1s Th1s The Future 0f H0llyw00d?

In Gattaca, Andrew Niccol took us on a vision of what the future could be like with advances in DNA sequencing. With The Truman Show, he took us on a vision of what the future could be like for reality TV. And, once again, with S1m0ne, he takes us on a vision of what the future could be like for Hollywood. His movies are easy to separate oneself with the premise – because the future is unmapped and still a mystery. But, Nicole, does make us seriously look at what could be, and how we could act in the future. His movies are thought provoking satirical farces, with hints of how the past have made up the present time which mirrors how the present will eventually make up what he sees the future to be.

With Simone, Nicole takes on Hollywood, especially actors and actresses. His main character longs for old fashioned days when actors were under contract with film studios. He, as a director could tell them how to act and instruct them on what to say. But that’s all gone. Today, actors and actresses tell the director what they want and they better get it “or else!” The movie begins with Viktor Taransky/Al Pacino hurriedly picking all the red candies out of a huge candy bowl. Before he completes his task, he has to run over to his glamorous star Nicola/Winona Ryder and butter her up. She however is unsatisfied with Viktor for her trailer is not the biggest on the lot, and it is in her contract that her trailer is to be the biggest (and that all red candies are to be picked out of her candy bowl). Not feeling pampered enough, Nicola storms off the set, cites creative differences, and plans to sue the studio if the film she was working on ever sees the light of a projector.

To make matters worse, his ex-wife the boss of the film studio Elaine/Catherine Keener fires him and then whisks their child Laniey/Evan Rachel Wood off home accompanied by Elaine’s new more younger and handsome beau.

What’s Taransky to do? Nothing at first until he comes upon a gift given to him by Hank/Elias Koteas, a deceased computer programmer who believes like Taransky that actors and actresses have forgotten that their main duty is to the film, and not to their star power. So nine months later, Taransky releases the film with a new actresses replacing Nicola, Simone, otherwise known as S1m0ne/Rachel Roberts, an entirely computer generated actresses that he inserts into the film, tells her how to act and what to say, and even when to cry.

What makes Andrew Nicole’s film at least up to this point really intriguing is the dreams of a few Hollywood filmmakers that may make such a premise be reality. In terms of this movie, S1m0ne is mostly played by a real person (early press tried to state that the part in the movie would in fact be played by a computer generated actress) but there have been a few discussions in the Hollywood realm of trying to make computerized actors. George Lucas is clearly at the forefront of such discussions, and with his special effects company under his wing (ILM) I think one day he’ll make such a creation, or die trying. So far, a few other companies have tried to make digital actors (Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within), but at least for now they haven’t found perfect reality. And, at least for now, their secret always comes out before the movie is released allowing audiences to walk into a theater with full knowledge that what they are about to see is fake. But who knows what may happen some day as technology continues to grow.

Back to the movie. Before long Taransky’s creation, Simone, becomes the hit of the town (and eventually the world) with a dedicated fan base who will do just about anything to meet this blond beauty that has so touched their hearts and soul. What’s Taransky now to do?

He’s to make us believe that she exists, even though she doesn’t. Which of course cues up the laugh track. Bring on the subtle humor. First, Simone is labeled a recluse. Then, a computer addict (only after executives break into her dressing room of sorts only to find a computer with 3 huge monitors). She can be seen in her hotel room walking back and forth next to her draped window (which is actually Taransky holding up a Barbie next to a light reflecting the image onto the curtain). She grants only television interviews that take up a lot of computer memory. She even plays live at a concert through the use of lots of smoke and holographic technology.

Could we all really be fooled? Yes. Fans drape themselves over stars and could easily stare at a hotel’s window cheering at the dark reflection of a star waiting to catch a glimpse of them since for all they know it could just be the shadow of a body guard prancing back and forth. And, probably no. Well, at least I’d like to think so. But the movie does do its homework and play off of each emotion most die hard fans have for their favorite stars and how easy it could be, in theory, to deceive them.

In the end the movie takes a far left turn, almost to the point of mocking the judicial system – but makes yet another interesting point on how far a judgement can go on pure circumstantial evidence alone. Being a light hearted science fiction comedy, all is well in the end, leaving us a clue of what could happen even beyond what did and could happen in the movie.

S1m0ne may be seen as Andrew Niccol’s first failure and it certainly won’t be in the highlight reels showcasing Al Pacino’s career – but I found the movie quite enjoyable and liked it even more for the reason that the movie had not been bloated by the typical Hollywood press and had for the most part slipped into obscurity and onto video store shelves. As video stores start to offer less videos of even popular new releases and cancel their “Guaranteed To Be In” promotions in favor of allowing consumers to keep a movie for five days – finding the good in smaller, almost unknown pictures becomes essential. Give S1m0ne a glimpse. You may like it.