CQ (***1/2)
review by Jon Waterman

Looking for a film about a guy who’s trying to balance editing a campy sci-fi spy movie, making his own no-holds-barred personal film and a relationship?  Well, then look no further than CQ, the directorial and scriptorial (not a real word) debut of Roman Coppola.

Jeremy Davies plays Paul, the guy trying to deal with all of this stuff.  He has to watch this film he’s working on, called “Dragonfly,” bounce around from director to director.  He has to work hard at making his own film about his life, while making it as real as possible.  He has to deal with an increasingly demanding girlfriend, Marlene (played by Élodie Bouchez), who feels threatened by his devotion to the camera.  He also has to deal with his growing attraction for the star of “Dragonfly,” Valentine (model turned actress Angela Lindvall).

Coppola seems to know his stuff.  The writing is sharp and intelligent.  The movie was well thought out and meticulously detailed.  There are three distinctive looks to the film.  One is for “Dragonfly.”  One is for his own film.  The last is for the rest of the movie.  Each has its own guidelines and its own feel to it – all of which work very well.  Where he shines is in the directing he must have given the actors.  The three movie structure is an interesting concept.  Instead of one climax, we get three.  Instead of one ending, we get three.  Sometimes the three movies overlap, but seeing them all take place as they do, they become characters that we are interested in and need to see brought to a conclusion.  It turns out to be a nice added bonus and somehow tricks us, as an audience, into thinking we saw more than we did.

Jason Schwartzman plays the young, hip, sought-after director, Felix de Marco.  Easily my favorite performance of the film.  He’s got the Hollywood attitude down with the fake enthusiasm and fake interest.  It’s really quite something to watch him work.  Davies carries the tone of honesty and timidness in the film.  He’s relatable to the everyman (in terms of filmmaking) who we sometimes can’t believe made it as far as he did.  He’s the hidden talent in the sea of brown-nosers and “visionaries.”  Billy Zane plays a character in “Dragonfly” named Mr. E.  He does a wonderful job as an over-the-top B-movie actor.  He mugs for the camera without even looking at it.  Simply brilliant.  My only complaint with him is that his acting is too good to be a B-actor.  He needed to tone it down more, put more awkwardness into it.  This is something that newcomer Lindvall does quite well.  The great cast is rounded out by Dean Stockwell (Paul’s dad) and Gérard Depardieu.  “CQ” is a wonderful satire that’s brought out perfectly through the wonderful acting.

If you want to know what the title is all about, well, go see the movie.  See it even if you don’t care about the title.

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