Cosmopolis Reviews: Robert Pattinson ‘Bravery’ + Dead Rats

Limousine rider Juliette Binoche.

Cosmopolis reviews

Starring Robert Pattinson, David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis is missing a scene found in Don DeLillo’s 2003 novel: a 300-person orgy at a Manhattan intersection. But don’t despair. Cronenberg’s movie, which opens tomorrow in Canada and Aug. 17 in the US, apparently has more than enough to intrigue, discuss, and think about.

Reviews have been generally positive-leaning. Even so, Canadian critics aren’t of the same mind when discussing Cosmopolis: too cold and overly intellectualized, or gripping and thought-provoking?

Referring to Cosmopolis as a “blockbuster of the mind,” Toronto Star critic Peter Howell says “We might quibble with the emphasis Cronenberg places on dialogue, on the staginess of his sets and on the relative lack of action. … What we can’t argue is that Cosmopolis is the work of a master filmmaker, one who is determined to have us think about the ideas packed into the trunk of this limo bound for the furthest corners of the psyche.”

As for Robert Pattinson, Howell says the following: “Very well played by Pattinson as a mash of guile and naivety, Packer would have made a good patient for the subjects of A Dangerous Method, Cronenberg’s previous movie.”

T’cha Dunlevy in the Montreal Gazette: “This is not, for the most part, Cronenberg the macabre (though that side of him does surface). Nor is it the more subdued, plot-driven Cronenberg we saw in last year’s A Dangerous Method. It is a mix of the two: a contained, quirky film in which he lets his weird side shine through in the details.”

Dunlevy thus sums up the review: “But this film rests squarely on Pattinson’s broad shoulders, and in the brooding features of his perfectly chiseled face. Cronenberg is at play in this slippery, surreal affair that is best appreciated with open ears and an open mind – and begs to be seen twice.”

Bruce Kirkland in The Toronto Sun: “Adopting a convincing American accent, Pattinson aces the role despite his panic attacks before the film starting shooting in Toronto.” Kirkland later adds: “Cosmopolis will certainly baffle some, bore others. I cannot imagine what Twihards will think. But it is intelligent and stylish cinema …”

After saying that Cosmopolis is “fascinating stuff, stilted but still compelling,” The National Post critic Chris Knight carps that “the problem with Cosmopolis is that the rarefied intellectualism displayed on the page translates poorly to the screen. Pattinson’s flat line readings are clearly the result of Cronenberg’s direction; it seems the filmmaker is so anxious to present a character insulated from the rough shocks of everyday life that he inadvertently creates a kind of zombie.”

In the Vancouver Sun, Katherine Monk says Cosmopolis is “impenetrably cold,” adding, “certainly, as a metaphor for the international monetary system … Cronenberg designed his film to refuse intimacy. The whole point of this plodding, self-conscious allegory is to point out how removed we’ve become from our own world.”

Monk adds: “We never care about Eric Packer, even if that is Robert Pattinson up there. The scenes that could humanize him are stilted, and most of the movie feels like theatre of the absurd — only with the axis reversed.”

Now Toronto‘s Norman Wilner: “The film glides along on dreamy inertia, with characters popping up for random conversations before vanishing from the narrative. The result is more interesting as an intellectual experience than as entertainment; you watch Cosmopolis fully aware that it wants to be deconstructed rather than enjoyed.”

Besides Robert Pattinson, Cosmopolis features Sarah Gadon, Juliette Binoche, Paul Giamatti, Samantha Morton, Kevin Durand, Mathieu Amalric, Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, and rapper K’Naan.

As for the orgy scene, Cronenberg opted not to shoot it because he felt it would look fake. But don’t lose hope. Perhaps there’ll be a realistic one in the Los Angeles-set Maps to the Stars, which will also feature Robert Pattinson.

Juliette Binoche Cosmopolis movie image: Alfama Films | eOne Films.

Gucci-clad Robert Pattinson, Cosmopolis

I could be wrong, but expect David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis to win something at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Reviews haven’t been unanimously favorable for Cronenberg’s “ethical fable” about a (disastrous) day in the life of a New York City multibillionaire (Robert Pattinson) determined to get a haircut. But no matter. Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life was last year’s Palme d’Or winner despite a highly mixed reception. Robert Pattinson, in the process of shedding his Twilight image, has mostly earned extremely positive (and surprised) notices.

