Form without substance

Rating: 9/10 (26 December 2019)

It is amusing to me to read the other reviews re-hashing the story. For me, the story is nothing. This is yet another film about movies made by a competent director, working with actors who understand his intention.
The film itself has nothing important to say.
It's also darkly humorous. The central conceit is actually very clever - the narrator has imagined his hero and enlisted the audience as his co-creator, because as we find out at the end, the entire film was a conversation with us, told as a flashback. They even throw in a flashback joke to bring the circle complete. This is underscored by having Pitt work a cinema projectionist. When we find out the truth about his non existence, it is portrayed on video tape.
But the movie has nothing to say at all about anything - about men, about society, about shopping. That's just you staring into the movie and seeing yourself reflected back.