Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2012

Yes, it’s everything they say it is. Who knew that a silent movie, shot in black & white in a 3:4 ratio, and featuring no big-name stars (outside of France, anyway) would walk away with five Oscars (Original Score, Costume Design, Actor, Directing and Motion Picture), and be so completely rewarding and entertaining to boot? Director Michel Hazanavicius had to have some kinda couilles to go against Hollywood’s bigger-is-better conventional wisdom in this novel (but not gimmicky) way. And in the process he underlines the apparently forgotten truth in that town that story is more important than flashy presentation. So the story: When the advent of talking movies destroys the career of a famed silent film star (Jean Dujardin) in the late 1920s, his life spirals ever deeper into irrelevance. But there’s an angel watching over him in the form of a now popular talkie actress (Berenice Bejo) whose career he was instrumental in launching. A lot of love went into this ever-so-slightly tongue-in-cheek celebration of the history of the cinema, and you will go home feeling warm and happy. I promise. Also John Goodman, James Cromwell, and Uggie the Wonder Dog.