Below are a translated snippets from a few French-language reviews. A chief complaint about Cosmopolis is that it’s too chatty. David Cronenberg reportedly wrote the screenplay in six days, keeping much of author Don DeLillo’s dialogue intact.

In addition to Robert Pattinson, Cosmopolis features Sarah Gadon, Juliette Binoche, Samantha Morton, Paul Giamatti, Jay Baruchel, Mathieu Amalric, Emily Hampshire, Kevin Durand, and Patricia McKenzie. Cosmopolis has already opened in France. It should be released in the United States sometime in the second half of 2012.

Via Paris-Match: “Screened for the press at 8:30 this morning, David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis seems to have divided the critics. Considered too talky by some, among them our critic Alain Spira, this implacable observation of the inhumanity of the world’s new masters can be seen as a nightmarish sequel to David Fincher’s The Social Network. Robert Pattinson is flawless as Eric Packer, disillusioned and cynical to perfection.”

toutelaculture.com: “When it comes to Cronenberg, we had mixed feelings about Carl Gustav Jung’s a little too kitschy tribulations in A Dangerous Method. Following this pleasant – even if a bit clumsy – period film, the Canadian director has apparently decided to try his hand in the science-fiction genre with the philosophical Cosmopolis. Despite a wonderful cast, the film looks too much like a bad Bertolt Brecht play to lure us in.”

Regarding Robert Pattinson’s performance, the reviewer adds that although he “desperately tries to deliver his long philosophical tirades with the least artificiality, with the talkative Cosmopolis Cronenberg crosses the dubious border with which A Dangerous Method had only flirted at, plunging headlong into kitsch. Even into the ridiculous.”

Caroline Vié at 20minutes.fr: “[In Cosmopolis,] David Cronenberg displays his dark sense of humor as well as his filmmaking genius, for the film was almost entirely shot in a limousine. He perfectly illustrates the chaos surrounding this peaceful haven, as well as the inner storm brewing inside his hero. Throughout it all, Robert Pattinson confirms that he has a career after Twilight. A disturbing 21st-century Rastignac, he carries the film on his shoulders while surrounded by carefully selected supporting actors.” [Eugène de Rastignac = Honoré de Balzac’s ambitious, cunning character in Balzac’s La Comédie Humaine narratives.]

Olivier Delcroix in Le Figaro: “From Cosmopolis’ first images, it becomes crystal clear: David Cronenberg will be giving us the best of his art.

“… Cronenberg relishes this failed world. … David Cronenberg shoots as close as possible this living-dead creature [Robert Pattinson’s Eric Packer] floundering in the raging ocean of global finance. Apocalyptic, visionary, physical, this dark futuristic tale envelops the audience and carries it away. This year at Cannes, Cronenberg has reemerged.”

Gucci-outfitted Robert Pattinson / Cosmopolis photo: Courtesy of Gucci (via MTVNews).

Cosmopolis: Robert Pattinson directed by David Cronenberg

An early Cosmopolis review has come out via Studio Ciné Live‘s Fabrice Leclerc. Directed by the iconoclastic David Cronenberg, who adapted Don DeLillo’s novel, and starring Robert Pattinson, Cosmopolis is definitely one of the most eagerly anticipated films at the Cannes Film Festival 2012. [Check out the fantastic Cosmopolis trailer.]

The headline of Leclerc’s brief, three-star (out of five) Cosmopolis review reads: “A Cronenberg as brilliant as he is taut.” Leclerc then begins his review by explaining that Cronenberg and DeLillo are “manufacturers of fantastic, unhealthy, and at times somber environments, of the science of language, and of totally chaotic characters. And of controversy as well.”

Referring to Cosmopolis as a “ghostly and hypnotic” tale, Leclerc adds that Cronenberg had adapted to the letter DeLillo’s “ultrarich prose, filming with incredible inventiveness this stifling and disturbing airtight environment.”

As for Robert Pattinson, Leclerc says he’s “impeccable” until Cosmopolis’ last segment, when, “lost in a verbal torrent,” Pattinson “seems, all of a sudden, to be no longer in control.”

Leclerc wraps up his review with the following: “As always with Cronenberg, there are no half-measures, no second gateway, no escape. Cosmopolis is to be experienced in full or not at all. Take it or leave it.”

