Rating of
2/4
Absurd Shock Value
Unknown - wrote on 05/05/15
'Maps to the Stars' pulls back the curtain of Hollywood to show the dysfunctional personal lives of it's most famous in the entertainment industry. And I mean ABSURDLY dysfunctional. A group of famous starlets, including one disastrously disturbed and self-righteous family, are shown in their day-to-day lifestyles while on the verge of severe mental, emotional, and physical breakage. All of the characters here are completely un-relatable and unlikable. They are terrible to themselves and everyone around them. It's like the worst stories you hear of bad celebrity behavior being amplified beyond rational belief. Some reviewers find the result satirical, while others think it's a disturbing 'what if' scenario or cautionary tale, and more think it's a hateful indictment. I believe the intent is solely to test the audience on what they are willing to accept. That, or just some strange mixture of all three previous reasons. This type of film has been done many times. Here there's nothing to invest in. I was interested to see what all the crazy harshness would lead to. That's about all the involvement I had. In the end, it just boils down to shock value based on the outlandish actions of these despicable people. That's really all the film has to offer. Having great actors to make these hopeless individuals seem somehow believable is the only thing that makes it ever worth watching. The film is drab shock.
