The Muse

Plot synopsis:
After winning a lifetime achievement award, esteemed successful screenwriter Steven Phillips (Brooks) has a rude awakening. Steven believes the award has no real meaning, but it does—it means his career is over. His studio has reneged that means they won't renew his contract and told him he's gone cold, saying he's "lost his edge." A junior exec (Mark Feuerstein) tells Steven his new script is dull and to be off the lot by 5 p.m.
Taken by surprise, the Oscar-nominated writer is desperate to revive his career. He seeks the advice of a very successful screenwriter buddy, Jack (Bridges), who arranges an introduction to Sarah (Stone), a modern-day muse who can inspire anyone.
Sarah, however, has conditions and unnecessarily lavish needs, such as expensive hotel rooms and gifts from Tiffany & Co. Steven is forced to make good on those conditions, much to the chagrin of his wife Laura (MacDowell).
Steven isn't sure if the muse could be the real thing or just somebody sucking him dry of his money and patience. She takes him to Long Beach, where they encounter writer-director Rob Reiner, someone Sarah clearly knows. Steven gets an idea for a movie set in an aquarium and thinks of Jim Carrey as the lead.
As Sarah's demands increase, Steven's apprehensive wife begins to be won over. Through the muse's encouragement Laura decides to pursue her dream of baking and selling cookies, to much fanfare and success.
To save money, Sarah is invited by the Phillipses to move into their house. Steven, however, is frustrated because Sarah spends more time helping others—notably Hollywood writers and directors like James Cameron and Martin Scorsese, who come to Steven's house to see her. Steven even surrenders his own bedroom to Sarah and sleeps in the guest house.
When he pleads for a way to end his aquarium screenplay, Sarah does point Steven in the right direction and inspires him with a great idea. Steven's agent Hal is thrilled and urges him to finish the script as quickly as possible. Steven did finish the script, when he heard Sara's advice.
The following morning, though, two visitors come to Steven's home, revealing that they are doctors from a mental clinic. They tell Steven that Sarah is an escaped psychiatric patient from their asylum who has multiple personality disorder. They find the whole "muse" idea hilarious. When they try to find Sarah to take her back, they discover that she has escaped. They decide not come after her, since she can come and go anytime she wants.
The junior exec, Josh, loves Steven's script, but he breaks the news that the idea is already in production at another studio—by Rob Reiner. A broken-hearted Steven goes to work in his wife's new cookie business.
Things turn around when the agent calls to inform Steven that the Reiner project fell through and the studio wants to purchase his version, contingent upon a few changes being made. An excited Steven goes to the studio, where a secretary reveals that the studio fired Josh for stealing and they have a new boss, Christine, is now in charge. Christine is revealed to be Sarah. She takes Steven's arm and insists that they discuss the changes over a nice, expensive lunch, which she expects him to pay for.

Tags: satire

Review:
The short appearances of James Cameron and Martin Scorcese are hilarious, but the best laugh I had in years was the short conversation of Albert Brooks (Steven) with Mario Opinato (European man) at the party.
Brooks plays a troubled writer who needs help to get his edge, so he gets a Muse (Sharon Stone is not her best, but good at being annoying) who inspires to do things.
Cameron, Jennifer Tilly, Rob Reiner, Steven Wright (not as himself but he gives the funniest part as Stan Spielberg) and in the best cameo of the year, Martin Scorsese as himself, who interests Brooks in a remake of Raging Bull "Thin and Angry."  Worth a gander, but not as many laughs as Bowfinger.
Less acerbic, but often just as funny as Woody Allen, Brooks looks at the world through a slightly askew, charmingly off beat prism, invariably placing himself in the center of his films as the average Joe persona put-upon by the daily frustrations and absurdities we all face as we struggle to make it though our often harried modern lives.His latest charmer, "The Muse," provides even more of a fantasy insider's view of Hollywood than Steve Martin's recent "Bowfinger."  Brooks portrays a fairly successful screenwriter who is suddenly experiencing steady rejection of his most recent script as studio after studio turns thumbs down on the project.
Driven by desperation, he enlists the aid of a tempermental Muse, played winningly by Sharon Stone, an actual descendant of Zeus who moves her way around the Hollywood bigwigs, inspiring hit movies as she goes - or so her many devotees think.
Part of the fun of the film comes in the latter portion of the film when doubt is cast on the validity of her credentials, which speaks humorous volumes about the state of mental health in that crazy land known as Hollywood.In fact, the film is at its freshest in scenes in which Brooks gently skewers the crass insensitivity, lack of creativity and general madness of the movie industry itself - and he has enlisted quite a number of major Hollywood big shots to appear in amusing cameo roles that mock their own self-importance and that of the business they are involved in.
