Maps to the Stars (2014)

A tour into the heart of a Hollywood family chasing celebrity, one another and the relentless ghosts of their pasts.

Director:

David Cronenberg

Writer:

Bruce Wagner (screenplay)

Stars:

Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 10 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julianne Moore	...	Havana Segrand
Mia Wasikowska	...	Agatha Weiss
John Cusack	...	Dr. Stafford Weiss
Evan Bird	...	Benjie Weiss
Olivia Williams	...	Christina Weiss
Robert Pattinson	...	Jerome Fontana
Kiara Glasco	...	Cammy
Sarah Gadon	...	Clarice Taggart
Dawn Greenhalgh	...	Genie
Jonathan Watton	...	Sterl Carruth
Jennifer Gibson	...	Starla Gent
Gord Rand	...	Damien Javitz
Justin Kelly	...	Rhett
Niamh Wilson	...	Sam
Clara Pasieka	...	Gretchen Voss

Storyline

The Weiss family is the archetypical Hollywood dynasty: father Stafford is an analyst and coach, who has made a fortune with his self-help manuals; mother Cristina mostly looks after the career of their son Benjie, 13, a child star. One of Stafford's clients, Havana, is an actress who dreams of shooting a remake of the movie that made her mother, Clarice, a star in the 60s. Clarice is dead now and visions of her come to haunt Havana at night... Adding to the toxic mix, Benjie has just come off a rehab program he joined when he was 9 and his sister, Agatha, has recently been released from a sanatorium where she was treated for criminal pyromania and befriended a limo driver Jerome who is also an aspiring actor.

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Plot Keywords:

aspiring actor | dysfunctional family | male frontal nudity | male full frontal nudity | sex | 

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Taglines:

Eventually stars burn out.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong disturbing violence and sexual content, graphic nudity, language and some drug material

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Canada Germany France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 February 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bailey's Quest

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$143,422, 1 March 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$347,648, 29 March 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

Prospero Pictures, Sentient Entertainment, SBS Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was going to be shot in 2004, with David Cronenberg and Julianne Moore already attached to the project, but the director wanted to shoot the film in Los Angeles and it was financially impossible.

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Goofs

When Jerome is driving Havana, they are in a long wheelbase 'L' version of Lincoln Town Car, when they've arrived at her house and are having sex in the back, they are in a standard wheelbase version (it has a shorter quarter glass section in the rear door window).

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Quotes

Havana Segrand: [yelling at Agatha] I pick you up off the street and give you money so you can be late for work and have your period on my furniture! Do you think Carrie Fisher and Nicole Kidman have creepy little animals working for them?

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Connections

References Good Morning America (1975)

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Soundtracks

Hell Blazer
Written by Supafly and Omar G

User Reviews

Same old Cronenberg...

It's always good to see that some writers still can write real good dialogues that are able to captivate, and this quality participates greatly to the enchanting aspect of the movie.

But if David Cronenberg and Bruce Wagner managed to depict the cruel world of Hollywood and its backstage with verve, cynicism and a lot of humour, why did they feel compelled to do too much especially with those ludicrous visions that completely annihilate a movie that started off pretty well ? As often happens with Cronenberg, we therefore wind up with a few risible and unbelievable points that makes the film look like a Z movie, just thinking about the scene with the dog and the reactions of the characters, or the final confrontation between Havana and Agatha — and Julianne Moore's terrible acting — is cringeworthy.

It's real shame because the writing quality only serves a scenario whose plot is badly defined and weighed down by some very dispensable elements.