Stardust memories

Rating: 7/10 (27 December 2014)

Much to this films credit, it defies a quick summary. Play within play within film, modern day fable, Blockbuster buster - suffice to say it has quite a few threads hanging off it that don't really help with defining it.
It is, at least, the search for relevance in the wrong place. The acting is unusually good from a variety of sources. Keaton handles his careless madness well, and all the supporting characters help to build the showtime nightmare world that Keaton's own Birdman has helped create.
Because the film is effectively so self referential, I suspect reviewers will be flaying around for meaning. I will only say that this very much what Woody Allen would be doing if he wanted to reprise the ideas in Stardust Memories. Or maybe Celebrity. In fact, this effective ensemble piece picks up on many of the great directors' themes.
The film is clever, but it is always entertaining. The changes of pace are not always handled with care, which may leave people with the idea that the film is too long. It mocks blockbusters, but lives on it's own as a New York tale.