must give Woody Allen credit for one thing: At least he seems to have stopped pretending that every gorgeous woman on earth is standing in line to throw herself at his protagonist. But what has he done instead? He has simply cast Kenneth Branagh in his place as a somewhat younger and more handsome substitute, but one who is, alas, no less frumpy, neurotic, unaccomplished and ultimately dislikable as Allen´s now-stock character has become in recent years. Really, watching Branagh imitate Allen to a "T" may be an interesting idea for a skit, but after about 25 minutes it is painful, and by the end of the film it is downright embarrassing. The Allen theme of "womanizer gets his comeuppance" is by now quite predictable, and this film does not deviate from it one bit. Some of the social satire is clever, as usual, but "Celebrity" ends up dying on the vine because of its wildly improbable insistence that nymphomaniac supermodels and barely-legal literary beauties cannot keep their hands off of a male protagonist who neither exhibits any sort of charisma nor has any kind of achievements to his credit. At least in many earlier Allen movies--and despite this and other recent efforts I am still a big fan of his work as a whole--there was a certain charm and allure to that one-note character of his. But merely inserting Kenneth Branagh to talk and act exactly like Woody Allen was definitely not the solution to the creativity problems which have plagued his films lately.