Here's what can definitively be said about "Annette": it will not be everyone's cup of tea. The new movie from director Leos Carax opened the Cannes Film Festival and was received equally on opposite ends of the critical spectrum. This was my first time seeing a film by Carax (his 2012 film "Holy Motors" was widely lauded by critics), but his reputation allowed me to prepare myself for the unexpected. In that sense, "Annette" delivers in all its flawed, thrilling, gorgeous, and ambitious glory.
The movie opens with an incredibly catchy and wonderfully staged number by Sparks (the duo was recently the subject of Edgar Wright's "The Sparks Brothers" documentary), where they lead us into the mystical world Carax has created. The song "So Many We Start?" will be on your mind long after watching the movie, and from the get-go it effectively delivers a high dose of energy that is sustained for much of the movie. The ensuing 140-minute rock opera eventually starts to crumble under its own weight, but as a visual exercise, "Annette" is nothing short of hypnotizing.
Explaining the plot of "Annette" seems futile. Its IMDb.com plot description states: "A stand-up comedian and his opera singer wife have a two-year-old daughter with a surprising gift." That seems like just a snippet of what the movie offers. Adam Driver stars as comedian Henry McHenry, who is in a relationship with opera singer Anne Defrasnoux (Marion Cotillard). The early stages of the movie take us through their relationship. They juggle their separate careers while trying to support each other, live in the spotlight, get married ,and eventually have a baby named Annette (who is portrayed in this movie by a marionette. Yes: a puppet). Where the movie goes from there must be experienced.
"Annette" doesn't offer anything terribly new thematically; instead it is all about the experience. Driver's character must battle his ego and stature and learn how to deal with it when its on the decline. After all, no one stays famous forever in showbiz. What is his purpose? Is he still even funny? For the most part, the audience seems to agree with him, though his sets are often heavy-handed.
Driver is the perfect actor to take on Carax's creation of Henry. As an actor he brings an intense energy to the roles he chooses (though he is very capable of being funny, as demonstrated in HBO's Girls or romantic comedies like "What If"). Driver has never seemed comfortable with the fame "Star Wars" has brought him, and he brings all that to Henry's stage in front of a responsive and singing audience. It's a fascinating mesh of actor and role, juxtaposing a personal shyness with a character's reckoning with his position in the entertainment sphere.
The back half of "Annette" begins to wear thin, but even then it's hard to dismiss the movie as boring. It's an experience you have to meet halfway (and that could be putting it generously), but it's always rewarding to see a challenging piece of filmmaking. For every plot line we may have seen a dozen times before, Carax makes everything about "Annette" feel like startling new.
"Annette" will be in select theaters Aug. 6 and on Amazon Prime Aug. 20.
By Matthew Passantino Annette Movie Review
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