Updated June 22, 2021, 6:05 p.m.
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- The comedy “Kings of Hollywood” starts in German cinemas on June 24th.
- On the one hand, the film is a declaration of love for the cinema and filmmaking, but it also pokes fun at the dream factory with all its facets.
- The three old stars Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman are in good shape and do not shy away from a good dose of self-irony.
A criticism
of Christian Stüwe
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“Shouldn’t we just stop?” Asks Walter Creason (Zach Braff) his uncle Max Barber (Robert De Niro) right at the beginning of the film “Kings of Hollywood”. The producer duo’s latest film threatens to flop, and Creason sees no future for the joint company Miracle Motion Pictures. But Max doesn’t want to hear about it. You have to believe in the daily miracles and persevere, he emphatically explains to his nephew.
When “Kings of Hollywood” was filmed in New Mexico in the summer of 2019, no one thought of the corona pandemic. Which is why the introductory scene is almost prophetic: cinema companies around the world experienced what is probably the most difficult time in their history in the last year and a half.
While streaming portals even benefited from the pandemic, the cinemas had to remain closed and trembled for their existence. The theatrical release of “Kings of Hollywood” has also been postponed several times, now the star-studded comedy, which is a declaration of love for good, old cinema and filmmaking, starts on June 24th.
“Kings of Hollywood”: Insurance fraud is supposed to solve all problems
The action takes place in Hollywood in 1974. The cunning producer Max is plagued by money problems, the brutal Mafia boss Reggie Fontaine (Morgan Freeman) wants his borrowed money back and issues an ultimatum. Since Max doesn’t believe in the commercial success of his new film, he hatches another plan. The main actor is said to die in an accident on the set, and the sum insured should solve his financial problems.
So Max hires the aging and depressed western star Duke Montana (Tommy Lee Jones), who is vegetating in an old people’s home and playing Russian roulette. But when the shooting of “The Oldest Gun in the West” begins, his spirits reawaken – which is also due to the young, attractive director Megan Albert (Kate Katzman).
During the filming, Max tries again and again to put Duke in dangerous situations. But the aging western hero masters even the most daring stunts, which causes some bizarre situations, surprising moments and laughs – before the story takes a turn.
Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Tommy Lee Jones carry the film
“Kings of Hollywood” is a remake of “The Comeback Trail” from 1982. The comedy is carried by its three main actors, 77-year-old Robert De Niro, 74-year-old Tommy Lee Jones and the already 84-year-old Morgan Freeman. The trio, all of which have received Oscars, show a lot of enthusiasm for playing despite their age and do not shy away from a good dose of self-irony.
After all, “Kings of Hollywood” is a film about filmmaking and is full of allusions to the dream factory with all its facets, which in some cases borders on satire. For example when a horde of aged mimes with walkers in the style of the “Walking Dead” zombies chases the producer duo in the hope of a role in the senior citizens’ home “The Last Curtain”, which is specially set up for actors.
Above all, however, “Kings of Hollywood” shows that cinema is not dead in times of streaming and corona. In Germany, too, the cinemas are gradually opening up again, and persevering has paid off. Because even the best home cinema equipment cannot replace the shared experience of a blockbuster or the common laugh at a comedy like “Kings of Hollywood”. That is why the film will hit cinemas at exactly the right time, albeit with a long delay.
“Kings of Hollywood” hits theaters on June 24th.
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Hollywood star Robert De Niro, who will celebrate his 77th birthday on August 17th, has shaped the gangster film genre with his roles. He is not alone with his image as a screen mafiosi.
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