Cosmopolis, which is in competition for the Palme d’Or, opens on May 23 in France, June 8 in Canada, and June 15 in the UK. In Portugal, Cosmopolis comes out on DVD/Blu-ray on August 31. August 2012 is the rumored Cosmopolis US release date.

Besides Robert Pattinson as billionaire Eric Packer, Cosmopolis features Sarah Gadon, Juliette Binoche, Paul Giamatti, Samantha Morton, Kevin Durand, Mathieu Amalric, Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, and K’Naan.

Robert Pattinson has two other movies coming out in 2012: Nick Ormerod and Declan Donnellan’s period piece Bel Ami, currently available on VOD in the US, and co-starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Uma Thurman, and Christina Ricci; and Bill Condon’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, with Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner.

David Cronenberg has several rumored projects in the works, including a sequel to the 2007 thriller Eastern Promises, which starred Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts, and a remake of Cronenberg’s own The Fly, a hit for Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis back in 1986. As per the IMDb, other potential projects include As She Climbed Across the Table, The Matarese Circle, League of Monster Slayers, and London Fields.

Cosmopolis review via the Cosmopolis Blog and fantastiqueworldblog, where the original French text can be found.

Robert Pattinson, David Cronenberg / Cosmopolis photo: Alfama Films / eOne Entertainment.

Cosmopolis movie: Robert Pattinson, Sarah Gadon

Mathieu Carratier has written a highly positive Cosmopolis film review for Premiere magazine, praising the movie itself, director-writer David Cronenberg, and star Robert Pattinson. Cosmopolis is in competition for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It’ll be screened on May 25.

Carratier begins his Cosmopolis commentary by remarking that whether or not he appreciates David Cronenberg’s recent work – one assumes he means more accessible fare such as the Viggo Mortensen trilogy: A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, and A Dangerous Method – he was “seriously missing” the Cronenberg of (no-holds-barred) movies such as Crash and Videodrome.

But not to worry. “Pop open the champagne,” exults Carratier, “because he’s back in every Cosmopolis shot.”

Cronenberg himself wrote the Cosmopolis screenplay – reportedly in six days, and his first for a feature film since eXistenZ (1999). The plot is based on Don DeLillo’s novel about a fateful day in the life of a young New York City multibillionaire, Eric Packer (Robert Pattinson). As described by Carratier, Packer is “haunted by a question that is never formulated: Can someone who has everything still desire something else?” (A haircut, maybe?)

Carratier continues: “Cronenberg has made sure that all his obsessions mark out the route, be they intellectual (the search for “another” reality) or physical (at the end of a scene that will make people talk, Packer learns that his prostate is asymmetrical). Enthroned in the back seat of his limousine, Robert Pattinson reveals a depth that becomes increasingly more fascinating as his character approaches the abyss. In the last moments, the fear that takes over his face isn’t only that of an antihero arriving at the point of no return; it’s also the fear of an actor testing his limits with unsuspected bravery. A feverish and decadent ride through hell, Cosmopolis proves he’s not yet close to reaching them.”

Cronenberg’s Crash – not to be confused with Paul Haggis’ 2005 Best Picture Oscar winner – was screened at Cannes in 1996. Based on J.G. Ballard’s novel about human relationships, kinky sex, car crashes, and mutilated bodies, Crash won a Special Jury Prize. When the prize was handed out, Cannes Official Competition jury president Francis Ford Coppola had to explain that several jury members were adamantly against the selection. Some in the audience agreed, as (a clearly irate) Cronenberg was booed when he got onstage.

And here’s an interesting David Cronenberg comment regarding movie directors:

“If you don’t enjoy some element of voyeurism, then you’re in the wrong business. Every day, the set was charged with sexuality, and there is a deliciousness in ignoring it, in having a professional distance. Even when there isn’t any overt sexuality in front of the camera, a film set is a very sexually charged place. You’re never surprised that strange people have affairs. You’re just as likely to want to have sex with the props person as the leading lady. And one does. Later, you realize that these are things that should be enjoyed but not acted upon.”

Robert Pattinson has two other movies coming out in 2012: Nick Ormerod and Declan Donnellan’s Bel Ami, currently available on VOD in the US, and co-starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Uma Thurman, and Christina Ricci; and Bill Condon’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, in which Pattinson is reunited for the last time with Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner. Additionally, Robert Pattinson has reportedly signed on to star in Mission: Blacklist and The Rover.

