THE FALL OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE: Denys Arcand's sweet and juicy anti-Capitalist fairy tale may be his best film yet

TrustMovies will have to wait until he's seen this film a second time before definitely calling it Denys Arcand's best (the writer/director is shown below), but it is certainly and immediately up there near the front of his pack -- which includes The Barbarian Invasions, The Decline of the American Empire, Jesus of Montreal, and the woefully under-seen and under-appreciated Stardom.

When, in the very first scene of a film, you find yourself agreeing with every single idea and word out of a character's mouth, even though it soon becomes clear that this guy is a loser par excellence, you know you are in very good hands.

So, just sit back and enjoy the remaining two-hour ride. These will be some of the best, most ironic and enjoyable, delectable, thought-provoking 120 minutes you can imagine -- filled with robbery and loot; a gorgeous, high-class hooker (with not just a heart of gold but a very bright mind); and various and assorted subsidiary characters, each of whom will be worth your time, your possible political awakening, your chuckles, and occasionally (particularly toward the end) some surprisingly moving moments.

THE FALL OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE is a kind of fabulous fairy tale of how, with proper guidance, one can use some of the sleaziest tools of Capitalism in order to achieve one's goal of providing for the underclass. But who, other than writer/director Arcand, could have imagined that this trip would be quite so much fun? The journey begins with our hero, Pierre-Paul -- a naive, caring, but none-too-bright young hunk (played by the splendidly cast Alexandre Landry, above, left) -- about to lose his current girlfriend/bank employee (Florence Longpré, above, right).

From there, Pierre-Paul soon comes into contact with an enormous amount of stolen cash, and soon after with that aforementioned hooker (played with the perfect combo of looks, smarts and feeling by Maripier Morin, above), whose online professional name Aspasie, inspired via Racine or maybe Marivaux, entices our hero something fierce.

From that point on, we get everything from gangland torture (Don't worry:There a happy ending there, too) and a police investigation (by the twosome, above, Maxime Roy and Louis Morissette, left and right respectively) in which the cops are given a bit richer and more interesting characterization that we usually get) to a recently-released-from-prison former criminal trying to go straight but quickly sucked into these ever-more-interesting proceedings (Arcand semi-regular Rémy Girard, below),

and finally, perhaps the most interesting character of all, a high-level jack-of-all-trades investment entrepreneur (Pierre Curzi, at right, below) whose knowledgeable help regarding offshore workings is also required. How these folk bounce off each other personally and professionally makes for a most entertaining and thought-provoking ride.

There are also the homeless, of whom we see a certain amount (finally -- with quite an interesting jolt -- at the very conclusion) and for whom this entire caper has been set in place. As usual with M. Arcand, we are treated to ideas about morality and how to achieve it, hypocrisy and how to use it, and how Capitalism might even work -- were it Socialism that was actually calling the shots.

Sure, it's a fairy tale -- albeit a lovely, funny, adeptly-plotted one -- and so, after all, a sad little tease. But in these fraught and frightening times, what else do we have?

For its funny, sexy, highly original seduction scene alone, The Fall of the American Empire would be a don't-miss (there are a dozen other good reasons to see it, too).

Oh -- if it's the American empire that's falling here, how come the entire film takes place in Canada? Well, that's just a part of the ineffable Arcand charm.

From Sony Pictures Classics and running a surprisingly swift two hours and seven minutes, the movie opens here in South Florida this Friday, June 28, at the Coral Gables Art Cinema in Miami, the Regal Shadowood and Living Room Theaters in Boca Raton, and the Movies of Delray and Movies of Lake Worth. Wherever you live around the country, click here, then scroll down to find a theater near you.

If you haven't seen LONG SHOT, you're missing one of the best rom-coms of recent years

Further, if you imagine that you won't or can't buy the purported chemistry between leads Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen, forget it. From the very first scene of LONG SHOT, that chemistry clicks -- thanks to the actors and the work of director, Jonathan Levine (below) and writers Dan Sterling and Liz Hannah (of The Post) -- and it's soon going into overdrive.

The script is cogent, funny and timely, and the movie's full-drive feminism is bracing, as well.

That Mr. Rogen commits so thoroughly to his role and what it means is particularly commendable (the film's closing scene is wonderful), and both his and Ms Theron's performance go a long way toward covering the minor credibility quibbles you might have.

Mr. Levine (at left, of The Wackness and Warm Bodies) does a fine job of pacing (with the help of his editors Melissa Bretherton and Evan Henke), while drawing neat performances from the entire supporting ensemble, which includes the likes of June Diane Raphael and Bob Odenkirk.

