No one will be too surprised to see a film or two starring Steven Buscemi at the Sundance Film Festival, since he's been a mainstay in indie films that have played at the fest, including a few that he directed. What's odd about this year's Buscemi offerings, Delirious and Interview, is that they have many things in common, particularly the insightful way they look at the pretensions of the entertainment business. Delirious is the first film in five years from Tom DiCillo, reuniting the director with Buscemi after working together on his early films like Living in Oblivion and Box of Moonlight. Interview is Buscemi's fourth feature film as a director, a remake of the late Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh's film of the same name.
Delirius was recommended highly by David Poland at The Hot Blog, and though I don't fully agree with his raves, there is something fun and entertaining about the movie that's not quite easy to pinpoint. For the most part, it's more of an industry in-joke that regular moviegoers might not appreciate as much as those who've seen the mania of celebrity photographers firsthand.
Buscemi plays Les Galantine, a manic photographer trying to get away from the stigma of being dubbed "paparazzi," while trying to get into the best parties, grab the most swag bags and get the perfect shot that will take him to the next level in the biz. Along comes Michael Pitt's Toby, a good-looking homeless guy who agrees to be Les' unpaid assistant in exchange for a place to sleep... in Les' walk-in closet. Although Les is suspicious and demanding as a boss, Toby is eager to please, and he works with Les in his attempts to capture his "white whale," a Madonna-like pop singer named Kharma, played by Alison Lohman. When she falls for Toby's sweet innocence at a party the duo are covering, Les suddenly sees his shot to the big time; instead, it breaks up the friendship, because Les is unable to break away from his old "P-list" habits. Eventually, Toby winds up in a dalliance with a casting agent, played by Gina Gershon, and finds his own fame on a reality show, but he still has feelings for Kharma and vice versa.
I really wanted to like Delirious, because the rapport between Buscemi and Pitt allows for some very funny and almost touching moments in the first half of the movie. Once the duo split up, things start to falter, and as much as the movie tries to be a feel-good fable with a moral, by the time it gets around to it, DiCillo has to work far too hard to pull things back together.
As much as DiCillo tries to set the movie in the real world of the entertainment business, there's also far too much that requires the absolute suspension of disbelief. The fact that Kharma can write a song and have its music video premiere in what seems like days later is unrealistic and hard to believe, but then again, so is the premise of a world-famous pop star falling for a homeless guy, however good-looking he may be.
You have to wonder what Buscemi has against photographers and journalists to take on two such roles in such a short time, but he brings just the right amount of cynicism and sleeziness to make both characters believable. Although his role in Delirious is a far more memorable one, Interview is a much better movie, despite being an entirely dialogue-driven character drama in the vein of Richard Linklater's Before Sunset. In this one, Buscemi plays political journalist Pierre Peters, who has been assigned to interview B-movie actress Katya, played by Sienna Miller. (You have to wonder whether her similar singular name to Lohman's character in Delirious was deliberate.)
The interview gets off to a bad start when Katya shows up an hour late, but Pierre isn't exactly prepared, having not even seen her films, because this assignment is far below his usual political writing. Things quickly go downhill from there and the interview ends abruptly, but after a freak accident, Pierre ends up back at Katya's apartment for a battle of words and wits as they drink and talk the night away, each trying to get the upper-hand in this intermitent relationship.
Although this movie is clearly Buscemi's baby, it's more of a showcase for the talents for Miller, who pulls off a performance that runs the gamut of emotions, while ably proving that all actresses have to be just a little bit crazy. Katya is much smarter than she looks and acts in public though, manipulating Pierre with her words and her sexuality, making you wonder who's in control of the situation.
This is a very revealing film about journalism, which certainly rings true for anyone who's ever interviewed anyone famous, though obviously, the situation is taken to the extreme. While this would have worked just as well as a two-person stageplay, the simplicity of the way it's filmed makes it just as riveting. Again, it works in the same way that Linklater has done with his verbose character pieces or even a bit like James Toback's Two Guys and a Girl. The only thing slightly questionable about the film's premise is the fact that the movie is done almost in real-time and yet, by the time it's over, we're supposed to believe they spent the entire night talking.
Sadly, Delirious is far more likely to be picked up for distribution, because it's a far more accessible movie that can appeal to a wider audience. Interview is a much stronger drama with far better writing and two great performances, as well as having a stronger emotional impact that sticks with you after seeing it.
