NateWatchesCoolMovies Andrew Niccol's S1mone is social satire at its cheeriest, a pleasant, endearing dissection of Hollywood mania and celebrity obsession that only hints at the level of menace one might achieve with the concept. It's less of a cautionary tale and more of a comedic fable, and better for it too. In a glamorous yet used up Hollywood, mega producer Viktor Taransky (Al Pacino with some serious pep in his step) needs to give his enterprise a makeover. His go-to star (Winona Ryder) is a preening diva who drives him up the wall, and there seems to be a glaring absence of creative juice in his side of the court. Something cutting edge, something brand new and organic, something no one else has. But what? Simone, that's what. After finding clandestine software left behind by a deceased Geppeto-esque computer genius (Elias Koteas, excellent), he downloads what lies within, and all manner of mayhem breaks loose. The program was designed to create the perfect virtual reality woman, flawless and capable in every way, including that of the cinematic thespian. Viktor sees this as gold and treats it as such, carefully introducing Simone (played by silky voiced model Rachel Roberts) to an unsuspecting film industry who are taken by storm and smitten. Simone can tirelessly churn out five Oscar worthy performances in a month, never creates on set drama, whips up scandals or demands pay raises. She's the answer to everyone's problem, except for the one issue surrounding her very presence on the screen: she isn't actually real. This creates a wildly hysterical dilemma for Pacino, a fiery Catherine Keener as a fellow executive, and everyone out there who's had the wool pulled over their starry eyes. It's the kind of tale we'd expect from Barry Levinson or the like, a raucously funny, warmhearted, pithily clever send up of the madness that thrives in the movie industry every day. There's all manner of cameos and supporting turns including Evan Rachel Wood, Jay Mohr, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Jason Schwartzman, Rebecca Romjin and the late Daniel Von Bargen as a detective who cheekily grills Pacino when things get real and the masses want answers. This is fairy tale land in terms of plausibility, but it's so darn pleasant and entertaining that it just comes off in a relatable, believable manner. Pacino is having fun too, a frenzied goofball who tries his damnedest to safeguard his secret while harried on all sides by colleagues and fans alike. Roberts is sensual and symmetrical as the computer vixen, carefully walking a tightrope between robotic vocation and emoting, essentially playing an actress pretending to be an actress who isn't even human, no easy task. It's a breezy package that's never too dark or sobering, yet still manages to show the twisted side of a famously strange industry. Great stuff.

Armand a modern fairy-tale. about importance of image, lies as food of entertainment, domination of technique and rating. about a fake world. a nice, amusing film. and one of not real brilliant roles of Al Pacino. and it is not his guilty. the script desires explore all possibilities of a clever idea. so, the role of poor Viktor becomes more and more little. or insignificant. so, the best remains beginning. than it seems be too much and the all story may have few fake stripes. it is a satire. and this is motif for who must be viewed not very frequent. because its magic is fragile. because the seductive image can be more than real. a nice movie. and one of Al Pacino gray roles.

Rob-O-Cop I got the satire aspect of this movie and the concept was a good one to explore but this film was woefully mis-targeted as to destroy the great premise and make it a painful watching experience. Key to that pain was Pacino's terrible performance as the central director. He was a like a parody of himself, in possibly the worst performance of his career. I don't know what we were supposed to think about this guy or his situation but anything Pacino did as this character didn't help. Plus sides, the roles of Simone and Evan Rachel Ward were pretty decent. special effects were OK too. The feel and balance struck by director Andrew Niccol was just so wrong as to be irritating. Syrupy misjudged comedy light.

elshikh4 I find it difficult to write about a movie that I love very much, but I'll try. I remember one accident in the Roman history, where one senator acclaimed a relationship he has with a big goddess, deceiving all of Rome with false woman riding his carriage with him. (Simone), which got nearly identical scene, is the best modern embodiment for it.Through one solid, enjoyable and smart sci-fi black comedy (near to farce) the movie presents a story about how we all became slaves for images, mostly unreal ones, love the illusion to an extent where we replaced it instead of our own reality, escaping from the ugly actuality to another phony one but comfortable, to relish it, then be addicted to it. It's, in the same time, a story about funny director's vendetta on his bosses to regain his dignity and achieve what he merits of appreciation by the ultimate scheme, or rather the triumph of little smart man over huge stupid world, and that's the beauty of it; to be good philosophical, satirical, even comical movie all in one. I can't help but mentioning its clever situations, so aims, which made the whole movie a long clever moment : the director launches Simone saying "I am the death of real", leading a new age where the unreality becomes the only available reality. Simone, the beloved star now, talks completely dull however all the viewers love her, believe her, and agree with her. Or Simone directs a meaningless film and all the audience applauds (making the ugly idol to worship it), observe how they ask about her after it and not about the lousy film (I've seen that many times before in my lifetime !). The director's inability when it came to killing her (which makes it the most comic "Frankenstein" ever where this time the people love the monster and reject its death !). All refuses to believe the director's confesses about Simone as we live a world of delicious fancy where counterfeiting is the ruling logic, hence the true thing would be not only scarce but refused (so when life is false…truth would be the imagination). The lead's surrender at the end to live as life imprisonment with unreal image otherwise he'd lose his success amongst idiots who adore chimera. And the hint in killing Simone's creator by eye cancer or rather how adhesion to the computer screen, or any screen, for too much time just destroys the viewer while there is another world out there, real world, that deserves to be lived. I loved extra satiric points : Simone's performance wins an Oscar as if all of Hollywood actresses is lower than holographic image ! Or why not Simone/the powerful delusion goes into the world of politics at the end, it's the same game but with nations' people instead of crazy viewers (some satire makes it impossible to not connect it with George. W. Bush's era when the movie was produced !).It's not where the joke is on you Hollywood, it's on you human ! And I bet that's the very reason why it didn't turn into a hit, and why anybody might hate it, because some can't laugh at themselves, especially when it dashes for instance Hollywood icons into pieces, denuding the holy truth that you cherish as giant lie.The script, the direction, and the acting made a perfect job. Thank god that it got (Al Pacino) as the lead; as it gives ultra-enjoyment in the second watching, and also because it's one of his finest movies lately in the commercial phase of him at the 2000s amongst sure lower ones such as : The Recruit, Ocean's Thirteen, 88 Minutes, Righteous Kill, etc. This is a wild satiric comedy. It's rare to watch a work about the effect of illusion and to be as perfect as this. The movie compressed its idea skillfully, being cynical to the max, mocking at the fast delusion so all the human stupidity. Actually the mocking was at our age as well, to assure one genius conception "Our ability to manufacture fraud now exceeds our ability to detect it". It reminds me with what Dario Fo said once in one of his plays : "sometimes illusion is more believable than reality". Few times in my life I felt entertained out of movie as a mental fine experience and a "movie" in the same time. In the last years the American cinema lacked this kind of "movies" extremely, but (Simone) did it superbly, representing the perfect deal for me as highly amusing and profoundly meaningful. It's really unbelievable. Or more correctly speaking : unbelievable yet real too.