The funny and quite politically savvy plot has to do with a U.S. Secretary of State (Theron) considering a run for President when the sitting Prez (Odenkirk, above, left) decides to abdicate for a hoped-for movie career (his was formerly only a TV star,  you see). Theron then hires Rogen (below, left), playing a noted left-wing journalist, to do her speech writing.

The pair are so very good together you'll want them to make more movies (like we once did Myrna Loy and William Powell in that Thin Man series), but for now, this one ought to suffice our longing for smart, funny rom-coms that might help bring America back into intelligence and, hell, even caring.

Sure, the movie's nowhere near as satiric, nasty and funny as Veep, whose characters are consistently self-involved, putting themselves above all else, including everyone around them and their country itself. Yes, Long Shot might be a fairy tale about what might happen if a few people stuck to their guns. But if so, this is one fucking fairy tale we desperately need.

A word must be mentioned about Alexander Skarsgård (above, left), playing the goofy Canadian Prime Minister, while showing another side of his enormous versatility (see Netflix's bizarre Mute for yet another side of that versatility).  There is finally so much in this movie to delight and entertain, while cleverly reminding you of a lot of things that need fixing in our current state of political and man/woman affairs. Don't let Long Shot get past you, either now, in its theatrical release, or when it finally hits home video.

From Lionsgate and running a full two hours and five minutes that never seems at all lengthy, the movie is playing now at a theater near you. Click here to find one (or more) of those.

Ike Barinholtz's THE OATH explores our divisive USA like nothing we've yet seen

What a blessing -- if a rather nasty one -- is thrust upon us by writer/director/star Ike Barinholtz, who seems determined to hold up in front of us an almost too-current picture of what's left of middle-class society today: as fractured and divisive as anything TrustMovies has seen so far in his 77-year lifetime. After the critics' screening he attended down here in South Florida a few weeks back, folk were standing around in little groups, animatedly discussing the pros and cons of what they'd just viewed.

In THE OATH, Mr. Barinholtz (shown above, right, with his co-star Tiffany Haddish, who plays his wife) provides his smartest move by making his character, Chris, quite the knee-jerk liberal, with the accent thoroughly on the jerk. Oh, yes, his progressive heart and mind are firmly on the side of the 99 per cent against the reigning one per cent, but his attitude and actions are such that he comes off like a number-one asshole kept barely in check by his more tolerant and understanding wife.

The movie's plot is set maybe next year, when the President of the USA declares that all citizens should sign an oath, declaring their "loyalty" to their country. Yes, this is not at all a difficult turn of events for any sentient person to imagine, and when the deadline for signing is set as the day after Thanksgiving, this brings a whole new meaning to "Black Friday." Chris' family, it turns out, is one of those thoroughly divided into "red" and "blue," thus setting us up for a very tricky Thanksgiving meal.

There is humor and satire aplenty here, with the two leads doing a bang-up job in their respective roles. Barinholtz takes a brave stance in making Chris so simultaneously spot-on yet unappealing, while it is great to see Ms Haddish drop her usual snark to play -- and very well -- a genuinely conflicted, caring wife. Supporting roles are smartly cast, including the filmmaker's own brother, Jon Barinholtz, playing Chris' ultra-right-wing bro, Pat (shown above, right, with Meredith Hagner, who plays his like-minded girlfriend, Abbie).

A little over halfway along, the movie takes quite a turn, as representatives from the government's new "oversight" agency arrive at the home and begin to quietly (and then not-so) interrogate husband and wife. As beautifully played in good cop/bad cop fashion by John Cho and Billy Magnussen (shown above, right and left, respectively), the pair makes for a very interesting antagonist. At this point, The Oath takes on aspects of the home invasion thriller, while never letting go of its humor or satirical bite.

During our post-movie lobby chat after the critic's screening, one woman said she found the film brilliant until its final few minutes, during which, for her, it all fell apart. The ending will probably prove as divisive as our current red/blue split. For me that finale works wonderfully well, providing a much-needed "if-only" respite from the horrors at hand. How well Barinholtz uses those old American clichés of milk and apple pie, and how nice to see our family finally sit down to a well-earned dessert.

Perhaps, when the Blu-ray and DVD are released to home video, we'll get to see an alternate ending (if not several). I'm sure Mr. Barinholtz had a few in mind here. Till then, content yourself with one of the most riveting, funny, and timely films in a long, long while.

From Roadside Attractions and running a swift 93 minutes, The Oath opens here in South Florida and elsewhere this Friday, October 19. In the Miami area, look for it at the AMC Aventura 24, Regal South Beach 18, and AMC Sunset Place 24; in Broward County at the Cinemark Paradise 24 and Regal Cypress Creek ; and in Palm Beach County at the Regal Shadowood 16 and Cobb's Downtown at the Mall Gardens Palm 16. Wherever you live around this divisive USA, to find a theater near you, click here -- and then click GET TICKETS on the task bar atop your screen.

