David Cronenberg's 'Maps to the Stars' Satirizes Hollywood

Canadian director David Cronenberg, after 45 years in the business, has finally filmed a movie in America with writer Bruce Wagner's original script Maps to the Stars,a satirical look at Hollywood in the 21st century led by a couple over the top performances, most notably Julianne Moore as an aging, in-decline actress. Despite the film's premise and characticatures of celebrities, the film has receieved mix reviews after debuting in competition at Cannes last night. 

The film centers around an actress named Havana Segrand (Moore) as she tries to land a role in an indie film that was once portrayed by her much more famous mother, who died in a fire but still comes back to haunt her occassionaly. There are other stories within the story, such as a newcomer actress from Florida (Mia Wasikowska), her teenage hearthrob brother Benji (Evan Bird, in a very Bieber-esque performace) and their self-help TV guru father (John Cusack). 

While the film seems to have promise, Peter Debruge of Variety writes that Maps "struggles to mix genres: part showbiz send up, part ghost story, part dysfunctional family drama" and that it comes off as "mumbo-jumbo". In contrast, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian calls the film a "gripping and exquisitely horrible movie about contemporary Hollywood". 

Despide the mixed reviews, many critics are in agreement with the "all-out" performance of star Julianne Moore, with Debruge calling her portrayal of Havanna as "incredible" and "fearless... far more gonzo than the out-of-touch satire that contains it". The Hollywood Reporter writes that Moore gives a "physically out-there performance that isn't always funny but certainly is bold and, at it's core, believable". THR also praised Bird's performance of Benji as "precociously impressive".

The film will be release in the U.S. sometime this year.