The Artist

"A crowd-pleasing tribute to the magic of silent cinema, The Artist is a clever, joyous film with delightful performances and visual style to spare."
-Rotten Tomatoes Quote

Plot:

George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) attends the premiere of his film A Russian Affair. Outside the theater, Valentin is posing for pictures for the paparazzi when a woman, Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), admiring Valentin while lost in a sea of adoring fans, drops her purse. She bends down to get it, but is accidentally pushed into Valentin. She ends up photographed, and the next day, she is on the front page of a newspaper, with the headline "Who's That Girl?". Later, Miller auditions as a dancer and is spotted by Valentin. He offers her a role in his new film, despite objections from the studio boss, Al Zimmer (John Goodman). George begins to lose recognition, while Peppy rises to fame, her roles growing larger and larger.

Two years later, Zimmer announces the end of the production of silent films, but Valentin insists that sound is just a fad. He leaves Zimmer's company to produce his own silent film. The film opens on the same day as Miller's new sound film, and Valentin is ruined. His wife, Doris (Penelope Ann Miller), leaves him, he moves in with his valet, Clifton (James Cromwell), and Miller becomes a Hollywood star. Later, Valentin fires Clifton and sells off all his effects. Desperate and drunk, Valentin starts a fire in his office. His dog gets help and he awakes in a bed in Miller's house. Clifton is now working for Miller. Miller insists that Valentin co-stars in her next film, or she will quit Zimmer's company. After Valentin learns that Miller had purchased all of his auctioned effects, he has a nervous breakdown and returns to his burnt out office. Miller arrives, panicked, as Valentin is attempting suicide. Peppy and George reconcile, and they star in a film together, Valentin rising to fame again.

PG-13, 1 hr. 40 min.
Drama, Romance, Comedy

Directed By: Michel Hazanavicius

Written By: Michel Hazanavicius

In Theaters: Nov 25, 2011 Limited
US Box Office:$1.3M

The Weinstein Company