Muse, The (1999)

reviewed by
Nick Lyons


The Muse Review

Albert Brooks saves the day, just in the nick of time. With a very poor summer for movies, Brooks is just what audiences were looking for to cheer them up, and does so in a positive way. While this may not be his finest work, "The Muse" still shakes up some delightful humor.

In Albert Brook's latest comedy, he tells a story of a troubled screenwriter (Brooks) who's losing his edge, as his business partners say. In desperation, he goes to see his friend Jack (Jeff Bridges), who has been a very successful screenwriter in the past. He asks Jack for some help, and recieves word of a real life Muse, that has helped him and many other directors throughout their career. So Brooks seeks the muse named Sarah (Sharon Stone), and is suckered into buying her expensive, food etc. as a sort of payment. The real punch line however, doesn't come until the end. It really makes you wonder, how screenwriters really get their ideas, could it simply be from a friend or a bum in the street? The idea itself is provoking and Brooks does it in a hilarious manner.

Speaking of Brooks, he was absolutely hysterical as a screenwriter. Every time he graces the screen, I can't help but start laughing. Albert has a very unique sense of humor that makes him a very likeable character . The real problem with the film lies with Sharon Stone. She wasn't likeable at all. Brooks had the right idea with her occupation, but she never pulled through. In a way, she drained energy from the once funny atmosphere and left it bleak. Luckily Brooks could clean up the mess, and cover for Stone's mishap. It was a shame that the film went slightly downhill after her appearance, because "The Muse" had the potential to a be a very authentic comedy. On a brighter note, Andie Macdowell was also charming as Brook's wife. She is always a nice addition as a supporting actress, because she has that charisma that seems to complete the atmosphere to any film she's in.

The funniest moments in "The Muse" in my opinion were the cameos by James Cameron and Martin Scorsese. I mean imagine, Brooks seeing these big named directors in his back yard seeking Sharon Stone for advice, like it was something out of the ordinary. It was just plain hilarious. It just adds to the satire joke, of how Directors get ideas. Brilliant move by Brooks.

As I mentioned before, the film is a satire much like it's proceeder Bowfinger, which came out a few weeks before. Unlike Bowfinger, this is not a mean spirited film that's desperate for jokes, it's rather a witty and humorous look at Hollywood. "Bowfinger" had it's moments, but had quite a few problems that were never worked out, but "The Muse" still managed to keep the laughs despite a bit of a detour.

By the end of the film, you're glad to see a good hearty comedy come out of it. For once I'm not fully disappointed, because the film didn't slow down, it kept moving, even with some flaws. Thumbs up to Brooks for his brave effort. I think he'll still manage to keep his edge around well into the future.

*** out of ****
Nick Lyons
http://jump.to/moviepage
www.chud.com

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