Themes: Creative Block, Midlife Crises, Writer's Life
Main Cast: Albert Brooks, Sharon Stone, Andie MacDowell, Jeff Bridges, Mark Feuerstein
Release Year: 1999
Country: US
Run Time: 97 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Actor/writer/director Albert Brooks turns his satiric gaze on the film industry in this comedy about a screenwriter who has hit a rough patch. Steven Philips (played by Brooks) has enjoyed a celebrated career in Hollywood, but one day he has a meeting with his agent, who informs him his career is suddenly going nowhere. Steven quickly finds himself at the end of his rope and is unable to put a decent sentence on paper. Desperate, he hears that there's a bona fide muse in Hollywood, Sarah (played by Sharon Stone), who might be able to help with his problems. The writer contacts Sarah, hoping a good, stong dose of inspiration will get his career back on track. However, Sarah's late hours and endless demands don't do much to help Steven's relationship with his wife (Andie MacDowell). The Muse features an original musical score by Elton John, and cameos by several notable film figures, including Martin Scorsese, Rob Reiner, and James Cameron. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
A charming comedy from co-writer/director and star Albert Brooks, this high-concept fantasy isn't as sharp as his more acerbic works (although some nice jabs are taken at the movie business). This is the stuff of later career Brooks and so lacks the almost-too-painful-to-watch quality of his more surgically precise early works. Fluffier and more situation comedy in conception it may be, but it's just as funny and quarries much of its humor, as do all of Brooks' films, from the psychological bugaboos of its protagonists. Sharon Stone is perfectly cast as the deranged Greek goddess of the title, Brooks and his co-writer Monica Johnson leaving little doubt that what they're actually sending up is the spoiled pampering of Hollywood divas. Brooks is his familiar self, long-suffering and neurotic, if not quite as lacerating and slightly more self-assured than his usual characters. Still, there are some classic moments here, including a meeting with Steven Spielberg's cousin, a nightmarish gathering with Wolfgang Puck at Spago, and a late-night salad delivery gone awry. The Muse (1999) may lack the bite of its creator's best work, but even a middling comedy from Brooks is a treat to be savored. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Marc Dabe - Art Director, Victoria Burrows - Casting, Betsy Cox - Costume Designer, Daniel Silverberg - First Assistant Director, Albert Brooks - Director, Peter Teschner - Editor, Barry Berg - Executive Producer, Elton John - Composer (Music Score), Dina Lipton - Production Designer, Thomas E. Ackerman - Cinematographer, Herb Nanas - Producer, Anne McCulley - Set Designer, Christopher S. Nushawg - Set Designer, Kim Ornitz - Sound/Sound Designer, Albert Brooks - Screenwriter, Monica Johnson - Screenwriter
