No matter the end result of his challenging films, as a director, David Cronenberg has a killer instinct for drawing out unique and memorable performances from his cast. Which is why watching Robert Pattinson mumble and bumble his way through Cosmopolis (link to trailer redacted, don’t bother!) two years ago was one of the most torturous experiences of my life at the movies.
The good news is Cronenberg seems to have grafted some of the intriguing themes of fame, isolation, wealth and mental illness found in that bore of a film onto a much more meaty narrative with his new picture Maps to the Stars.
Starring John Cusack as a self-help guru (pictured), Julianne Moore and Mia Wasikowska (and yes, Pattinson, who returns in a smaller role), the drama is a cluttered collage of Hollywood dysfunction focusing on a family spiraling after glitz and glamour and struggling to deal with their actor children who face addiction and mental illness.