2015 / Directed by Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow
“Holy Mackerel!” the great director exclaims. And keeps exclaiming, one of his favorite expressions, in a movie about Brian DePalma’s favorite things. Here is a filmmaker full of charm and vitality and, at times, maybe, just like his favorite exclamation, slightly out of touch with the moment. But that’s okay: we live in a world in which art is often cast aside in favor of corporate mandates, fashionable culture, and marketability. Over the course of a storied and laudable career, DePalma stayed true to himself, mostly, and acknowledges that, when he didn’t, yeah, it was a mistake. But it was also fun. And this is perhaps the most charming thing of all: a director known for having a sleazy, violent eye, is really just an exuberant kid at play, with a prodigious talent and intellect to bolster his efforts. What a great way to spend an evening.
