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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

A star is... created.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sensuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the original theatrical release, Simone was credited "as herself". In subsequent versions of the film, this was changed to "and introducing Rachel Roberts as Simone."

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Goofs

There is no explanation for why the hard disc drives aren't inside the chest, as no one knew they existed and were there in the first place.

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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!

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Crazy Credits

In the video/DVD release, the "Simone as herself" gags in the closing credits have been removed and replaced with proper credit for the actress.

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Alternate Versions

In the initial August 2002 theatrical release, Rachel Roberts, the actress who portrays "most aspects" of Simone, is uncredited. According to an Associated Press interview with Roberts published after the film's release, this will be changed in the video release so that Roberts is credited.

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Connections

References Irma la Douce (1963)

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Soundtracks

Adagio for Strings
Written by Samuel Barber
Performed by Dale Warland Singers
Courtesy of American Choral Catalogue

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.

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

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,813,463, 25 August 2002

Gross USA:

$9,688,676

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$19,576,023

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