"...it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

Rating: 7/10 (4 February 2015)

If there is one word to sum up this movie it is "pretentious". It is a comedy that isn't funny, a drama that isn't serious and a satire that mostly hits back on itself. It is impressive more than enriching and, expect for the contemporary comment on Hollywood and showbiz, there isn't much of an underlying message to take note of here.
The redeeming strengths of the film lies in the acting and cinematography that are absolutely top notch. Keaton is giving the performance of a lifetime (and was perfect for the role for obvious reasons), Norton is back in American History X mode, Emma Stone nails the part as Sam and shows that she is someone to be taken seriously in the future. Even Zach Galifianakis is showing new sides of himself and gives a very well rounded performance overall.
Alejandro Iñárritu is both writer, director and cinematographer of this movie, it is is by all accounts his baby. And when it comes to directing and cinematography it is a real tour de force, perhaps a bit showy and distracting in places but nonetheless extremely well done and very impressive. If you're a study of cinematography this is a film you should see.
The problem lies in the writing, or rather the story and fundamental driving force of the movie. The acting hits a lot of high notes but in the end there is little to take away; the story could have gone a million different ways but it all ends up being is one big poke at Hollywood, showbiz and people who happen to like marvel blockbusters.
At it's heart it is a tabloid type movie and has no deeper fundamental meaning than the industry it is trying to poke holes in. It is a film which I'm glad to have watched once, the cinematography and acting alone is beautiful, but it is not a film I will soon give a second viewing.
At the end of the day this very film is like a movie critic; it criticizes and judges the works of others but has no lasting message of its own.