MovieChat Forums > Modigliani (2004) Discussion > Self Indulgent C**p

Self Indulgent C**p

posted 16 years ago by bertrambunter
6 replies | jump to latest

..and I've seen some in my time, but this about takes the biscuit. They did show some sort of feeble disclaimer right at the start about the paintings not being real, and it all being fictitious, etc., but even so it was utter tripe. It was all early 20th c Parisian "Oh look at us, we're all struggling fantastically talented cutting edge artists, being frightfully brave and poor and hungry, living like pigs and despising everyone while making a practise of seducing the daughters of the bore-zwa-see" and it didn't even have the music of Puccini to make it bearable..and if I never hear/see another reference to fat Gertrude Stein again it'll be too soon. Many's the matinee I have been forced in support of arty farty acquaintances to endure off off B/way of Stein's shows, you know the one where someone wanders around the stage whining "Cut wood, cut wood' endlessly. If you get cornered, take a valium before you go. And I couldn't get the notion of The Mummy out of my head every time I saw that little stumpy guy who was playing Picasso - he was never that short, I bet.

What was GArcia thinking?? Must have needed the money, I guess..and Capaldi's accent - come back, Dick Van Dyke, all is forgiven. Well, anyway - them's my thoughts, for what they're worth - sorry to all you art fans out there.

[–] cableaddict 15 years ago

I have to agree.

I actually really enjoyed the film - it's well crafted, well acted, and visually stunning at times.

-but then I came here and found that it's 95% made up.

Painfully absurd. If they are going to just make up the entire plot, then they shouldn't have used the name of a real painter. They should have written the story about a fictional painter.

There is always a fine line with this type of movie, but this one crosses that line in a way that I find completely unacceptable, and even insulting.

-but Garcia was still amazing in the role.

[–] SeanJoyce 13 years ago

cableaddict:

-but then I came here and found that it's 95% made up.

Painfully absurd. If they are going to just make up the entire plot, then they shouldn't have used the name of a real painter. They should have written the story about a fictional painter.

Interesting. Tell me, how do you feel about Amadeus?

"...if that was off, I'd be whoopin' your ass up and down this street." ~ an irate Tarantino

[–] selfishendeavor 12 years ago

hahaha, good point!!

[–] shep66 15 years ago

I really hate slating a movie because I love the art form and, even when it's bad, at least some love has went into it by the film makers.

This movie however is painfully disappointing and cliche ridden. It bears such a scant resemblance to any historical truth that it is, as another reviewer stated, pointless to call it the "Modigliani" story. So many scenes are just dramatic fillers and downright fabrications even down to some of the great man's work.

I genuinely like(d) Andy Garcia as an actor but I have to disagree with one of the reviewers and say that his performance was, for me, simply treading water. I understand, having watched enough 'Hollywood' movies, that sometimes there is a need for poetic license but it's rare that I've seen an entire movie based on it.

As someone who actually lives in Paris, is very interested in the supposed subject matter and the varied, rich characters involved, I can't bring myself to recommend the movie to anyone who has a genuine interest in the story of Modigliani. It may however work as a 'fluffy', love story, fantasy for people uninterested in the verite of the story like, erm, I don't know, 'Braveheart' (and I say that as a proud Scotsman).

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] onepotato2 13 years ago

Of all the cr^ppy cliche-ridden artist biopics I've seen*, this one takes the cake. Even Klimt (a trainwreck with John Malkovich) is slightly better than this horse-sh--. I'm 17 minutes into it and it is a steaming pile of coyness and cliches. It's almost impossibly irritating.

And Garcia is shown f--king everything in sight, and surrounded by fagg-ts he can humiliate, so that his "being an artist" won't be interpreted as gay by straight ausdiences.

Terrible acting. Just terrible.
Stupidity piled high.

(*Goya's Ghosts, Lust for Life, Frida, Little Ashes (Dali))