Maps to the Stars: Review

by A.J.

David Cronenberg’s latest film pairs well with his previous film, Cosmopolis. Both are steely portraits of wealthy, detached characters. Both have a polished, glamorous look. Both feature Robert Pattinson in a limousine. Both are obviously the work of a serious and skilled filmmaker, and both films, while interesting, fall short of being a fulfilling experience.

Maps to the Stars is not quite the black comedy/Hollywood satire certain critics and advertisements have made it out to be. It shows us a hyperbolically dark Hollywood that only exists in nightmares. Sure, Hollywood is rife with poorly hidden narcissism and depravity, but it is still functional. Julianne Moore gives an excellent performance that borders on, but never spills into, parody as needy, middle-aged movie star Havana Segrand, who is desperate to star in the remake of the movie that won her actress mother an Academy Award. John Cusack and Olivia Williams are the parents of the self-absorbed, mean spirited Benjie, who is fresh out of rehab and has a major movie franchise riding on his teenage shoulders. But the clear stand out in this ensemble is the incredibly talented Mia Wasikowska as Agatha, who wears long gloves to cover burns and speaks so softly of big things ("I’m friends with Carrie Fisher") that we are inclined not to believe her, even though we feel like we probably should. The movie brings all of these characters to a disturbing, if not predicable, intersection.

Maps to the Stars fails at being a satire because neither Cronenberg’s direction nor Bruce Wagner’s screenplay make any moral judgments of the characters or their actions. Cronenberg’s style for this movie is to be observational and neutral. The most interesting scenes of Maps to the Stars involve the “ghosts” that appear bathed in cool, dreamlike light to certain characters reminding them of past misdeeds. It is unclear if these characters actually see ghosts or if they are hallucinating, bringing an eerie chill to an already dark story. The tone for the entire movie is of a bad dream teetering on becoming a nightmare. There are good performances -- a great one from Mia Wasikowska -- beautifully shot scenes of Los Angeles, and interesting themes that bubble just below the surface, but unfortunately do not rise much further. Maps to the Stars seeks to be more than exploitative sleaze sprinkled with tongue-in-cheek humor, but ultimately falls short of being anything other than an interesting retread of scenes and ideas from other movies about the dark side of the rich and famous. I am a big fan of David Cronenberg and I believe that he is a master filmmaker. What better proof is there than delivering a first rate second-tier movie?