Movie Review: Buscemi's Interview Hits Paydirt

With all his experience in independent film and his reputation of finding really interesting projects, Steve Buscemi has taken the next step by writing and directing his own film, an adaptation of Theodor Holman and Theo Van Gogh’s Interview.

Critiquing the give and take of celebrity journalism, Buscemi, who must have experienced similar situations first hand, guides the viewer through what should have been a quick interview. The film doesn’t openly attack the proliferation of celebrity news or gossip, but it heralds a warning that the facts acquired from such interviews are always manipulated by either the interviewer or the subject.

Pierre, played by Buscemi, is a political journalist who gets called in from the field to write an entertainment piece about Katya, the flavor of the month tabloid queen, played by Sienna Miller. Pierre is annoyed that he has been put on an unimportant assignment and when Katya is late for the interview, the questions he asks her are all condescending and their discussion ends abruptly. While pulling into traffic, Pierre’s cab rear ends a truck because the driver is distracted by Katya, who then feels “almost responsible” for his injuries and invites him to her loft. So, their discussion restarts and what begins as sugar-coated pabulum slowly evolves into a two-way personal investigation.

Buscemi’s performance as the uptight and at times desperate reporter is very good, even though Pierre seems ordinary compared to the weirdos he normally plays. What he is great at is being able to dive into a character fully and show their conflicting impulses. For example, Pierre’s desperation is hidden behind charm in the hopes that Katya may offer him a nugget of gossip which he could turn into a scoop.

Article Author: Danny Smooth

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