Simone - A Little of Madonna, A Bit of Audrey, A Dash of Sophia

How many times have you dashed on over to The Smoking Gun to read of all of the demands that actors/actresses and pop/rock stars make just to do their craft? You know, there's the Van Halen thing of not having any brown M&M's and the idea that J.Lo wants furniture in all white. Hasn't it all gotten out of control?

Writer/Director Andrew Niccol thinks it has.

And thus is the premise for the new film, Simone.

The story goes something like this. Viktor Taransky (Al Pacino) is in the midst of making a movie with the over demanding starlet, Nicola Anders (Winona Ryder). Due to a conflict over the length (and height) of her trailer, she stomps off of the set leaving Viktor with an incomplete film.

When the movie is screened by the studio, they like it however, because Nicola Anders has refused to let it get released, they have no recourse but to shelf it. Viktor pleads with the head of the studio, Elaine (Catherine Keener) who just happens to be his ex-wife, to let him find another actress to fill the role. She tells him that no one else who is bankable would want to work with him. And then, she fires him.

Is this guy having a bad day or what?!

Enter computer geek and Viktor worshipper, Hank Aleno (Elias Koteas). He believes in Viktor's thoughts about overly spoiled actors/actresses and has created an alternative for him. Viktor doesn't give it another thought and leaves. Less than a week later, Mr. Aleno's attorney drops off a package from the now deceased Hank and inside is a piece of software known as S1mulation One.

After firing it up, Viktor realizes that Hank has built an actress that is capable of performing like any other actress, using any type of emotion. You can change her voice, her looks, and her demeanor. And best of all, she doesn't even get a trailer!

Viktor places his new actress, Simone (Rachel Roberts) into his film and instantly, she and the film are a hit. Viktor knew his work was good but he had no idea that Simone would be as popular with the world as she is.

Elaine takes Viktor back on to the studio payroll and every one and their brother wants a piece of who they think is Simone. Viktor does the best he can, making Simone out to be a recluse, and a woman with other types of phobias.

Initially, Viktor thinks that he'll only make one more film with her to prove a point but the success he is having and his ability to drive some people crazy with all of the Simone sightings, keeps him moving forward with her.

Does Viktor get caught with the computer generated actress? You can find this out if you see the movie silly.

Now, I know I was pretty harsh in the Pros and Cons and even as I tell you some of my other thoughts, you might ask, why in the world would you recommend this? I'm not sure. I think as a video rental or a matinee viewing, this at least affords you the opportunity to realize what a great concept Andrew Niccol had. Then you can dream about how you would have made the movie :).

Al Pacino - like I need to tell you this, always seems to come out smelling like a rose no matter what movie crap he is given. Here's, he is literally wasted. In the beginning, there's some real struggle with what is right and wrong but as time goes on, it's like none of us, including Al, cares about that anymore.

Catherine Keener is a little weak as the head of a studio however she had great chemistry with Mr. Pachino and I didn't have any problem believing that they were previously married. While it's forward of Mr. Niccol to use a woman as the head of a major studio, he should have made her a bit more business saavy instead of a silly, bumbling idiot (see the scene where she and her lackey followers bust into the closed set to talk to Simone).

Rachel Roberts - who I've never seen in anything before was brilliantly cast in this. As a an unknown, you weren't distracted by any history of past characters she had played and at least for me, it was believable to think that she was nothing more than a computer generated image.

Writer/Director Andrew Niccol had a great premise (in my opinion). Have things gotten out of control in show business world? I think it has and I was all for him exploring this concept, maybe even moving it towards some sort of moralistic closing.

Unfortunately, especially in the second half of the movie, he moved away from what I thought was going to be an interesting theme to something that was lifeless and scattered all over the place. With an actor like Al Pacino in place, he really missed his opportunity, didn't he?!

The real problem with this movie is that it doesn't quite know what it wants to be. Does it want to be biting and satirical? Does it want to poke light-hearted fun at the industry? Does it want to send a message that human beings mean more than computer generated images?

Honestly, we'll never know.