Another provocative picture from filmmaker Andrew Niccol (writer-director of Gattaca and writer of The Truman Show), Simone claims it doesn’t take much to be a star. Sometimes, as happens here when a washed-up movie director (Al Pacino) creates a computer-generated actress, you don’t even have to exist. Simone exposes the hollowness of celebrity culture with a sharp script and witty visuals, suggesting if you only build the illusion of fame, they – the paparazzi, the tabloids, the obsessive fans – will come.
