A triumph of art direction over narrative, but what art direction! Writer-director Roman Coppola's feature debut is a love letter to Euro-pop exploitation movies of the '60s which, unlike the similarly designed AUSTIN POWERS movies, doesn't spoil the tribute with juvenile jokes. The slim story finds oh-so-serious aspiring American filmmaker Paul Ballard (Jeremy Davies) living the expatriate life in Europe. He's cohabiting with French cutie Marlene (Elodie Bouchez) and making a 16mm B&W diary of his life, heavy on long takes of ashtrays and mopy musings about the meaning of life. This exercise in autobiographical tedium is being bankrolled by Paul's job as a film edit...
Released:
2001
Rated:
R
Length:
91 mins