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ZEROVILLE
Director: James Franco Cast: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Megan Fox, Will Ferrell, Jacki Weaver, Joey King, Craig Robinson MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:36 Release Date: 9/20/19 (limited) |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | September 19, 2019 An adaptation of Steve Erickson's novel, Zeroville tries to do a lot of things—serve as a tour of filmmaking during the 1970s, comment upon the changes in Hollywood during that period, give us an intense love story, put us into the mindset of an enigmatically eccentric character. It's too much, perhaps, for screenwriters Paul Felten and Ian Olds to juggle, although director James Franco certainly does give the material a decent try. Franco also stars as Vikar, a strange man who only saw his first movie eleven months ago. He immediately became obsessed, getting a tattoo of Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor from A Place in the Sun on the back of his shaved head. Now, Vikar has moved out to Hollywood to find work (He arrives the night of the murders of Sharon Tate and four others, and his departure is near the time of David Lynch's first feature). Vikar's adventure sees him transforming from a set builder to, under the tutelage of studio mainstay Dotty (Jacki Weaver), a film editor. He makes friends with the likes of "Viking Man" (Seth Rogen, obviously playing John Milius), becomes a lover to actress Soledad Paladin (Megan Fox), and quarrels with producer Rondell (Will Ferrell). Along the way, he also becomes an acclaimed filmmaker. It's all a happy accident, and Vikar (whose opinions on movies range from saying, "It's a very good movie," to aping whatever thoughts he has heard from someone else) is portrayed either as an actual, unsung genius or a man who's dumb enough about movies to be seen as a genius on the subject. In terms of what we're supposed to take from Vikar's journey, the movie's interpretation of the character might matter more than anything else here. Neither the screenwriters nor Franco, as both actor and director, seem to care too much about that element. The movie's Big Purpose, then, is lost, especially as the love story becomes the focus and when the third act diverts into an odd, undercooked conspiracy. There's still some shallower fun to be had in how well Franco, the screenwriters, and the crew have re-imagined and re-created this era of seismic change in Hollywood. It's obvious there's much more beneath that surface of Zeroville to be mined, but maybe it was too much for the filmmakers. For us, the movie simply is not enough. Copyright © 2019 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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(for language throughout, some sexual content/nudity and brief drug use)
