The Ice Rink

Movies about making movies are always a dicey proposition, and while it makes for an interesting change to see one from France, the novelty soon wears off, and the jokes fall almost as flat as the numerous characters who slip on the ice (a gag that's funny only the first 10 times or so). In case you didn't already know, actors are egotistical and always want to know their motivation, film festival workers are pretentious, ice is slippery and cold, and extras who come cheap may not speak the language very well. Ha ha. At least the casting is pretty good: Tom Novembre, as the director, is the very image of a stereotypical snobbish French artist, while Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell and Charlie Chaplin's granddaughter Dolores make for a very "Hollywood" looking pair of stars. Dolores also spends much of the movie flaunting her perfectly toned body, which provides a few moments of welcome distraction. Director-writer Jean Phillipe Toussaint is apparently the author of an influential French novel entitled Generation Bathroom, but none of his literary talents are particularly in evidence here. Even members of Bruce Campbell's rabid cult following will probably want to wait for this one as a cheap rental.