oOoBarracuda Celebrity, the 1998 edition of Woody Allen's film-a-year output certainly benefits from being shot in black and white, and I am thankful that it was executed in such a way. Celebrity blends anguish and comedy as it evaluates the symbiotic relationship between the media and celebrities all the while illustrating the lives of a man and woman after their marriage ends. Starring Kenneth Branagh and Judy Davis as the divorced pair, Celebrity is a deeply probing look at the concept of identity, how that is altered by love, and how one's own expectations can alter the course of their life. Never one to shy away from the philosophical struggles of our own existence, Woody Allen delivers another top-tier film that has sadly been largely ignored amidst his other more notable features.Lee Simon (Kenneth Branagh) experiences an identity crisis after attending his high school reunion. Lee sees a room full of people that he deems as losers causing him to evaluate his own life. Lee's assessment reveals him to be a generally unhappy person, dissatisfied with nearly every aspect of his life. Working as a travel writer, Lee earns a steady living but is unfulfilled by his work. His marriage to Robin (Judy Davis) has been troubled for awhile as she is increasingly prohibited by her personal neuroses and particular brand of Catholic repressions regarding her sexual life. The high school reunion is the tipping point of the feelings Lee has been struggling with. Essentially, it is his perception of others and their possible perception of him that sent Lee into a crisis resulting in his seeking a divorce from his wife. Along with the divorce, Lee also changes his career, settling as a journalist for an entertainment magazine as he vows to finish the screenplay he has been developing. For the first time in awhile, Lee thinks he has catapulted his life in the right direction, believing the connections he is making in the entertainment industry will pave the way for his screenplay being positively received. Through his work, Lee spends a majority of his time around celebrities witnessing their lavish expenses and experiencing their many idiosyncrasies. Lee has been initiated into a world with seemingly endless possibility for sexual encounters to soften the blow of his many life changes. Conversely, Robin struggles through the divorce, questioning both her life's meaning and direction. Not knowing what else to do, Robin takes part in a Catholic retreat allowing her time to reflect and contemplate the next step in her life with the help of her friends. Unexpectedly, at a plastic surgery consultation, Robin meets a television producer who hires her to be a production assistant thusly bringing her into the fold of celebrity life, as well. Robin's job affords her the opportunity to be surrounded by the rich and famous as well as their handlers, people responsible for their happiness, and the media personnel who wish to know everything about each celebrity and write about it for their own livelihood. In love, Robin is reluctant to chase, unlike Lee who is pursuing anyone he thinks he may have a chance with. Robin still finds herself devastated and dismayed that her marriage has ended and has fallen into a relationship, quite by chance, with her boss, Tony Gardella (Joe Mantegna) the man who discovered her at her plastic surgery consultation. Lee and Robin have been worlds apart from one another throughout their bleak marriage, once divorced, however, their lives have never converged more. As each has taken a drastically different path since the dissolution of their marriage, one becomes closer to true happiness, the other becomes more unhappy than ever before. In Celebrity, we see the story essentially from Lee's perspective and Robin's perspective separately. Even considering the number of flashbacks and abrupt cuts between the two sides of the story, the film converges seamlessly by the time the credits roll. By the end of the film, we see the perspective of each come together as the two principals meet in a crowded movie theatre after each has been thrust into the fast-paced world of celebrities and those that depend on them. In an eye-opening exercise, both Lee and Robin have learned that the glamorous life of a celebrity, the only side seen by the public at large, is not what it's made out to be. It would appear to be an ideal life if all one has to do is be seen as beautiful, attend premieres in gorgeous clothes and parade in front of a camera for work. What only those inside the industry see, however, is how often one is shuffled around a film set before an effect is wasted or a light fades, or the pressure of catching the first symptoms of a cold so you're not out of work failing to fulfill a contract. Woody Allen's film, Celebrity, paints a complete picture of the ones we think have perfect elegant lives and exposes how often they are used for their celebrity status as a stepping stone for others and how often they are taken advantage of. Allen also exposes how altered the lives of those that work around the celebrities are, how exhausting a job it is to work around the neuroses of those who never get to leave the public eye. My favorite element at work in Celebrity is the realization that we are not as separate as we think. We are constantly affected by the lives of others in ways that we are unable to fathom. Lee and Robin's stories are told in two parts, the audience has the advantage of seeing them at the same time reveal that they are not diverging as much as they think.

Frank L What makes Woody Allen so good (besides the witty dialogues) is the striking way in which he failed (and to a lesser extent succeeded) customers can bring in pictures. Often Allen's films run the relations piece for reasons you often hear around you. The power of him is that he often credible and interesting to capture on film.In Celebrity, it is not about nothing, but it is about something... the fraud of celebrity existence, having relationships in this world, no longer appreciating your current relationship, falling in love with another, or rather thinking that you are in love with another. For me, Woody a great director who knows me regularly to laugh at, but also knows how to intrigue with his outlook on relationships between people / loved ones and know me in a fresh way to point out the common pitfalls.Normally I find Woody himself comfortably in the lead in his films, but in Celebrity, he made a good choice to give the role to someone else. Woody namely fits less in the world of glitter more than glamour. His replacement is also good and again I have again enjoyed a Woody movie.

jexline "Celebrity", along with "Melinda and Melinda" are Woody's two underrated gems. This film pays tribute to Fellini's "8 1/2", along with other avant-garde cinema, down to the gorgeous black and white photography. Kenneth Branaugh plays Lee Simon, a celebrity journalist, who finds himself entangled with different women, using them as stepping stones to get to another one. Judy Davis is Robin, Lee's neurotic ex-wife. Branaugh is essentially playing the Allen role here, but puts his own spin on it making it more than just a caricature, although he does fit the type well. Davis is great as usual, and the all-star ensemble also bring depth and meaning to their portrayals. One of my favorite Allen movies.

keystone_cop17 I don't write many of these reviews, but upon viewing Celebrity again, and noticing that it is Woody Allen's lowest rated film - I felt that I absolutely must say something. As stated in my summary I think this film is brilliant. There are so many nuances, so many little things that work so well. What people fail to realize is that this movie is not about liking the main character. In fact, he is decidedly unlikable. But we are not supposed to empathize with him. We are supposed to feel sorry for him. Lee needs "help" as is clearly stated at the end of the film. What's more, the movie is about Celebrity. Plain and simple. It shows us every kind of celebrity from the TV Priest to Brandon Darrow's party boy character. It shows the ridiculous and cardboard thin nature of celebrity as the old woman clearly points out about a famous hostage: "what - he's a hero for being captured?""Celebrity" illustrates America (and maybe the world's) bizarre obsession with fame, by holding up a mirror and presenting the people as they really are. It also shows us how we as an audience can be fooled, and how we worship celebrities for moments of fabricated beauty. This is brilliantly shown during the "Kiosk at Midnight" scene between Nola and Lee. It's possibly one of the most beautiful scenes ever put on film - but it's between two perverse and loathsome people. But we are fooled - and just for a moment, all is right. Such is the nature of celebrity. 10/10 Give this film another shot.