A must-see for Toni Servillo/Italian cinema fans: Roberto Andò's VIVA LA LIBERTA

Apologies for posting this review so very tardily, as the movie in question opened this past Friday and is one of the year's best so far: VIVA LA LIBERTA, a funny, moving, sad and thoughtful look at politics today -- in Italy, of course, but really just about everywhere in the western world -- about which compromise and money, narcissism and vanity, promises and personality trump all else. The writer/director, Roberto Andò, takes a age-old tale, that of the unknown twin, and via a supremely elegant visual style, whip-smart scenario and breathtaking lead performance(s), turns it into a modern-day fable non-pareil.

Signore Andò, shown above, is known to me via ony one other film, Secret Journey (Viaggio Segreto), which I saw some years back at the FSLC's Open Roads. (My earlier review of that film for Greencine is here.) It has remained in my memory as a keeper, and now this new film of his joins it to make an even more memorable duo. While Secret Journey was gorgeous, florid, melodramatic and riveting, Viva la libertà is elegant, restrained, subtle and smooth as silk. While I love both films, if identity had been kept from me, I doubt I would ever have guessed the same man made these two movies.

This new film has an additional weapon that tends to crush all in its path. That would be the consummate actor Toni Servillo (above and below, center), who, playing the identical twins, gives us a double dose of great acting. He endows both men with such terrific and pointed details -- these both differentiate the two and entertain us immeasurably, that once the plot get into motion, we're hooked for the entire fast-paced running time.

Andò has also conspired to make this movie about politics and movie-making, and he has done it in a plausible, easy-going way that makes perfect sense plot-wise, as one of our two heroes does a disappearing act in order to visit an important ex-girlfriend (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, below) who is now married to a film director and is in the middle of working on a film shoot in France, on which our politician finds himself also working. This makes for some charming but pointed references to reality, creativity, imagination, politics, the workplace and more.

At its heart, the movie is dissecting Italian politics, the people's need for a hero and guide, and how truth, spoken plainly, can produce the right kind of shock and awe. So much happens in the course of the film, and yet so little changes, too. That, unfortunately, is another of the film's points.

Especially fine in the film's supporting cast is Valerio Mastandrea, above, as our politician's right-hand man, who starts the ball rolling by using the other twin, and then cannot stop  -- and maybe wouldn't want to -- the ensuing progress.

Made last year, Viva la libertà was eclipsed by The Great Beauty, also starring Servillo, which Italy submitted for, and which then won, Best Foreign Language Film. The Great Beauty was very good, but Viva la libertà is even better. Stick it on your must-see list now.

The movie, from Distrib Films and running a sleek 94 minutes, opened in New York at the Lincoln Plaza Cinema and Quad Cinema last Friday, November 7. It will hit Los Angeles (at Laemmle's Royal, Playhouse 7 and Town Center 5). In between those dates and after, the film will open throughout the USA. You can see all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters by clicking here, then scrolling down just a bit to click again on THEATERS, then scrolling down some more.

Streaming tip: Bertrand Tavernier's sweet and light-footed surprise, THE FRENCH MINISTER

Looking over the oeuvre of famed French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier, you'd be hard pressed to come across a comedy. His newest film, THE FRENCH MINISTER (Quai d'Orsay), which came and went in theaters all too briefly last season, if not quite a full-fledged comedy, is possibly the most endearing and light-footed feature this storied and serious filmmaker has so far given us. There is often humor to be found in Tavernier's films, but here there's a wealth of it, beginning with the title performance by gifted French actor Thierry Lhermitte.

Basically, Bertrand's movie is a political satire (the filmmaker is shown at right), but it is not a particularly barbed one. The humor is almost entirely built into the characterizations on display, rather than arriving out of the situations. With actors as good as the fine ensemble cast rounded up for this movie, that humor is firmly rooted and bubbles up believably as we get to know this odd assortment of drone-like satellites, ever revolving around their sun of a minister -- who is, unfortunately, pretty much a son of a bitch.

As played by M. Lhermitte (shown below, right), this Minister (of Foreign Affairs) is possibly the most vain and narcissistic fellow in politics on either side of the Atlantic.

And yet... There is something just a tad endearing about the guy's vanity and self-esteem. We watch and learn of all this through the eyes and mind of a young speech-writer named Arthur, who has come to join, a bit reluctantly, the staff that serves this minister. Played by one of France's hottest young actors, Raphaël Personnaz (above, left), Arthur is smart but naive, and pretty much a lamb to some of the lions in this political den.

