kshaharudin This film has been on the 'to watch' list for years and finally now that i have time for it, i'm wishing i'd taken an ampule into the congress. What started out as a slow, yet fascinating step into the almost now world of entertainment where technology's advancement is able to immortalize actors\characters (eg. young Princess Leia or Peter Cushing in Rogue One, Paul Walker in the fast and furious even Oliver Read in Gladiator) at the halfway point turns into a slower trippy, incoherent, nonsensical, European animation that has you constantly scratching at your head so that come the last 10 minutes you simply just want it to end (and don't expect to find a conclusion in the congress).At over 2hrs it feels longer. Robin Wright pretty much only has one emotion. The animation was mostly fine and never wow. The original idea is squandered. The narrative becomes ever more confusing throughout the film, but you'll not care anyway because of the anti- climatic (twist?) ending.

Jeffrey Burton It is an absolute shame this movie didn't just stick with it's original premise. Great actors in this! Robin Wright is steady, graceful, beautiful, emotionally vulnerable and thoughtful. You really bond with her as almost everyone in personal sphere says very intrusive and unflattering things about her. Things that she obviously feels about herself. Harvey Keitel gives a great performance as Robin's agent, long time friend, confidant and champion. Danny Houston is smarmy and easy to detest as the crass studio head. Paul Giamati is also here and good as usual. This movie promises an emotional and intellectual catharsis about the nature of art, individuality, mortality and immortality. I thought at first it might be an Able Ferrara picture and paused it to check. It wasn't and it's a damn shame. If the movie had stayed with it's emotional core and thought provoking theme it could have been something special. Instead, with no set up, it takes this bizzaro, forced and unnatural turn into Toon Town, without the live action. I'm mean it actually throws out all the big questions and the real Robin Wright is replaced with an animated one in an animated environment. There is no amount of suspension of disbelief that can save this ham handed transition. And the incredible level of pretentiousness that happens after this 'twist' is nauseating. I mean like bad community college creative lit class bad. The resolution of it all may just as well be, 'And then she woke up... It had all been a dream...' This is the type of movie where YOU KNOW if you were involved your hand would be up and you'd be screaming 'STOP! Let's just keep with the original premise!!!' and you wonder how someone didn't. I saw a production cost of 34 million which is very hard to believe. I can understand the the budget for the actors but for the animation??? Though some of the imagery is good, the animated sequences are incredibly average in quality and they totally take you out of the movie. This should of and could have been a great character piece. As it is, it's a mess and looks like all the big name actors were doing a very untalented filmmaker a favor. He sure didn't do them or us one. Damn shame. SMDH...

vladp6 Initially, I should note that I've read the book which has almost nothing to do with this film. As the title indicates, this movie is simply unwatchable. I don't know why to make such surrealistic film if there is no idea behind it at all. I have no problem with mixing animation into the film but I have a problem with the scenario itself. The actors are great and try their best but there is no connection between what they play and what happens. In fact happens absolutely nothing until boredom. It's all about visual and psychedelic perception of a very sad life and dark future. The idea of replacement of a real world with the imaginary one is not new, as well as the idea of using drugs to bring your mind into a completely psychedelic state bordering with a suicidal state. If you have absolutely nothing to do, I suggest you better read the book by Stanislav Lem and never watch this film.

seanmft A movie about movies; Pretentious, humorless, pseudo-art-house garbage. This film starts out with a scene in which Robin Wright's agent (Harvey Keitel) is reaming her out for all the bad movie choices she's made. It seems the plot (if there is a plot) exists only to validate that first speech with a bizarre kind of meta allegory damning Robin Wright's acting career. If that really was the intention, and not just a bit of accidental irony, then I give it two stars. I wanted to like this movie, and believe me I tried. The dialogue feels purposefully glib and awkward, so much so that I was waiting for it to tie in with the surreal nature of the subject, but it never does. The Congress is a film that questions reality so much that it fails to set up any foundation upon which questions can be asked. Not only are there no answers, which can make a film thought-provoking, but no meaningful questions. The result is something substantially less profound than your average Road Runner cartoon, and less entertaining than a documentary about documentaries. Images flash before your eyes, sounds pummel your ears, yet nothing of consequence ever happens. Your 2 hr and 2 min could be better spent watching a lava lamp.