THE ARTIST - Film Review

It took me a while to see Michel Hazanavicius' new film "The Artist." Playing in limited release, I'd heard all the buzz and knew it was one of those films a person like me is "supposed to see" this time of year. But when I looked at the trailer, all I could see was an obvious mash-up of "A Star is Born" and "Singing in the Rain." True, bonus points go out to any filmmaker bold and inventive enough to make a silent black and white movie in 2011, but still, I felt I'd seen the story before. Like five times before. "Singing in the Rain." Three versions of "A Star is Born" which come immediately to mind. And even the original "A Star is Born" called "What Price, Hollywood?" So I wasn't sure I wanted to watch the same story again. Wouldn't it be the exact same thing? Well, in a word, yes. But like all five films before, the familiar story still did not fail to warm me over by the end.

You see, there's a reason filmmakers are repeatedly drawn to the rags-to-riches, riches-to-rags story of two lovers on opposing trajectories. It makes for damn good drama. And when you have a cast as winning as this, you'll find yourself in for a very good time.

A brief recap for those who haven't seen the story before. A dashing leading man, George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is flying high in silent movies. At the same time, the scrappy upstart Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) is just scrambling to get her foot in the door. After a meet-cute movie premiere, George and Peppy start the kind of whirlwind on again-off again romance that is the stuff of... silent movies. Well, with the dawning of sound, silent movie stars like George suddenly find themselves at the wrong end of the unemployment line. But the aptly named Peppy has just what it takes. As her star rises, his begins to fade, and the big time star becomes the small time failure.

I'm not sure what it is about this story that resonates generation after generation. Maybe it's the allure of fairy tale love in Tinseltown. Perhaps it's setting signals just the right amount of glitz and glamor.

But I tend to think it's something more basic than that. I think these films tap into something more primal. Man's need to be King of the Hill. Our basic need to provide for our family. Or, more importantly, to be powerful enough to be able to provide for those we love. It's often said, and proven, that women are attracted to confidence. Powerful men, often with few other redeeming qualities other than that power, tend to attract more women. A sociologist would do a better job of explaining why, but most of their rambling would likely amount to women's primal need to find a strong breadwinner. Literally in the cave man days. The man that is most adept at bringing home the bacon, brings home the most... bacon. He can provide for his woman, and therefore becomes desirable. Apparently not a whole lot has changed since the dawn of man. And Hollywood movie star is one darn good way of providing for your mate.

But what happens when you cannot provide for those you love? What happens when your best efforts fall on deaf ears? When she needs you, when she looks to you for support, but all you can offer her is your own failures. Many of us will know that failure. Few will know the success. And for those who know both, who climb great heights only to tumble from the mountain top, the fall is all the more precarious.

"The Artist," and all the films that inspired it, is essentially about a proud man's emasculation. About his ability, or often inability, to adjust to a world where he's no longer on top.

And to need the undying love and support of a woman, who will love you come what may.

That's the other half of the "Star is Born" equation and what takes the tale from tragic to timeless. Peppy Miller, with all her awkward angles and narrow frame, is exactly the kind of woman that can make the toughest man go all dough eyed. The kind of woman you want to reach out and protect. The kind of woman that you want to provide for. But she's also the kind with a hidden strength. The kind you suspect may need less caring for than your ego first imagined. The kind capable of providing you support as well. The who, when you cradle in your arms, somehow makes you feel more safe. She fills the room with her smile. She fills your heart with her love.

"The Artist" is more than just a retold story. It's a wonderful movie. And a reminder that when you've hit rock bottom and you have nothing left but the love of a good woman, you can still seem the richest man in the world.