brooke-25

This episodic film has to be seen more than once. The following

are my first-screening impressions. I loved many of the scenes:

the opening shot with the helicopters; the party guests looking at

the beach (near the end of the film); and especially the final shot

(which reminded me of The 400 Blows). La Dolce Vita brings up

the issue of celebrity: whether we're rich or poor, we all love it. It

also looks at the issue of "other people's lives": we always think

someone else is so well off and has got it together – this is not

always the case (the grass isn't always greener).The film definitely

leaves an impression and will get you thinking about your life. On a

last note, Marcello Mastroianni gives an outstanding performance.

The story's not overly engaging, but for some reason Along Came Polly is fun. Ben Stiller just has that knack of being able to embarass himself and we love him for it. You can't help but laugh. But the film is worth a look for Philip Seymour Hoffman, too, as the child actor still looking for recognition -- and work. The basketball court scene is great, but the best is his performance with a community theatre's production of Jesus Christ Superstar. If you've ever been in community theatre, or you've hung out with actors, you'll appreciate this.

Although I will probably never watch this film again (for that matter I

don't know how it will age), it is certainly worth a look for the

stylized way it is filmed (almost like film noir). George Clooney did

an excellent job in his directorial debut, creating suspense and the

unknown. Was all this espionage stuff in Chuck Barris's mind or

was it real? Clooney's performance as the CIA agent is great. And I

really don't need to say how fantastic Sam Rockwell's performance

is! He has now become one of my new favourites (and that's not

because he appears naked in the film!)