Charming and endearing, but shallow, predictable, and overrated

Rating: 7/10 (11 March 2012)

This film was delightful and charming in many ways. It made me feel good. The dog was cute --- extremely cute. Bejo was a revelation, a woman whose charm and style transcends mere fashion in any era.
But --- Best Picture? You have to be kidding. Where was the story? You could sum it up in 5 lines. Where was the depth of characterization? There was virtually none. What motivated the characters? Why were they so shallow? What reflection was there of the incredibly complex world events that characterized that era?
Granted --- the field was extremely weak this year. When Clooney's well- crafted but ultimately tepid "The Descendants" is getting raves---well, you know it's a thin field.
This lightweight little French pastry belongs firmly in the middle of the "three star" category, and deserves nothing more. (Although the dog certainly deserves Oscar consideration.)
Every year now, it seems, the Academy gets a "grand idea" in its head, and then votes accordingly.
A few years ago, the grand idea was to have a Female Director win, and the result was an Best Picture award for the searingly dramatic but unrealistic and deeply flawed "Hurt Locker."
Last year, it was "The Charm of the Royalty," as the workmanlike "The King's Speech" won out over movies like "Winter's Bone", a film that was utterly riveting from the first frame to the last, and directed and acted with absolute brilliance.
And this year, it was "Ode to Hollywood" time, evidently.
Perhaps the most telling point about this film is that the guy writing the film's score (I won't dignify his efforts by listing his name) ran out of ideas at the film's most critical juncture --- its dramatic conclusion. So what did he do? He lifted Bernard Herrmann's brilliant music from Vertigo! A fine choice, indeed. But it put into stark contrast the distinction between the genius of Hitchcock and Herrmann, and the rather modest contributions of this film. Half the people writing rave reviews here probably have no idea where that music came from.
Consider "Psycho" and "Vertigo". Each film is a completely brilliant, completely original classic that broke new cinematic ground in its time. Yet neither won "Best Picture". Many knowledgeable film buffs now rate them among the ten best films ever made.