... and I have to say that because I am familiar with that period of time, I think this is very well done. It has its own unique path, but if I had to pin it down I'd say it was A Star Is Born meets Singin In the Rain, although it avoids the depths of drama of the former as well as the comic highs of the latter. It is a very good mix of drama and comedy. Throw in Eddie from Frasier and you pretty much have it. And now on to the story.
George Valentin is a huge silent star in 1927. One night at a premiere of one of his movies a fan of his, Peppy Miller, has a chance encounter with him and in front of the crowd and the cameras she snatches a kiss from him with the headlines reading "Who's that girl?". George's wife is not amused but Peppy manages to get into George's Kinograph Studios and get work as an extra on the strength of it.
Even in the silent era, Peppy slowly works her way up the credits from just a girl in the chorus to strong supporting roles. Then sound comes in and she is put under contract as one of the "fresh new faces" of Kinograph when that studio converts completely to sound, where she stars in one hit film after another. Meanwhile, George no longer has a studio home as his producer (John Goodman) tells him that audiences will want new stars to match the new technology.
As George's fortunes decline everybody abandons him including his wife who has been showing signs (she blackens his teeth out when he is on the cover of Variety) of being unhappy since we first meet her. Only his loyal dog and butler/chauffeur stand by him. What will become of him? Watch and find out.
Visually this film gets everything right. The hairstyles, the fashions, the car models, and the architecture are correct for the 1920s and early 1930s. Everything about it reminds me of a film from the early 1930s - it's not meant to make you think too hard. It has some dramatic moments, but it is meant to make you leave feeling good, as the Great Depression was serious enough without adding to it.
