Celebrity (Woody Allen) - 1998

Kenneth Branagh, who seems to be imitating Woody, is a writer/interviewer who is obsessed by the celebrities he meets on the job.  So, he dumps his dull wife (Judy Davis) and begins a string of affairs always looking for greener pastures.  Meanwhile, Judy meets a great guy (Joe Mantegna) who gets her a job in show business.  The irony is that Kenneth's ex-wife becomes the celebrity that he seeks.  This is a rather long, black-and-white movie that employed scores of excellent actors.  Melanie Griffith, Winona Ryder, Charlize Theron, Debra Messing, Bebe Neuwirth, Leonardo DeCaprio, Allison Janney and many more take their turns on Woody's stage.  Vanessa Redgrave's scene was cut from the movie. [JAM 8/30/2010]

["I had fun doing Celebrity but people were very critical.  My own feeling is that they didn't like the movie and they were searching for a reason - not consciously but emotionally - and they pinned in on that.  Because the truth of the matter is, Kenneth Branagh is very different from me as a natural personality, and even if he was imitating me, which he wasn't, so what?  ... The movie was a look at celebrity in our society: the obsession with fame, celebrity, the perks that it brings, the power that it brings and the whole obsession with how people respond to it and what a cushy life it leads to.  Celebrity also leads to some annoying things, but my opinion is that the perks far outweigh the negatives." Conversations with Woody Allen - February 2006]