Not as good as it thinks it is

Rating: 5/10 (9 March 2015)

I had high hopes for THE ARTIST, a modern-day black and white silent movie that promised to be a charming celebration of movie-making in the silent era and a film which swept the board at the Oscars. Unfortunately it's a movie that's not as good as it thinks it is, one which happily copies that which has come before rather than providing much in the way of originality.
The story involves a famous silent film actor who finds his career in the doldrums after the arrival of 'talkies', sound films which effectively bankrupt him and end his career. Gee, wasn't this done already - and with a lot more charm and vigour - in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN? Elsewhere, there are plot links to the likes of SUNSET BOULEVARD, but THE ARTIST feels overall like a pastiche rather than genuinely profound piece of cinema.
Sure, there are a handful of funny moments here and there - my favourite scene is the 'sound' nightmare - and the dog is instantly lovable. But I felt that Jean Dujardin was smug rather than likable, and his romance with a co-star is pretty sappy and doesn't really go anywhere. The ending also feels false, apparently tap dancing makes all the problems go away. Like Scorsese's HUGO, this is a film that had everybody raving about it, yet I fear it's one of those "Emperor's new clothes" situations after all.