The Artist
Rating: 7 out of 10
It’s a shame this movie is getting hyped up beyond belief because it’s a fairly standard romantic comedy that has an interesting gimmick. If you haven’t heard by now, “The Artist” is an almost 100% silent film. There’s a couple scenes where we hear the actors but it’s very brief. About 95% is just the film score, beautiful black and white cinematography, and title cards. The actors are forced to trump up their emotions because of the lack of audio just like in the old days. Every single one of them does a terrific job, particularly Jean Dujardin as George Valetin. He’s really the only character that is forced to go through any metamorphosis through the story. All of the other principal characters are the same from beginning to end. But, Dujardin must act out the heights of fame and his fall from grace without uttering a word. I give him a great deal of credit for pulling it off. In the old days, this was a standard practice and hardly a novelty. But, to do it over 80 years after the Jazz Singer graced cinemas and ushered in the era of talking pictures is a great feat and I won’t take that away from “The Artist.” Another positive is the note perfect film score that runs the entire duration of the movie by Ludovic Bource. The music is joyous, sad, romantic, and beautiful. I’d be shocked if it didn’t win an Academy Award because of the dependence a silent film has on its score to tell the story and set the mood.
On the negative side there’s one element that can’t be ignored: story. This is really basic stuff here. An actor has it all, loses it all, falls in love, and gets it back. I’ve seen the rise and fall story so many times that it’s not lost on me how unoriginal it is just because it’s wrapped in a fuzzy nostalgic package. I have no doubt this will win best picture at the Academy Awards simply because it’s an homage to the very institution that is casting the ballots. I don’t want anyone who’s reading this to think I didn’t enjoy the film because I did. I just want to temper your expectations. It’s not even close to the best picture this year (My pick is Moneyball). But, it is a charming film and when it ends, most people will have a smile on their face.
The Movie Brothers 
The Artist is really the only movie I truly thought was “best.” I recently completed watching all the Best Picture nominees and between this and Midnight in Paris..
7 out of 10 is a fair score. I thought it was a fun piece of pop art, and had a decent time at the theater with my group. It’s nothing I feel I need to see again, although if the soundtrack is playing somewhere, I wont ask them to turn it down.
Great write up, Brian. I still haven’t seen this as it wasn’t released at my local cinema in the UK. My local independent is showing it in March and I’ve got my tickets at the ready!
While I am looking forward to it I have read mixed reviews, though from movie blogs not magazines or newspapers. Quite a few bloggers have said that the actors ham it up quite a bit, a little more than necessary.