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Maps to the Stars

David Cronenberg’s tragicomic take on Tinseltown

David Cronenberg’s tragicomic take on Tinseltown and its scabrous goings-on out-Lynches Mulholland Drive and plays like The Player with teeth. To call the Weiss family “dysfunctional” would be a compliment. Dad’s a self-serving TV self-help guru, and mom manages their jaded 13-year-old actor son.

Dad’s star client is a fading diva who’s angling for the lead role in a remake of one of her late, great mother’s films. Her new personal assistant is a burn-scarred newbie who also happens to be the Weiss family’s pyromaniacal prodigal daughter. There’s a devastating family secret in the mix, and a ghost. (112 min)