The film delivers one caustic comic highlight after another.
The Muse (1999)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:75
Fresh:40
Rotten:35
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: Despite quirky and original writing, the subject matter feels too removed to produce laughs.
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Albert Brooks is Steven Phillips, a veteran screenwriter of 17 films who is told he has lost his edge. A fellow writer with a string of successes under his belt (Jeff Bridges) refers Phillips to... Albert Brooks is Steven Phillips, a veteran screenwriter of 17 films who is told he has lost his edge. A fellow writer with a string of successes under his belt (Jeff Bridges) refers Phillips to Sarah (Sharon Stone), a professional muse (see Greek mythology). In exchange for the royal treatment and a showering of expensive gifts, she will grace writers with her presence, which seems to magically spark profitable ideas from the client's mind. Is her power real or is it all in her clients' heads? Why does Jack's wife develop a delicious and profitable cookie recipe in Sarah's company? Brooks uses his usual biting wit and thoroughly neurotic sensibility to lampoon the Hollywood lifestyle. As in THE PLAYER, many personalities appear as themselves to take a shot--most especially a hilariously jacked-up Martin Scorsese and a desperate James Cameron. Sharon Stone is unexpectedly funny as the capricious, avaricious muse who turns Phillips's life upside down. Brooks is his usual dry, hilarious self. [More]
Starring: Albert Brooks, Sharon Stone, Andie MacDowell, Jeff Bridges
Starring: Albert Brooks, Sharon Stone, Andie MacDowell, Jeff Bridges
Director: Albert Brooks
Director: Albert Brooks
Screenwriter: Albert Brooks, Monica Johnson
Producer: Herb Nanas
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Reviews for The Muse
Though consistently fun in an Albert Brooks kind of way, this film drags its feet with the business of building to a climax.
The lead performances of Brooks, MacDowell, and Stone are critical to the story’s success, and ultimately fall flat.
The screenplay, despite containing a number of droll one-liners and a pair of deliciously funny scenes, possesses a turgid, directionless feel.
It's imaginative enough to provide a reliable, pleasurable stream of chuckles and midsized laughs.
Squeezes out plenty of laughs at the expense of the Hollywood film community.
Appropriately enough, it seems that Brooks and Johnson needed a muse of their own to really make this film work.
It's good for some sterling one-liners and a generous handful of sparkling scenes, but after a strong, peppery start, the movie collapses into bland mush for want of anything interesting to say.
The Muse will appeal to anyone who has ever tried their hand at a creative endeavor.
The Muse is an underdeveloped, lackluster effort, despite a sparkling comic turn by Sharon Stone.
The Muse might have worked better if it didn't presume that we're all as interested in the machinations of Hollywood as Brooks is.
What's most surprising about The Muse is how derivative, cliche-ridden and old-hat it is.
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
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| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
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