David Cronenberg has several rumored projects in the works, including a sequel to Eastern Promises and a remake of his own The Fly (1986), which starred Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. As per the IMDb, other projects include As She Climbed Across the Table, The Matarese Circle, League of Monster Slayers, and London Fields.

Cosmopolis review via strictlyrobsten. David Cronenberg quote: The Canadian Encyclopedia. Robert Pattinson / Sarah Gadon / Cosmopolis picture: eOne Entertainment.

In this Cosmopolis clip, Robert Pattinson (photo) needs to get inflamed (and to get a haircut). Sarah Gadon doesn’t look all that willing to inflame him (or to cut his hair), but a couple of guys holding dead rats while proclaiming “A specter is haunting the world!” just might be willing to do both. (Please scroll down to watch the Cosmopolis clip.)

I haven’t read Don DeLillo’s novel, so I’m not sure exactly what on Earth is happening in the clip, but it just might be something out of Videodrome. Or perhaps The Fly.

It’s interesting how both the dialogue and particularly Sarah Gadon’s performance come across as quite stylized. Robert Pattinson’s lines are stylized as well, but his performance is more naturalistic. In fact, Pattinson’s low-key delivery is hilarious.

Directed and co-written by David Cronenberg, Cosmopolis will premiere in the Official Competition of the Cannes Film Festival. Besides Pattinson and Gadon, Cronenberg’s latest features The English Patient‘s Juliette Binoche, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly‘s Mathieu Amalric, The Black Marks’ Jay Baruchel, Resident Evil: Retribution‘s Kevin Durand, Sideways’ Paul Giamatti, and In America‘s Samantha Morton.

Best line exchange in the Cosmopolis clip:

Sarah Gadon: “Do you need a haircut?”

Robert Pattinson (impatient): “I need anything you can give me.”

In addition to Cosmopolis, Robert Pattinson has two other 2012 releases:

• Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod’s Bel Ami, which has already opened in several countries. This latest film version of Guy de Maupassant’s novel features Pattinson, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci, Colm Meaney, and Holliday Grainger. Bel Ami‘s US theatrical release date is June 8.
• Bill Condon’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 opens on November 16. Robert Pattinson co-stars with Kristen Stewart (who will be at Cannes with Walter Salles’ On the Road) and Taylor Lautner. Additionally, Breaking Dawn 2 features Twilight / New Moon / Eclipse / Breaking Dawn 1 regulars Elizabeth Reaser, Peter Facinelli, Dakota Fanning, Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone, Booboo Stewart, Michael Sheen, Julia Jones, Billy Burke, and others.

Cosmopolis premiere: Robert Pattinson with Emily Hampshire, Sarah Gadon

The Cosmopolis premiere is currently being held in Toronto right now. A clarification: that’s the Canadian premiere of Cosmopolis, as the film has already had premieres in places like France and Portugal. Starring Robert Pattinson, David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis was in competition for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It rode away (it’s a white limo movie) empty-handed despite some ardent supporters among the media and critics.

August 2012 is the rumored Cosmopolis US release date. Canadian distributor eOne Films, a branch of eOne Entertainment, will handle the Cosmopolis release in North America.

Besides Robert Pattinson as a haircut-obsessed, asymmetrically prostated (that doesn’t sound quite right, does it?) billionaire Eric Packer, Cosmopolis features Sarah Gadon and Juliette Binoche.

Robert Pattinson 2012

Robert Pattinson has two other films coming out in 2012: Nick Ormerod and Declan Donnellan’s period piece Bel Ami, currently available on VOD in the US, opens in theaters on June 8. (The same day Cosmopolis opens in Canada.) In addition to Pattinson, Bel Ami features Kristin Scott Thomas, Uma Thurman, Christina Ricci, Colm Meaney, and Holliday Granger.

Bill Condon’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, with Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, opens Nov. 16. The last installment in the Twilight Saga franchise also features Twilight regulars Elizabeth Reaser, Peter Facinelli, Billy Burke, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone, Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, Dakota Fanning, Michael Sheen, Booboo Stewart, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Julia Jones.

David Cronenberg has several rumored projects in the works, including a sequel to the 2007 thriller Eastern Promises, which starred Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts, in addition to a remake of Cronenberg’s own The Fly, a hit for Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis back in 1986. As per the IMDb, other potential projects include As She Climbed Across the Table, The Matarese Circle, League of Monster Slayers, and London Fields.

