Simone is like a boring
roller-coaster ride, the idea of it is fun, but the end result is
disappointing. It has some loops and corkscrews, some twists and
some turns; but when riding it you never feel a notch of
gravitational force pull past you. I think that a realistically
computerized actress would be neat to watch in real life; but in the
movie, the whole scheme is unrealistic and incredibly farfetched.
Simone can be described as a comical A.I.,
it has undeniably intelligent features but turns out to be bad
material from a good cast.
Andrew Niccol is a
genius, but I’m not sure whether or not I can compliment him on this
effort. To be able to imagine such a creative story and put it to
film is an incredible achievement, but after all is said and done;
his valuable time put into this picture was nothing short of a
waste. The well thought out main idea is at times ingenious, but it
lacks the support it needs to be intelligent enough to receive a
passing grade. I loved the inventiveness of the ideas that the man
created for all of ten minutes; but as they were repeated throughout
the rest of the movie; I was bored by the dulling material.
I can honestly say
that I liked Al Pacino, though, who fit into his role perfectly.
Since his drama career has pretty much sold out, due to the mildly
amusing success of Insomnia, he has consequentially
resorted to comedies, much like his old Godfather buddy
Robert DeNiro did years ago. Though he most likely would’ve hoped to
take the new genre by storm, the mediocre gross of this film in its
first weekend will probably cause him to have enormous second
thoughts about his next choice. But I’m a critic not a salesman, his
acting was done well, so I must honor him. My best guess as to why I
enjoyed his performance so much is because it has a great deal of
irony; to see a guy that’s been a detective, a sheriff, and a
mobster in other roles suddenly appearing in a freak show about an
animated actress is so odd it’s strangely cool. Though
Simone is usually bland, when the actors have their moments the
poor material just isn’t an issue; everything just lights up for
twenty seconds or so that they shine for. It is hard for me to down
this film because it is tremendously entertaining, but the script is
too weak for anyone to think differently.
The filmmakers and
interior designers threw away their idea of new-age technology in
the flick with the cheap and tacky sets used for the various
backgrounds presented. They weren’t simplistic, as Roger Ebert
described some of the ones in Minority Report; they
were just plain broken down and worn out looking. I think that it’s
fine to place more value in dialogue and conversational content
rather than set design, but this film lacked in both areas. It was
entertaining, but that’s about the only thing I have on the list of
pros that it brings to the table, from a theatrical standpoint
Simone is unhealthy to watch.
This film is nothing
special. I had an okay time watching it, but theatrically it is an
inhumane disaster. Don’t see it in theatres, but it’s definitely a
good rental candidate. Simone can’t be described as
good or bad; its impression on you is mostly determined by your
personal preferences. Though at times entertaining and full of
wonderful performances, it can’t manage to stick with the
intelligent idea originally portrayed. The movie isn’t necessarily a
bad time, but it is very short of a good one.
-Danny, Bucket Reviews