Brilliant acting with a bit of a bleak story

Rating: 7/10 (15 January 2018)

The movie is a satirical view on a has been star trying to make it big again while facing all the problems and self doubts.
I am torn on this movie. It is well made. But the story is not as great as I expected knowing that the movie was a big hit, critically acclaimed and won a lot of awards. It is just one of those movies by Hollywood stars about Hollywood. They sure know how it works so the movies usually end up being pretty good. At the same time maybe there is something I am missing because I am not part of the show business. There isn't much originality for us, the common folks, watching the movie.
What made me very impressed though was the acting. This was totally on top and if I would rate acting only, without how interesting the movie was for me, I would give it a sure 10. Michael Keaton is absolutely perfect. So was Edward Norton. Emma Stone surely impressed me and made me see her a serious actress with a lot in her future. I was also very impressed by Zach Galifianakis whom I already love as a comedian but who managed to take a more serious approach with his part in this movie.
I sure recommend people to watch it, if for actors only. But don't expect it being such a masterpiece as it was told to be, it isn't. It is simply a good movie.