The lovely Andie MacDowell, as Brooks' understanding and supportive wife, adds immensely to this air of breezy likability."The Muse," unlike so many modern comedies, manages to captivate and entertain without working itself up into a frenetic frenzy and without breaking into a sweat.
While I do think that by the end of this movie, you'll probably have had enough of Albert Brooks' whiney, monotonous voice, some of his lines and "sound effects" are rather funny.
Andie MacDowell is a beautiful woman, and while her characters are never really memorable, I feel she is a good actress, and entertaining to watch in movies.This movie is a light-hearted, film of mindless entertainment.
"The Muse" from 1999 is an Albert Brooks film, starring Brooks, Sharon Stone, Andie MacDowell, Bradley Whitford, Mark Feuerstein, Jeff Bridges, and cameos by the likes of Wolfgang Puck, Rob Reiner, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Jennifer Tilly, Lorenzo Lamas, and others.Brooks plays Steven Phillips, a Hollywood screenwriter who has written 17 films.
And by the way, so were the last couple of films.Discouraged, and at his wife's (MacDowell's) suggestion, he goes and talks to his best friend Jack (Jeff Bridges) who explains that he used the services of a Muse, Sarah Little (Stone) for inspiration.
The main protagonists were superb; Sharon Stone as the eccentric, lovely but spoiled Muse, Andie MacDowell as the temporarily frustrated but soon self-actualized spouse, Jeff Bridges as the successful screen writer who is challenged simply to get a tennis ball over a net but who hooks Albert's character up with the Muse, and of course angst filled Albert's character who teeters on the edge of disaster but somehow pulls it together with some help from the Muse cum studio executive.
The more you know about Hollywood and the motion picture industry (I recommend 'The Big Picture' by Epstein), the more true-to-life you understand the film to be, and thus the funnier the jokes become.I'm not sure why it did poorly, and reading others' comments yields little insight.
She effortlessly obliterates the wooden acting of the strangely-featured Andy McDowell throughout.As madly demanding actress - for that IS what she is doing in reality - and - in the final payoff - harridan Studio head she is just superb, and through her the film s high concept is perfectly - and delightfully - pitched.I cannot speak highly enough of this team of Brooks and Stone..
I often think of Albert Brooks as a genius of the "common movie." His films are comedies and they have the feel of your regular, standard comedy but they are so much more.
I am not a great fan of Sharon Stone (or Albert Brooks either for that matter).
THE MUSE is a truely great comedy and it is made so by Ms. Stone, not Albert Brooks.
Writer/Director/Star Albert Brooks and co-writer Monica Johnson's somewhat jaundiced view ofachievement and success in Hollywood is the inspiration for this movie.
While a bit gimmicky and aimless,it is still quite funny and satisfies in a way he's known for doing(Lost in America,Defending Your Life and Mother spring to mind for me personally).Writer Steven Miller has won what seems to be his umpteenth Humanitarian award for his work in the industry,and being a longtime veteran of penning scripts that get critical acclaim but receive little or no commercial reward,he finds himself at a crossroads for his career.
In a moment of personal breakdown in front of his friend Jack(Jeff Bridges,very good in something just a little bit more than a cameo here) recommends that he use the services of a beautiful and spoiled woman named Sarah(Sharon Stone,very fine here),whose exact job is to be a Muse,or inspiration,for artists to do their most successful work.
Brooks, once a prominent writer who's now neurotic and struggling after everyone starts telling him he's losing his edge, resorts to desperate means and acquires the services of a benevolent but bizarre and demanding muse (Stone) to try and recapture the essence of his onetime brilliance.
It can't possibly do Albert Brooks' ego any good to know that he co-wrote, directed and stars in such a limp comedy as "The Muse" which, looking back, might be pinpointed as a stalling-point in his career (actresses Sharon Stone and Andie MacDowell don't come out of it unscathed, either).
Albert Brooks' new comedy has again big names: Sharon Stone (as The Muse / Sarah), Andie MacDowell (as Laura) and Jeff Bridges (Jack).The plot: Steven (Albert Brooks), has a difficult period in his life...
my opinion is that every movie has something special and this also the case for this one...Certainly the performance of SHARON STONE was wonderful, she is the best muse that I ever saw...
There were some parts of Albert Brooks' new film " The Muse" that really amused me.
Brooks plays the screenplay writer and Sharon Stone is the Muse.
The one story that the narrative could have done without out was the Muse's role to inspire Brook's wife, dolefully played by Andie Mcdowell, to start up a cookie business.