Also: David Cronenberg and Robert Pattinson may be joining forces in the near future in – probably – a Hollywood-set project called Maps to the Stars. Viggo Mortensen has also been rumored as a co-star. (See more on David Cronenberg/Robert Pattinson’s Maps to the Stars.)

Robert Pattinson, Sarah Gadon, Emily Hampshire / Cosmopolis premiere photo: eOne Films Twitter page.

Robert Pattinson haircut, Cosmopolis

The Robert Pattinson movie Cosmopolis may have an August release date in the United States, according to online rumors. That would be a curious choice for Canadian-based distributor Entertainment One (eOne), as David Cronenberg films have “fall release” written all over them.

That’s certainly how US distributors have perceived Cronenberg’s last three films, all of which were awards-season contenders: starring Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, and Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method opened in the US in November 2011. (In mid-January 2012 in Canada.) Starring Best Actor Oscar nominee Mortensen and Naomi Watts, Eastern Promises opened in mid-September 2007. And Mortensen / Maria Bello’s A History of Violence came out on Sept. 30, 2005.

Cosmopolis, which is in competition for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, will open on May 23 in France, June 8 in Canada, and June 15 in the UK. Additionally, Cosmopolis already has a DVD/Blu-ray release date in Portugal: August 31.

David Cronenberg co-wrote the screenplay with Don DeLillo, author of the original novel.

Robert Pattinson has two other movies coming out in 2012: Nick Ormerod and Declan Donnellan’s Bel Ami, currently available on VOD, and co-starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Uma Thurman, and Christina Ricci; and Bill Condon’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, with Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner.

Robert Pattinson haircut / Cosmopolis picture: Entertainment One.

June 17 update

Robert Pattinson shirtless (naked?) and ready to strike: Cosmopolis

Cosmopolis release date US: Starring Robert Pattinson, David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis will be released by eOne Films in the United States on August 17. Talk about counter-programming. Also opening on August 17 are Sylvester Stallone / Liam Hemsworth’s all-brawn-no-brain actioner The Expendables 2 and the musical Sparkle, Whitney Houston’s last movie appearance.

Other August releases in the US include the Total Recall remake starring Colin Farrell; The Bourne Legacy with Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz; the latest Meryl Streep movie, Hope Springs; and the horror thriller The Apparition, featuring Twilight‘s Ashley Greene.

As pointed out in the previous article about the Cosmopolis US release date, August is a curious choice as Cronenberg’s unusual film is a “prestige” – i.e., awards-season – effort. Those movies generally open in the fall, closer to the time critics hand out their awards so the films can remain fresh in the minds of Academy voters.

Cosmopolis, which was in competition for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, was released on May 23 in France. It opens tomorrow in Canada and on June 15 in the UK.

Besides Robert Pattinson as billionaire Eric Packer, Cosmopolis features A Dangerous Method‘s Sarah Gadon, Chocolat‘s Juliette Binoche, Sideways’ Paul Giamatti, Minority Report‘s Samantha Morton, Robin Hood‘s Kevin Durand, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly‘s Mathieu Amalric, How to Train Your Dragon‘s Jay Baruchel, The Trotsky‘s Emily Hampshire, and K’Naan.

David Cronenberg co-wrote the Cosmopolis screenplay with Don DeLillo, author of the original novel.

Robert Pattinson 2012

Robert Pattinson has two other movies coming out in 2012:

• Nick Ormerod and Declan Donnellan’s Bel Ami, currently available on VOD, and co-starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Uma Thurman, Christina Ricci, Colm Meaney, and Holliday Grainger. Bel Ami opens tomorrow.
• Bill Condon’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, with Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, and the usual Twilight crowd, including Elizabeth Reaser, Peter Facinelli, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Dakota Fanning, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Michael Sheen, Booboo Stewart. Breaking Dawn – Part 2 opens Nov. 16.

Following Cosmopolis, Robert Pattinson and David Cronenberg will join forces again in Maps to the Stars, an old Cronenberg project that has been in the back burner for about six years.

Other Cronenberg movie projects include the satirical sci-fier As She Climbed Across the Table, the Robert Ludlum Cold War thriller The Matarese Circle, a remake of Cronenberg’s own The Fly, and a sequel to the thriller Eastern Promises, which starred Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts.

Cosmopolis / Robert Pattinson shirtless picture: Alfama Films