Driver, Cotillard can’t save dispiriting, tedious rock opera
If you heard Adam Driver belt out “Being Alive” in Marriage Story two years ago and thought to yourself, “Wow, I sure wish I could hear Adam Driver sing more,” well then you’re in luck. The musical Annette opens today, and Driver warbles his way throughout, so if you’re into that, go check it out. But for the rest of us, be warned: this overly long, joyless rock opera is no fun, and a chore to sit through.
Written by brothers Ron Mael and Russell Mael of the Los Angeles-based art rock band Sparks and directed by French director Leos Carax of Holy Motors fame (or rather, infamy, depending on your tolerance for that divisive film), Annette originated with songs the Maels were considering for a possible Broadway musical. Collaboration with Carax led to the film instead, and, given the dreariness of the film, I’m not sure a Broadway show would have been any more entertaining.
The story concerns the relationship of two famous performers. Henry (Driver) is a stand-up comedian, and Ann (Marion Cotillard) is an opera singer. Conflict arises when Henry’s star begins to fall and Ann’s continues to rise, just as the couple’s daughter, the titular Annette, is born. That Henry’s success is short-lived is understandable, as he’s probably the most dour, unfunny comedian ever to grace a stage. The scenes of him performing (in some of the film’s few spoken word moments) are not only uncomfortable and cringeworthy, but also just plain bad. There’s no humor in the act, and Henry’s hostility to his audience is as apparent as the picture’s hostility to us. Once these scenes, which take place near the film’s start, are behind us and the story progresses, the picture does become a little more watchable, but only slightly.
Discussing much more of the storyline is difficult, since at least some unexpected and marginally provocative events occur, and so although I’m not recommending the film, I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who may be curious enough to see it. Suffice to say the trajectory of the couple’s relationship is explored, with chirpy updates from an entertainment news show interrupting the action to keep us informed, in case we’ve nodded off and missed what’s going on.
I will, however, share just a few tidbits, so you can get a sense of the movie’s tone. Carax must think Driver looks way cool on a motorcycle, because we get an interminable number of scenes of Kylo Ren (Oh, I mean Henry) riding his motorcycle, wearing a heavy black helmet, mostly through an equally inky black night. We get Henry and Ann singing “We Love Each Other So Much” to each other during not one, but two, oral sex scenes. We get a wooden puppet playing the role of Baby Annette. And we get Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) as Ann’s accompanist, looking distractingly super short next to Driver’s towering Henry. But mostly what we get is a bleak, moody, slog of a musical, with songs that are neither catchy nor entertaining nor memorable, with the sole exception of the peppy opening number (“So May We Start”), a one-off moment of lively amusement that never recurs.
Annette opened the Cannes Film Festival last month, where Carax inexplicably won the Best Director award. Although I suppose if Carax’s intent was to direct Driver and Cotillard to look miserable for two hours and 20 minutes, he certainly succeeded.
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Annette opens today at Bay Area theaters, and will be available for streaming on Amazon beginning August 20th.
