Roman Coppola proves too hip for his own good with psychedlic flick
FILM REVIEW With “CQ,” Roman Coppola proves too hip for his own good, though fans of psychedelic films should applaud his directing debut.
Coppola, the 36-year-old son of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola (“The Godfather”), transports viewers back to the swinging ’60s with this decidedly offbeat, totally unconventional tale, which was influenced by colorful vintage favorites such as “Modesty Blaise,” “The 10th Victim” and “Barbarella.”
The plot concerns an American film editor, Paul (Jeremy Davies of “Saving Private Ryan”), who assumes the directing chores on a glossy sci-fi B-picture, “Dragonfly,” being filmed in 1969 Paris.
The self-absorbed Paul had been spending his free hours creating a pretentious black-and-white documentary on “every possible thing” in his life.
But the directing assignment sends him crashing into a world he never imagined as fantasy and reality collide.
Soon, his romantic relationship with a flight attendant (Elodie Bouchez of “Tango”) suffers as Paul is attracted to the film’s beautiful leading lady (model-turned-actress Angela Lindvall in her screen debut).
“CQ” is populated by a number of interesting performers.
Some of those performers include French superstar Gerard Depardieu (“1900”), Italian favorite Giancarlo Giannini (“Hannibal”) and Jason Schwartzman, the “Rushmore” star who’s also Coppola’s cousin.
Each brings a certain spark to “CQ” and helps to keep it enjoyable even when the elements really don’t make much sense.
Coppola can no doubt thank his powerful father, who’s a board member of the film’s distribution company, United Artists, for the opportunity to make something as radically non-commercial as “CQ.”
The directing newcomer can take pride in the fact that the work ranks as a genuine artistic challenge that seems destined for a short box-office run but an eventual long haul as a cult favorite.
FILM REVIEW
“CQ”
Grade: B-
Starring: Jeremy Davies, Angela Lindvall, Elodie Bouchez, Gerard Depardieu, Giancarlo Giannini and Jason Schwartzman.
The film is produced by Gary Marcus, Francis Ford Coppola, Georgia Kacandes and Willi Baer.
The movie was written and directed by Roman Coppola.
Running Time for film: 93 minutes.
Parental Guide: R rating (nudity, harsh four-letter profanity).