Movie Review: Maps to the Stars

Photosource: http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2014/10/second-opinion-maps-stars-2014.html

Overview
"Maps to the Stars" is a film about a family chasing Hollywood and stardom, a macabre exploration of what the real Hollywood is really like, besides the onscreen glamour we see / read about. I do not understand why this movie was classified under "Humor" because the satirical content was anything but funny.  Anyway, this is 112 minutes movie directed by David Cronenberg, starring John Cusack (rather befitting, since he came from a family of actors), Julianne Moore and Robert Pattison.

Photosource: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2172584/

Review / Thoughts
The initial deceptively-simple plot slowly gave way to shocking secret after secret - a young girl on her way to Hollywood to find work. Through some connections, she landed herself the job of being Personal Assistant to Havana (played by Moore) - a disturbed, unstable washed out actress on the shores for work.

On the other side, we were exposed to the ugliness of cold-hearted, selfish, conceited young Hollywood teens without hints of sympathy even for a dying patient - until Benji (played by Evan Bird) started to imagine that she appeared in his room to accuse him of broken promises he never meant to keep.

If one expected to find the usual nefarious plots devised by people yearning to reach the top, especially those "rumors" one hears about how political and dark Hollywood could be, rest assured that you would find plenty of such scenes herein. What was also common was the Psychological / Mental instability that often plagued the actors and actresses - their ghosts, depression, guilt, melodrama, delusions and hypocrisy were all played out full fledge in Maps to the Stars.

Amongst them lay a very dark family secret involving crimes, incest and inhumanity all hidden behind a glamourous facade. In order to attain fame and riches, family members resorted to despicable means and were willing to sever all ties just to protect their interests. It was cold, but necessary evil by reason, in such a setting.

On the good side, be prepared to be entertained by the exciting plot filled with twists and turns; and be treated to scenes of lots of beautiful homes, views etc that is atypical of Hollywood's dazzling glamour.

Photosource: http://www.robotsforrobots.net/viewtopic.php?id=45&p=202