Every few years Albert Brooks declares himself God and creates a little universe in his own image and likeness in the form of a film he writes, directs and in which he stars.
Enter Sarah Liddle (Sharon Stone), muse extraordinaire, who in return for her inspiration requires lavish and continual attention and has an insatiable appetite for luxuries.Steven becomes her shameless lackey as does his wife (Andie MacDowell) in hopes that she can bring both of them fame and fortune.
She just beams with enthusiasm and vitality as Steven's wife who, inspired by the muse, turns her love of baking into a Hollywood cookie empire.Sharon Stone dominates and energizes the story in her role as the muse.
"The Muse" moves along at a pleasant pace as we follow Brooks' character, a screenwriter in desperate need of inspiration (he longs for an Oscar but ends up writing a Jim Carrey-vehicle!)Brooks certainly has a way of displaying unique sensibility and "The Muse" has some memorable moments along the way, two of them including Martin Scorcese and James Cameron in hilarious cameos.
To top it off Sharon Stone does a wonderful job as the title character.If you enjoy the wonderful world of Albert Brooks, you're in for a treat..
Albert Brooks is a pain to watch, almost cringe-worthy, his character seems to be a personification of himself which isn't a good thing.This film seems like it was written by someone who obviously had writers block until they suddenly thought they'd write a film about writers block.
Normally, I like insider type movies, and did enjoy some of the cameo appearances of movie directors.However, I found the Albert Brooks character too whiney and predictable.
I know my wife wouldn't so easily accept another woman, and then let her sleep in my bed too!The dialog was boring, not inspired as some have said of Albert Brooks' abilities, the soundtrack was grating (did not fit the scenes well at all), and the casting less than ideal.
Albert Brooks, who is normally pin-point-perfect in his portrayal (both through his writing and acting) of what can best be described as highbrow deadpan, has given sad evidence of having lost his edge.I use the term "edge" on purpose, of course, for in The Muse, that is what his character, Steven Phillips,  is bemoaning his loss of:  What all of Hollywood refers to as his "edge."  Struggling to get it back, he seeks the help of a horribly miscast Sharon Stone as The Muse.
Jeff Bridges and Andie McDowwel play the supporting parts and I love them for it.Seen it multiple times now and the jokes stay fresh and funny thanks to excellent story written by the director/actor Albert Brooks himself.
The cast is big named with stars Al Brooks, Sharon Stone, Andie, etc.Great film about Hollywood.
Albert Brooks co-wrote, directed and starred in this Hollywood satire, a kind of weak sister to Robert Altman's "The Player." This one's about a whiny screenwriter (Brooks) whose career is hitting the skids and who needs inspiration which he finds in Sarah Little (Stone), who claims to be a real-life Muse out of Greek mythology.
Andie MacDowell is her usual unlikable self (does anyone actually enjoy her characters?)and the ending stinks like a stray hound.For a funny satire on Hollywood's stragglers, rent Friends Like These (also features a cameo by Scorsese) which is subtle, subversive, wry and charming.Where was the director's muse on this one?.
I am a big fan of Albert Brooks, but I did not like this movie as much as his previous work the first time I saw this movie.
While the former was another multiplot, multicharacter masterpiece that indeed did show the very nature of the beast and the latter too much incrowd tongue-in-cheek to be appreciated by the average viewer, with "The Muse" Albert Brooks managed to deliver a relatively small but hilarious film that looks at, frowns upon, wonders at and then declares terminally insane the world these characters inhabit.
What is not supported as always is Sharon Stone's chest, who actually does a great job as the very out-there muse and, although non-nude throughout the movie (welllllll, almost) still doesn't need a bra (or silicones).
This is not a brilliant movie, it's not even great, it certainly isn't anything like The Player, but put down a couple of bucks in your videostore and what you'll get is just a plain hilarious comedy, sharp and witty, courtesy of Brooks delivering his own script under his own direction.
Sharon Stone was surprisingly good as the muse and Jeff Bridges was excellent as Albert Brooks' best friend (especially the tennis court scene).
Sarah is a great networker, though - cameos of directors coming to call on her include James Cameron, Martin Scorcese, and Rob Reiner, and when McDowell needs help marketing her cookies, Sarah sets a meeting with Wolfgang Puck, a celebrity chef.Brooks main problem with this film, and with several other ones, is that he dances between absurd slapstick comedy and a more subversive, internal comedy.
I also enjoyed Brook's eventual explanation of her gift  - it fits very well into his thesis about how Hollywood really works.There are many fine comedic moments in this movie, and I recommend it if you like Brooks and are interested in intelligent comedy.
