Not many films need to be three hours long but this one is epic in scale and ambition and can't be contained in less time.
It's about the heaven and hell of giving up your life in pursuit of "something bigger than you." It's about creativity, fame, approval, money etc and it neither romanticises or demonises the process - it just turns it into a wild ride.
Everything in this film is intentionally overblown and relentless, so that when someone does actually take a breather to be honest with themselves or with others, it lands.
There are several compelling storylines to follow here but that of Jack Conrad (a pitch-perfect Brad Pitt) probably captures the film's tone best. A movie star who realises his best days are behind him would, in a lesser film, be entirely bleak but in this one he understands how lucky he was. However, at the same time he also understands that's all he was, and that without it there's nobody there.
In time this film will be recognised for the epic triumph that it is.
It's about the heaven and hell of giving up your life in pursuit of "something bigger than you." It's about creativity, fame, approval, money etc and it neither romanticises or demonises the process - it just turns it into a wild ride.
Everything in this film is intentionally overblown and relentless, so that when someone does actually take a breather to be honest with themselves or with others, it lands.
There are several compelling storylines to follow here but that of Jack Conrad (a pitch-perfect Brad Pitt) probably captures the film's tone best. A movie star who realises his best days are behind him would, in a lesser film, be entirely bleak but in this one he understands how lucky he was. However, at the same time he also understands that's all he was, and that without it there's nobody there.
In time this film will be recognised for the epic triumph that it is.