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S1m0ne (2002)


S1m0ne (2002)



7/10



Starring
Al Pacino
Catherine Keener
Evan Rachel Wood
Rachel Roberts


Directed by Andrew Niccol


S1m0ne is my guilty pleasure movie—it always makes me smile whenever I watch it. Al Pacino takes on a comedic role here, playing a character on the brink of losing his career and seeing his movie production dreams crumble.
The movie’s strength lies in its drama. It packs a punch in that area, while the comedy is subtle and delivers just the right smiles when you need them. Despite its lackluster box-office performance, which likely killed any chance of a sequel, I still believe this movie doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.

The film focuses on a fictional breakthrough in CGI, set in the present day. A software developer creates a powerful program that generates a CGI woman so lifelike, you’d mistake her for real.
He combines the features and characteristics of the best actresses and singers to create the perfect face, physique, and personality. He gifts this masterpiece to his favorite movie producer, Viktor Taransky (Al Pacino), and that’s where the story begins.

We see Viktor struggling after losing his leading lady in a movie he’s working on. He uses the CGI program to create a woman named Simone and casts her in the film. His production, combined with motion-capture acting, makes the movie spectacular, and Simone becomes an overnight star.
This is where the movie truly comes to life, and Al Pacino delivers a performance that can only be appreciated when you see it for yourself.

The film explores the world’s obsession with a woman who lives a secret life but has an impossibly beautiful face. It also delves into the dangers of getting so lost in your work that you create a world of your own. The movie spins these tales exceptionally well.

The movie is written, directed, and produced by Andrew Niccol, who happens to be the real-life spouse of Rachel Roberts, the actress who plays Simone. This is her first movie role, and for me, she gave a fantastic performance.
Even though the movie was criticized for lacking punch and having an unbelievable plot, I think it has everything needed to be fun to watch and enough drama to keep you captivated until the end.

Re-writing this review in 2025, brings this idea for a movie to reality. The internet is filled with deepfake videos, and we have come to see that even picking a call can be from a deepfake voice. Scary when you come to think of it.

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