2007, USA
Drama
READ THE REVIEW AT The Desert Sun.
What do a disgruntled, middle-aged reporter and attractive, B-movie starlet have in common? Not much, except their desire to use the other to their advantage.
With Interview, actor Steve Buscemi directs his fourth feature film, the first in a trio of remakes originally done by the late Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh. Before van Gogh's death, he planned to remake his own films with English-speaking actors. Screenplay writer and close friend David Schechter decided to continue this vision with three American directors. Stanley Tucci is directing Blind Date and John Turturro will begin filming 06 in the fall.
Interview was inspired by the meeting of a Shakespearean actor and a fluff movie star. In this film, the role of the actor is pushed farther down the line of incongruity by becoming a hardened war reporter. Pierre (Buscemi) is forced to interview starlet Katya (Sienna Miller), known best for her escapades off screen. What is interview gold to one journalist becomes a waste of time to another when the subject falls outside of his usual beat. The dismal meeting leaves both frustrated, but despite efforts to escape they are thrown together again after an accident.
The rest of the film takes place in Katya's apartment, and an air of intimacy allows the film to feel more like a play. Though the warehouse-like space is open and uninhibited, the inner workings of Katya are not. As Pierre detects a more complex being under her vain surface, his journalistic instincts heighten as he attempts to uncover unknown truths. Little does he realize that some clues have been planted and with Katya's home field advantage, she remains one step ahead.
The film presents a brilliant battle royal of the sexes. Though Pierre denies Katya's worth because of her focus on beauty and lack of substantive roles, she can still use her sex appeal to tease him at her whim. And though Katya dismisses Pierre as an arrogant prig, he is able to find a disturbing connection between her and his late daughter that shatters Katya's impression of the distance between them.
Art imitates life through these two clever roles. Miller is known for her troubled world portrayed in gossip rags, though through this role she proves herself capably as a talented actress worthy of more introspective attention.
Interview is an intelligent film, both quick-witted and mysterious. Though the characters are initially pegged as clichés, it becomes apparent that they are far more manipulative and wary than they reveal. If Tucci and Turturro can follow Buscemi's example, then the Triple Theo trilogy will be a great success.