Viktor Taransky (Pacino) is a distraught movie director who embraces computer technology to mold a fictitious movie star. When the new starlet captures the hearts and minds of movie fans, he grapples with himself on how to tell the world that Simone doesn't exist.

As even a dark comedy, Simone clearly doesn't work. The idea that a fictitious starlet can do no wrong is funny but the movie rarely goes far enough to get the best jokes out of it. And Tarnansky's character isn't written well enough to show the duplicity needed. There are laughs to be had but they work more as gags than plot points.

As a social statement, however, Simone strikes a cord. Clearly there are movie stars whom have little talent (many names leap to mind here) that are only on the screen because the audience allows it. And what a pleasure it would be for a director to work with a star who has no ego and makes no demands.

I can't let this review go without stating how unimpressive and wrought with fallacy the technical loop of the story is. There could have been a much better techie edge here. At one point we see Taransky insert a hard drive into the CPU as if it were a removable storage device and later we see him insert a FLOPPY DISC from circa 1986 into the same computer. It's a damn shame Apple didn't get product placement for this picture.

Directed by Andrew Niccol.