Cosmopolis

A collaboration between director David Cronenberg and writer Don DeLillo seemed like the perfect match, but unfortunately DeLillo’s heavy dialogue didn’t translate so well to the screen in Cosmopolis, at least when it’s being spoken by lead Robert Pattinson.  Not to unfairly put all the blame on him, as just about everyone in this ensemble cast save for Paul Giamatti and Juliet Binoche seem to struggle with the dialogue and/or chemistry.  The book itself seemed cold and detached, but that feeling is amplified in this adaptation.  The saving grace comes in the film’s final confrontation where Pattinson comes out of his shell and the movie seems to finally find its pulse.

This is a short review partly because the film felt so empty (even as a fan of the book, to which it is mostly faithful) that I just don’t feel strongly enough to spend more time on it.  I felt similarly after Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method last year.  I’ve been a big fan of his for a long time, and I hope he can regain whatever edge he had, as his last few films have been strangely hollow.

5/10