Above average but still not for Oscar

Rating: 9/10 (16 March 2012)

This is a good movie. The idea is not original but performance is. I must mention very skillful direction and excellent French cast (Americans here were only for marketing purposes, I presume). The story is a cliché but carried out in a perfect and original manner. Also, the movie is not completely silent (given the longest musical score ever, except for musicals, an two spoken lines at the end).
I guess that this movie won an Academy award because the Academy itself is filled with old and nostalgic people (that would also explain an Oscar for "Hugo", movie far below average, but with same nostalgic elements) who wanted to give something away before they die.
Don't get me wrong here. "The Artist" is a very good movie, and it is an European flick (a very important remark here). Hollywood has no such skill to produce it. Highly recommended.