S1m0ne (2002)

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.

Director:

Andrew Niccol

Writer:

Andrew Niccol

Stars:

Al Pacino, Catherine Keener, Rachel Roberts

1 nomination.

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

Storyline

The career of a disillusioned producer, who is desperate for a hit, is endangered when his star walks off the film set. Forced to think fast, the producer decides to digitally create an actress "Simone" to sub for the star--the first totally believable synthetic actress. The "actress" becomes an overnight sensation, with a major singing career as well, and everyone thinks she's a real person. However, as Simone's fame skyrockets, he cannot bear to admit his fraud to himself or the world.

---

Plot Keywords:

holographic image | reference to pygmalion | artificially created woman | film within a film | photograph of ronald reagan | 

---

Taglines:

On August 23, Meet a Real Fake

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Sci-Fi

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 August 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Simone

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,813,463, 25 August 2002, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$9,680,913, 6 October 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Niccol Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the Academy Awards scene the actresses nominated for the same award as Simone all have computer hardware and software names: Claris Apple, Lisa Packard, and Lotus Corel.

---

Goofs

Under present Academy rules a performer can be nominated for only one performance in any acting category. This rule is broken deliberately - Simone is so wonderful that the Academy is prepared to break its own rules for her.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Production Assistant: Uh, Mr. Taransky, she's...
Viktor: She's walking? Don't tell me she's walking. She can't walk!
[heads off running]
Viktor: Nicola!

---

Crazy Credits

Despite the fact he has an important role in the film, the actor who plays Hank is not credited.

---

Alternate Versions

The DVD will contain 19 deleted and alternate scenes.

---

Connections

Referenced in Mad: Al Pacino and the Chipmunks/That's What Super Friends Are For (2012)

---

Soundtracks

Patricia
Written by Dámaso Pérez Prado
Performed by Pete Snell

User Reviews

An excellent comedy of errors.

Andrew Niccole's relishing and original take on modern celeb worship is a unique cinematic experience. The basic plot is very interesting and the screenplay is awesome. Some of the scenes (like "I am pig" or the second TV interview) carry the actual message of the film quite strongly but the film never denies the fact that it's meant primarily to be a comedy film. It has got a brilliant cast from Al Pacino, Katherine Keener to even Evan Rachel Wood. Winona Ryder is also excellent in her cameo. But what really fascinated me is its ending. One can never predict how it turns out in the end. Highly recommended for everyone who's seeking new concepts in the recent movies.