These would include the likes of Valérie, played by Julie Gayet (above, right), an actress whose connection with France's current President, François Holland, makes her role and performance all that much more succulent.

Also on staff is the quiet, near-sleepy old fellow, Claude, played by one of France's foremost actors Niels Arestrup, above, who nearly steals the movie by never raising his voice amidst the whirlwind -- literally and figuratively -- caused constantly by his boss.

The remainder of the ensemble is well-cast and up to snuff, but a word must be said for both Jane Birkin -- who plays a Nobel Prize-winning author whom our Minister insists on having to lunch -- and Anaïs Demoustier (above, right), who plays Arthus' live-in girlfriend. Ms Birkin always proves a delight; here she is once again, this time with a bit of a barbed edge, while Ms Demoustier is intelligent sweetness personified.

The movie never settles for standard comedic tricks. It has something else -- a little more serious -- in mind. By the end, you will have questioned your immediate and previous assumptions and maybe even rethought slightly your opinion of politicians and their actual worth. As with all of Tavernier's works, this one is a movie worth seeing and mulling over in retrospect.

From IFC Films, in French with English subtitles and running a very-easy-to-watch 113 minutes, The French Minister can be streamed now via Netflix and elsewhere and is also available on DVD.

Bill Guttentag's KNIFE FIGHT hits theatres & VOD: Politics makes typical bedfellows

Was there really a time when the statement, "Politics makes strange bedfellows," seemed at all surprising? These days, one would be hard put to think of any bedfellow, no matter how bizarre, as out of the realm not just of possibility but of probability, nay, expectation. Ah, well: Whatever it takes, matey!

These thoughts, among others, came to mind while watching the new political, feel-good comedy KNIFE FIGHT, directed and co-written (with political consultant Chris Lehane) by Bill Guttentag, shown below, who has made a number of documentaries over the past many years, from Crack USA: County Under Seige to the more recent Nanking.

Among the good things about Knife Fight is that is gives the usually pleasurable and always photogenic Rob Lowe (on poster above and in the four final stills, below) his best movie role in years, as Paul Turner, a political consultant/strategist most often involved in getting his candidates out of the hot water of scandal and into the political office of their choice.

Sometimes this means getting them into office for the first time  -- as in the case of the beautiful female physician practicing in a low-income San Francisco community who decides to run

for governor (she's played by Carrie-Anne Moss, above) -- or keeping them in office when they're cocksmen extraordinaire, and all too willing to destructively prove this to their muse of the mo-ment. Two examples of the latter would be the Kentucky governor with intern problems (who brings to mind John Edwards and Bill Clinton) played by a Southern-accented Eric McCormack (below), and the California senator (David Harbour) currently being blackmailed by a very ambitious little blond masseuse.

On Paul's team are an adorable and smart assistant, played by Jamie Chung, and a charmingly seedy, older operative (Richard Schiff). This savvy threesome seems enough to ensure continued success. What makes the movie an example of feel-good comedy is the notion, put forward by Paul and brought to fruition by the filmmakers, that whatever it takes to win is somehow appropriate and fair game, so long as the candidate you are working for is the "good guy" -- or at least the ever-present "lesser of two evils."

This, of course, completely ignores our current-and-growing-worse-with-each-election political process, in which money in the form of political contributions continues to buy elections, so that no matter which candidate wins, decisions that affect the general populace badly but are to the benefit of the wealthy and corporate continue to be made. This renders the simple-minded attitude of Paul and his team more than faintly ridiculous. 

The reality that Knife Fight gives us is the shallow, superficial variety that fits right in with our current comedy mode of appearing to tell the truth while simply plying on the feel-good. Sure, it's believable, so far as it goes, which is maybe halfway down the block. That said, the movie is often immensely enjoyable, thanks to its clever plotting; quick, funny dialog; and performances that are spot-on in just about every case.

Look for Modern Family's Julie Bowen (above, right) in the role of the reporter happy to play either side of the street, so long as there's a good story for her; Jennifer Morrison, very funny as the masseuse from hell; and the always welcome Saffron Burrows as McCormack's hell-of-a-lot-better half. If I wish Knife Fight were a lot better, too, and I do, it's only because of movies like last year's Grassroots, which so beautifully gave us the ups and downs of real politics on a community level, or -- as a more distant example -- Mike Nichols' superb but under-rated adaptation, Primary Colors, which offered up the Clintons like nothing else has captured them before or since. 

This new movie, from IFC Films and running 103 minutes, opens Friday, January 25, in New York at the IFC Center, and in the Los Angeles area at Laemmle's Noho 7.  Starting January 28, the film will be available to view on VOD, iTunes, Sundance Now, XBOX, Playstation, Amazon, Google Play and You Tube.