Napoleon

The movie doesn't earn its title. If the goal is definitive Napoleon biopic, I need three and a half hours of precisely selected material. Either Scott didn't select his material precisely or his title doesn't reflect his goal. If Shakespeare in Love was called Shakespeare; if At Eternity's Gate was called Vincent; if The Last Temptation of Christ was called Jesus... you get it. They'd feel like failures. They're simply a take on a sample of a character. Napoleon was a take in that it used Joaquin Phoenix. Choosing Joaquin to depict any character that he isn't originating feels like a take. Napoleon is the movie where Joaquin dramatizes some events in Napoleon's life -- it isn't the definitive biopic the title suggests. I resent titles nowadays. Every movie has to sound definitive; every song title has to be all uppercase or all lowercase.

Do I need to say Joaquin felt weird? He's too unique as an actor; he can't blend in. He needs to originate characters according to his style; he isn't believable otherwise. He didn't even try an accent for this movie -- he's just Joaquin in an ugly hat, trying to sound formal. I don't feel like I understand Napoleon any better now.

2.5/4