Albert Brooks acts totally wrong, and although the idea might have lead to a good result, the film turns into a fiasco.
Albert Brooks, Andie MacDowell & Sharon Stone lead an all start cast including special appearances from Directors Martin Scorsese, James Cameron & Wolfgang Puck.
Andie MacDowell also has a great touch which helps this movie run smoothly.But who can go pass the extremely effective acting of The adorable Sharon Stone.
And Sharon Stone turns in the performance of her career.If you want to laugh & make fun of your Hollywood idols, watch this.
Sharon Stone is wonderful in this new Albert Brooks screenplay!!.
Albert Brooks plays a down-on-his-luck Hollywood screenwriter who finds a real life muse in the character played by Sharon Stone.
Featured players include Jeff Bridges as the writer who puts Brooks on to the muse and Andie MacDowell as his wife.
Although it has over tones of other films, I still found it good fun, with Sharon Stone as the ever demanding Muse, who has gifts thrust upon her at every opportunity, by people seeking her help.
Classic Albert Brooks comedy, about a screenwriter with writers' block at the mercy of a unpredictable muse.
Sharon Stone is every bit as funny in this as she was sultry in "Basic Instinct."  Albert Brooks is California's answer to Woody Allen.
Albert Brooks is like Woody Allen - he always plays the same character, and it's a boring, whining, one.
Just when you thought you had seen the last cynical movie about Hollywood, Albert Brooks comes up with his best offering yet.
"The Muse" is another very funny movie from Albert Brooks.
There are great comic moments as he attempts to contact Steven Spielberg.Finally, he consults his friend, played by Jeff Bridges, who puts Brooks in contact with a muse, played wonderfully by Sharon Stone.
The Muse	B-/B					2.21.00		1.85:1/5.0 	First Viewing	 	 This Albert Brook's film is not of the same quality as Broadcast News or even Defending Your Life, but it is another cute look at the movie business.
The muse character is simply annoying from the get-go, Andie McDowell as the wife has once again been given no role, the celebrity cameos are gratuitos and not particularly well-done: none of them seem like they're comfortable being in the picture and want to get out as quickly as possible (the lone exception to this is Martin Scorsese's hilarious appearance explaining his ideas for a Raging Bull sequel - his manic energy is so enjoyable and completely loopy that, in only a couple of minutes of screen time, he steals the picture outright).Most damningly, though, Brooks character is just not one we can get behind - either to like (he's too whiny and flaccid) or even to have fun disliking (we're sympathetic toward him as he's dumped on by the Hollywood establishment).
Moreover, the idea for a movie he comes up with under the muse's influence (something about a Jim Carrey comedy taking place in an aquarium ) is such an obvious piece of hack-work, yet presented as such a n epiphany, that we're not really sure if Brooks knows how bad it is.
I'm usually not an Albert Brooks fan, but THE MUSE is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.
The Muse and Steven have almost no scenes together after the first half.Sharon Stone didn't work for me.
Albert Brooks has certainly put a lot of his own frustration into the script being one of the most neglected writer-director of this ending decade.Which might as well has something to do with the fact that his previous films lost the edge his character tries to find by playing the humble servant to a muse who acts like a true Hollywood diva.
This story line had potential and Sharon Stone was good in her role but she could not carry the whole movie.
I would like to know why Albert Brooks always writes himself as such an unsympathetic character.Out of all the wonderful performances in this film he is the least likeable.He does this consistently -- "Mother," "Defending Your Life;" he always writes himself as a bit of a dolt.But to consistently make money on his films, yet not be of the Hollywood "A" List he must be doing something right.This film opens and closes with a surprise -- which I am not going to ruin for you.There are 7 cameos -- wonderful surprises all (especially James Cameron).The tennis game between Steven Phillips (Brooks) and Jack Warrick (Jeff Bridges) is wonderful.Sharon Stone is magnificent as The Muse.
Brooks plays a struggling writer who finally finds his muse (Sharon Stone), a demanding, obnoxious woman claiming to be the daughter of Zeus.
I saw this because:a) I've never been disappointed in an Albert Brooks film andb) I've always wanted to see what Sharon Stone could do in an *intentionally* funny film.I was disappointed, but not too.
The ever talented Andie MacDowell played Albert Brooks' wife and I found her to be very enjoyable in this film.
Albert Brooks has hit his stride with this funny movie.
Hey Gang:THE MUSE written, directed and starring Albert Brooks is quite simply the second best comedy that I have seen this year.
That is the whole point of the movie!!)Great story, each scene is hilarious, and Sharon Stone is casted perfectly as the very annoying Muse.