Cronenberg mixes the weird with the normal in this anti-Hollywood satire that is biting but doesn’t quite touch the clouds.
Review #1,103
Dir. David Cronenberg
2014 | Canada, USA | Drama | 111 min | 1.85:1 | English
R21 (edited) for strong disturbing violence and sexual content, graphic nudity, language and some drug material.
Cast: Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson, John Cusack, Olivia Williams
Plot: Driven by an intense need for fame and validation, members of a dysfunctional Hollywood family are chasing celebrity, one another and the relentless ghosts of their pasts.
Awards: Won Best Actress and Nom. for Palme d’Or (Cannes); Nom. for Best Leading Actress – Comedy/Musical (Golden Globes)
International Sales: Entertainment One
Accessibility Index
Subject Matter: Moderate – Celebrity Culture; Trauma; Anti-Hollywood
Narrative Style: Slightly Complex
Pace: Slightly Slow
Audience Type: Slightly Mainstream
Viewed: In Theatres
First Published: 17 Nov 2014
Spoilers: No
There is Robert Pattinson and his limousine but this is no Cosmopolis (2012), the critically panned effort by Canadian auteur David Cronenberg. His follow-up, Maps to the Stars, is thankfully one of his better pictures of the post-2000s, though I say that with some reservation.
Winning Best Actress at Cannes for Julianne Moore, the film also stars Mia Wasikowska, John Cusack and Olivia Williams. It is one of those films that is narratively befuddling, and while things don’t quite make sense, it holds up as a biting anti-Hollywood satire.
Moore plays Havana, an actress desperate to play a role in the remake of a movie that her late mother starred in. In typical overly dramatic mode, Moore becomes an ego-obsessed woman haunted by the ghost of her past. I can’t say I like her performance but it is effective.
I used to admire Moore’s acting ability but in recent films like Don Jon (2013) and Carrie (2013), she has become a caricature of herself. On the other hand, Wasikowska and Williams continue to do good work in front of the camera, while the rest of the cast are just okay.
“I think you are a little crazy.”
Cronenberg’s clinical style can feel detached, and in Maps to the Stars, he doesn’t quite get the tone right for some scenes.
The overall feel of the picture though remains true to what he is trying to explore, or rather expose – the underbelly of what’s wrong with Hollywood today, that is, greed, jealousy, pride, fame, and lots of drugs to hold everything together, if only to destroy one’s life in spectacular fashion.
In Maps to the Stars, Cronenberg tries to mix a bit of hallucinatory horror with a drama of normalcy, something like channelling David Lynch but without great results. At least, he gets the violence and the weird stuff right.
Ultimately, the movie is a satire of sorts, so one should find something funny, but it isn’t always so. There are a lot of industry references and jargon, which I suspect will bore the average moviegoer. However, if you are into it, and if Cronenberg still excites you, do give this a try.
Grade: B-
Trailer:
Music:
Eternality Tan 
Great reviews as always. Yes, I remember hearing about this film a couple of years ago but never got the chance to see it. I’ve always found David Cronenberg to be a polarizing filmmaker whose films aren’t meant for everyone. That being said, the star-studded cast has attracted my attention. Robert Pattinson has proven to be a phenomenal actor. He has come a long way since his disaster turn in the “Twilight” franchise. Recently, I adored his performance as a lonely lighthouse keeper facing isolation in “The Lighthouse”. Here’s why I loved that movie:
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