Paparazzi: Hollywood Propaganda

my rating: Nathan's rating:

Paparazzi is a fascinating psychological study... of a psychosis peculiar to Hollywood and other bastions of "celebrity". It is a peek inside the delusional mind of Tinseltown, where tabloid photographers are not merely bottom-feeders catering to an audience that loves to tear down actors as quickly as it adores them. (Which, for the record, is my opinion of them.)

No, in this version of reality, paparazzi are first-class slimeballs who take joy in causing pain and suffering. No dirty trick is too low or too devious. They deliberately provoke assaults from wholesome celebrities, in order to file lucractive suits against them... and still go after their prey relentlessly, despite their winnings. They don't care who gets hurt by their actions (not even the wholesome leading man's loving wife and young son) as long as it provides them with good photos. You want to know how evil they are? One of them got barred from being a lawyer.

My gods, this film was horrible. I've seen Cold-War-era propaganda movies whose Commies were more sympathetic and believable than these Bad Guys. And while the Good Guy of the film strays over the line when he fights back, in the grand Hollywood tradition of vigilante heroes that's more like a pat on the back for him, showing just how far an ordinary, unpretentious, salt-of-the-earth movie star will go when his family is harmed. This is Death Wish gone Hollywood, an obvious piece of propaganda from folks in the movie industry who want us to feel sorry for them.

On some level I do feel sorry for actors or anyone else who has to put up with the tabloid media. I think that whole industry is disgusting, and I don't participate in it. But it's a monster that Hollywood created, and continues to feed, so my sympathy is for their poor judgment, not for their supposed innocent victimisation.

But the bottom line isn't whether I agree with the point of view of the producers. Blatant propaganda makes for poor entertainment, and that's what this is.

(The writer has no previous credits, and the director is producer Mel Gibson's former hair stylist. Gibson has a cameo in it, and the lead character feels like it's based on him and a role he would've played himself if he were young enough. So I'm going to file this turd as one of Gibson's.)