More homage than something new

Rating: 7/10 (14 September 2013)

OK I get it. It's black and white. I don't want to play the meathead who can't appreciate the artistry of The Artist. But I don't think it's as profound as some have made it. There's a reason that kind of film went away and hasn't return in any significant way for 3/4 century. And I don't see this as a trend either.
Jean Dujardin is pretty good playing broad as the matinée heartthrob who couldn't make it in sound. Bérénice Bejo is also pretty good. Without sound, that's one aspect that is missing from their performance and it feels the absence. If there was one way to break thru for me, it's to add much more physicality to the movie. Think of Buster Keaton, or Charlie Chaplin. The action is more cute than daring. The story is also cute and functional. Certainly there nothing ground breaking going on. The whole thing feels more like a homage to the silent era than creating something brand new.