Annette

Annette

The story of Henry, a stand-up comedian with a fierce sense of humour and Ann, a singer of international renown. In the spotlight, they are the perfect couple, healthy, happy, and glamourous. The birth of their first child, Annette, a mysterious girl with an exceptional destiny, will change their lives.

  • Released: 2021-07-06
  • Runtime: 140 minutes
  • Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
  • Stars: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg, Devyn McDowell, Ron Mael, Russell Mael, Natalie Mendoza, Kiko Mizuhara, Tyler Matteo, Rebecca Dyson-Smith, Kevin van Doorslaer, Verona Verbakel, Kanji Furutachi, Rila Fukushima, Dominique Dauwe, Elke Shari Van Den Broeck, Angèle, Wim Opbrouck, Leos Carax, Philippe Beyls, Nastya Golubeva Carax, Christiane Tchouhan, Franziska Grohmann, Cindy Almouzni, Sinay Bavurhe, Rachel Mulowayi, Iman Europe, Danielle Withers, Lauren Evans, Julia Bullock, Claron McFadden, Noémie Schellens, Laura Jansen, Eva van der Gucht, Natalia Lafourcade, Bettina Meske, David E. Moore, John Paval, Lemuel Pitts, Colin Lainchbury-Brown, Kait Tenison, Rebecca Sjowall, Geoffrey Carey, Alberto Chromatico, Okon Ubanga Jones, Gabriela Leguizamo, Kamary Phillips, Aydogan Abay, Arvid Assarsson, Jeffrey Dowd, Graciela Maria, Clément Ducol, Richard McCowen, Michael Moore, Beatrice Reece, Eugene Stovall, Sarah Tsehaye, Fiora Cutler, Marina Bohlen, Arina Yalaletdinova, Ella Leyers, Emmi Joutsi, Ai Nishina, Ayano
  • Director: Leos Carax
 Comments
  • thecoffeecupman - 22 May 2023
    I adore art films. This ain't one
    Holy hell this is some terrible filmmaking.

    I'm not a shallow person who needs a basic script. I like my Kubricks, my Cassavetes, my Varda, my Schrader, my Schlesinger, even my Jodorowsky. I love Sparks and admire their career.

    But this movie is hot garbage. It has no redeeming quality. No message for humanity. No entertainment value. It will embarrass you for trying to watch it, and strike a terribly sour and discordant note across the melody of your evening, which you will have to salvage in your own way.

    Whoever watched the dailies on this production team and didn't shut it down should truly be ashamed of themselves.
  • feminineoddities - 31 July 2022
    Wonderful!
    First of all, the Sparks brothers are revolutionary musicians. If you like something current in electronic music, or even past music it most likely was inspired by their innovations.

    If you fast forwarded no wonder you don't get it. Grow back your attention span. Sorry this isn't a 15 sec TikTok video or an action flick. At the beginning I wondered where it would go because at first it seems like a simple story. It is NOT. It is amazing. Hang in there with it. I actually want to watch it again because I know I missed some subtle things that you just can't get in one take.

    Adam Driver was amazing! Imagine being asked to portray such insane moments/feelings as an actor? He did so with complete abandon. Marion Cotillard was an equally wonderful counterpart.

    I have never seen anything quite like it. And as I age that is what I most long to see. I am sorry some of you didn't get it. But to me anything the Sparks Brothers touch isn't simplistic. Too bad for some of you, you seem to have missed it. But, I am happy for myself that had the pleasure of witnessing it.
  • zdfjyrb - 15 May 2022
    I really wanted to like this...
    Is this a book or Broadway play and maybe I just don't get it? I felt confused majority of the time with the little details. Should I have been stoned? Also "what in the creepy Pinocchio baby heck". I must be missing something. Also, that initial stand up act...WHY ARE THEY LAUGHING? Nothing was funny!!! Also, the singing was cringe and there was too much of it. Better singing could have helped. Nothing against the actors. Not everyone can carry a tune but geeeeeezzzzz.

    Otherwise it was cinematically nice. I was just hella confused by most of the scenes.

    PS. Adam Driver is kinda yummm. Never thought I'd say that.
  • eddie_baggins - 22 February 2022
    A dramatic rock opera unlike anything else
    Enthusiastic fans of cinema can often be heard crying out that the content they are finding themselves consuming is unoriginal and uninspired but no matter their thoughts towards Leos Carax's latest oddball offering (following the seriously insane Holy Motors in 2014), it's unlikely anyone could cry out that this self-confessed musical rock opera is anything but a unique and wild ride into the never before seen.

    Recruiting Hollywood stars Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard to do his bidding in this epic close to two and a half hour exercise, Carax infuses his tale of Driver's brash and controversial comedian Henry McHenry and Cotillard's kind-hearted opera singer Ann's rocky romance with a wild sense of humour, much metaphorical musing on arts and creative minds and some absolutely divisive techniques too tell his story that will alienate many who view Annette between those that struggle to sit through more than one act of this film and others who want to be able to re-watch what has transpired before their very eyes.

    At the heart of the film is a relatively by the numbers tale of two star-crossed lovers doomed to fail as the realities of their lives and desires start to overtake their lust and attraction to one another but Carax is not interested in exploring these themes in the way in which we would expect with Driver and Cotillard splitting their respective performances straight down the line between a mixture of carefully considered dialogue and a raft of singing situations that builds nicely towards an unexpectedly moving finale that will reward those that stuck it out through the films more boorish and long in the tooth moments.

    Helping the film through its rough patches that stem mostly from a sagging mid-section and a last act that could've potentially done with a more tighter edit are the as to be expected performances from both Driver and Cotillard who have made careers out of being some of the most reliable performers in their trades but while Cotillard is as solid as ever, Annette's greatest asset is Driver who turns in one of best lead roles yet here as McHenry.

    We got a taste for Driver's skills as a musical performer in Marriage Story a few years ago but McHenry gives us an entirely different Driver than we've seen before on screen with a tricky role he nails to perfection.

    At times charming at other times squeamishly repugnant, Driver's performance as McHenry is a special one indeed and as we grow more privy to the true nature of McHenry's inner being and the demons he is battling as he looks to stay on top of his career and in love with Ann, Driver ensures we are constantly engaged with this character through thick and thin proving once more his one of the best in the business in this well-shot and put together offering that might not achieve everything it set out to do but remains a film worth a try no matter the end result of a viewers reaction towards it.

    Final Say -

    In a landscape of films that often feel either like rehashes or slight variations of products seen and heard before, Annette stands out as an entirely original operatic ride that is far from a classic but should be commended for going all out to deliver something unique nonetheless.

    3 singing nurses out of 5

    For more reviews check out Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)